Artreach News

Thank YOU! SSP raises almost four times its goal for Relay for Life!

The Second Step Players raised $390 walking in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on June 28 and 29 at Norwich Free Academy. Thanks to all the walkers, the volunteers and, of course, to the donors. The Second Step Players are working hard to support others and give back to the community. The efforts of all of us at Relay For Life helped the American Cancer Society to keep working toward a cancer-free future.

Artreach members to display art in Hartford

Art work by members of Artreach who participated in the Open Art Studio will be on display during the month of July at the Commissioner's Office of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in Hartford. The public is invited to an Art Show Reception at 2:30 p.m. on July 23. Attendees must bring an ID to the opening in order to enter a state government building. The art show fits in with the emphasis at Artreach to help members get out into the community through artistic activities and expression.

The Open Art Studio is a series of classes held during rehearsals for the agency's annual Come Together Coffeehouse. The photo above shows one of the classes in action. Members work on both individual and group projects using a variety of media while they wait for their opportunity to rehearse the song they will perform in the coffeehouse. The Open Art Studio has been a very popular program with members and has been in operation for the past few years.

Besides being just plain fun, the Open Art Studio has had a strong impact on people's attentiveness while they are rehearsing. The art helps the music; the music helps the art. It's wonderful to see.

The Open Art Studio program was begun by Heather Bonitz, an art therapist with a Master's Degree in Art Therapy from Springfield College. For the past couple of years, John Lamar, a professional artist, has joined her in conducting twice-a-week classes. Media used in creating the pieces of art include pastels, charcoal, watercolors, acrylic paints, collage materials, pen and ink, and much more.

The goal of this exhibit is to show the public, state workers and elected officials the possibilities open to people with mental illnesses who are given the means to participate in activities that bring them and their work into the larger community.

New Executive Director Reviews Past Year and Plans for Future

Becca Atkins, our new Executive Director, takes us on a tour of last year's O'Neill show, our fall/winter tour, and our first ever holiday show. She also discusses some ideas for new ways to become a part of the local arts and theater scene. Want to read more? See our Spring 2008 issue of Atreach: at a glance. PDF available by clicking here.

Spring Opens at WH/PH

Winter didn't stop Work Hard/Play Hard, as Director Sharon Kitlinski tells us in her article in our latest newsletter. Let's see, there were billiards, cats, pottery, beads, theater, baseball, and basketball. And now spring is coming and the schedule is full once again. Want to read more? See our Spring 2008 issue of Atreach: at a glance. PDF available by clicking here.

Project: Outsiders Making Music

Sam Bliven (left) records the vocals for Preservation Is The Battle Cry, a song he wrote for our CD entitled Outsiders Making Music. All recording was done at Riverway Studios with Ira Sakolsky, our producer and recording engineer (in foreground of photo below). Preservation is a song about the strength it takes to live in a society that fears, medicates and shuns people with mental illnesses. Sam's track features community volunteer musicians Rick Stannard and Alan Winslow.

In addition, we have two short rap songs in the can written and sung by Matthew Olson: One Of Us and Psychotic, both dealing with stigma and recovery issues. MP3 sound clips of each can be heard by clicking on the song titles. Hit your back button to return to this page.

We also have a song written and sung by Fred Vaughn called Signs, a song from the perspective of having bipolar illness. Lastly, we are starting work on track 5, a song by Melanie called Austin State Blues.

We now have enough tracks available to sell a four-song EP (extended play) of Outsiders Making Music. If you are interested in buying a copy, call Becca at (860) 887-0014.

Special thanks to the Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut and the Connecticut Commision on Cutlure & Tourism for their generous support.

5 Ways
to Help Us

1) Wish List

A number of people involved with Artreach love music and want to learn more and play more. To that end, we are developing a program of music classes and jamming. But, we need instruments, and good ones so that people stay motivated. Want to help? Can you donate something from this list or send us a cash gift to buy the instrument? Put a guitar in our hands and a song in your heart!

• Guitars or bass guitars
• Small "practice" amps
• Guitar cords
• Music stands
• Guitar picks of various sizes
• Sheet music

2) Want to PDF?

You can save us money and have this newsletter emailed to you as a PDF file. Just give us your email address and we will do the rest. Call (860) 887-0014 or email us at secondstepplayers@ sbcglobal.net

3) Special Occasion Contributions

Over the past year, we have received some contributions associated with significant events in people's lives. One young man asked that all of his Bar Mitzvah gifts be contributions to Artreach. Another couple decided to donate money they would have spent on wedding favors to Artreach instead. Yet another person saw that we needed a piece of equipment and donated the money for us to buy it. We thank those people and ask that you consider helping us out when you have an important date in your life.Call Becca at (860) 887-0014 for more information.

4) Shop and
Fund Us

Would you like to shop and donate money to us? Then, click the button above and start shopping at ePlaza with over 1,300 national retailers. Go to the site, pick a store and then pick Artreach (Norwich, CT) from the list. And then shop. A portion of the money you spend will get donated to us by the retailer. It's cool! It's easy! So click that button when you are ready to do your Holiday shopping. Or any shopping at any time!

5) Buy Our CD

Buy a copy of our CD! See the story about Outsiders Making Music to your left. Songs and music by people with mental illnesses about the experience of having the illnesses.

Ask
Arteach

Q: Does the Work Hard/Play Hard program provide transportation to its scheduled events?

A: You betcha we do! With a fleet of two vans, we are always on the move...

Work Hard/Play Hard could not exist without safe and dependable vehicles. For us, a van is more than a mode of transportation, as essential as that may be to people who are unable to afford cars and, in many cases, even public transportation when it is available. A van opens up opportunities for mental health consumers to truly become participants in the life of the community in which they live as it provides door-to-door transportation to evening and weekend events.

Stigma Sucks!

Myths about
Mental Illness

Myth

There is no such thing as recovery from mental illness.

Fact

Recovery from mental illness exists on a continuum. It means something different to each individual. One person's recovery may involve learning coping skills to deal with hearing voices that are distressing. For someone else, recovery could mean that the symptoms are not active at all. Just like physical illnesses, psychiatric illnesses can be mild or severe. Most symptoms are treatable with therapy and/or medication. Mental illnesses can change a person's life, but need not end dreams and hopes. Effective treatment, support and community acceptance greatly reduce the level of disability one experiences.