Dear FACES Members
January 2011
Dear FACES members;
As we celebrate the holiday season, we count our blessings. The generous support that you have provided FACES over the past five years is a gift… a gift of hope for families caught in the frightening, isolating, confusing world of mental illness.
Our support group has welcomed hundreds of parents, siblings, spouses, and children desperate for knowledge to enable them to care for a loved one suffering with a brain disorder. I see a huge weight lifted from their shoulders when they leave their first meeting. They now have access to new referrals and resources, but most importantly, they have found a confidential place to share concerns with compassionate people who truly understand and can offer hope.
Our commitment to education has provided monthly advocacy meetings with a diversity of speakers including: Dr. Ananda Pandurangi, psychiatrist and Medical Director of MCV; Captain James Prichett, Chesterfield County Sheriff.; Karen Bowker, Director of Chesterfield County’s STAR (ICT) Team; Daniel Herr, Executive Director of Gateway Homes, and Jim Mc Cord; financial specialist working with the special needs community. Knowledge heps struggling family members become empowered to make positive changes in their lives and in the lives of their loved ones.
Won’t you consider making a year-end tax deductible donation to help FACES to continue our work? Consider making your gift in honor of or in memory of a loved one. Even a small gift will enable FACES to greatly impact the lives of many more Richmond area families touched by mental illness.
Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy New Year!
Pat Myers
FACES Board co-chair