Brandywine Counseling Blog

Daily Message 8/27/08

2008-08-27T10:51:00.001-04:00

Look for the grace and dignity, that can be found in growing older. It is after all, a privilege that is denied to many.

Volunteers Needed to Help with Recovery Picnic

2008-08-26T14:06:00.003-04:00

RECOVERY MONTH PICNIC HELP

When: Thursday, September 18, 11 AM - 3 PM
Where: Alpha North Wilmington Center, at the Edgemoor Community Center, 500 Duncan Road, Wilmington

Recovery Month 2008 is just around the corner, and Brandywine Counseling is celebrating with a Picnic and Open House at our new North Wilmington Center. We are planning a fun celebration including a kids’ moon bounce, senior citizens’ bake off contest, fishing tank, face painting, mascots, raffle, and crafts table. We need your help the day of the event to set up, supervise activities, and clean up.

Recovery Month is an annual observance that takes place during the month of September to highlight the societal benefits of treatment, celebrate treatment providers, and promote the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible. This year's theme is Real People, Real Recovery.

To apply for this project, click here.

Daily Message 8/26/08

2008-08-26T08:10:00.002-04:00

The words of men, can be used as powerful, productive tools. The words of men, can be used as powerful, destructive weapons. You can build someone up or you can cut them down. When you speak up, make sure it's not something you will regret. Often your own sense of honor...can be directly connected to your tongue.

Volunteer Spotlight: Loretta Legg, Alpha North Wilmington

2008-08-25T14:00:00.003-04:00

Lorretta Legg has been volunteering with Brandywine Counseling for several months. She has been a valuable addition to our North Wilmington Center. In our latest volunteer spotlight, Loretta tells us about her experience in her own words:

I was a client, so I already knew about BCI and what it had to offer. I talked to Monalee about volunteering. I asked her if she needed help, and she said, "Yes."

Currently, I'm working on helping with putting together the BCI Recovery Picnic and Grand Re-Opening of the North Wilmington Office. I then helped with updating the North Wilmington Safety Emergency Policies and Procedures Manual. Our next project is to develop a proposal for two working Community Gardens inside the Edgemoor Community Center and around the North Wilmington Office.

I'm getting to understand a lot more than what just my addiction was like, and learning how to handle the different addictions by helping others. When you do a Meet & Greet with a client, it is easier to answer questions about BCI for clients when you have already been through the process. We had a client come in who asked, "Do we have to talk in group?" I remember when I was nervous about having to come and share in group, so I understood exactly how he felt and I was able to assure him about participating in groups.

I think Monalee and I have the same demeanor. I like working with her. We get along well. I've worked in an office before, so what I am asked to do I feel comfortable with doing because of my prior work experience.

It's a good feeling. I don't mind helping out anybody, because if I help they will give it back in the end. I think I get that from my dad.

Daily Message 8/25/08

2008-08-25T09:14:00.002-04:00

Once you figure, out that you can't "change" or be in "charge", of someone else's behavior...You understand that no one else can be in "control" of you or your behavior.

The Lighthouse Program Wish List

2008-08-22T13:38:00.004-04:00

The Lighthouse residential program for women and children is in need of the following items:

1. Pampers, Pampers, Pampers
2. Wagons
3. Photo frames and albums for children's pictures
4. Exercise DVD's for moms
5. Sheets, comforters, and pillows for twin beds/blankets --some for adults, some for kids
6. Yard work supplies for gardening/landscaping (little garden tools, shovel, weed wacker)
7. Single strollers
8. Clothes for children of all ages
9. Clothes for women: robes, panties, bras and socks, pajama's
10. Tupperware, pots/pans, dishes, cups
11. Jump drives to store computer work like resumes, meeting schedules
12. School supplies
13. Birthday or holiday presents and party supplies
14. Clock radios
15. Haircut gift certificates
16. For our re-entry house for women nearing completion of treatment and transitioning to their own housing: Furniture, sheets, comforters, artwork, towels. You can adopt and decorate a room in this 4 bedroom house.

If you have items to donate, please call (302) 424-8080 or e-mail us at contactbci[at]brandywinecounseling[dot]org. Thank you!

Daily Message 8/22/08

2008-08-22T07:49:00.003-04:00

"Growing and changing"... Often means "outgrowing" ... certain people, places & things. It's difficult to let go, when your heart is involved. It can be done...if first we find "self love".

"How Do I Comment?" And Other Questions About The BCI Blog

2008-08-21T11:13:00.004-04:00

What is a blog?
An online journal with pictures, video, and links. But you can do more than just read it, you can comment on it and share it with others.

Why does BCI have a blog?
To give you an inside look into the work we do! You can get updates as they happen, and interact with the staff who post and other readers.

Who is this blog for?
This blog is written for the public, clients, and staff. It’s for anyone who supports addiction treatment, recovery, and HIV prevention, in Delaware or anywhere else. It is for people in recovery, people who work in treatment programs, and people who enjoy reading success stories.

Why should I comment?
We love comments! By telling us what you think, you become part of the work we do and help us provide better service.

How do I comment?
Commenting is easy!
1. At the end of every post is a box that says “0 Comments,” or more if comments are already made. Click here to post your comment.
2. Type your comment in the box.
3. Choose an identity. You can use your existing Google, AIM, or similar account. If you don’t have any of these, choose Name/URL and enter your name. You can also post as Anonymous.
4. Click Preview, then make any final changes.
5. When you’re satisfied, click Publish Your Comment.

What happens after I post my comment?
You will see the message, “Your comment has been saved and will be visible after blog owner approval.” This means BCI has been notified of your comment and will decide whether to approve or reject it. Most likely, we will approve your comment, so check back soon. It may take minutes or hours, or longer if it’s a weekend. We welcome both positive and negative comments if they are on topic and contribute to the discussion. Most comments that are rejected are either spam or simply linking to another site.

Can I comment if I’m a client?
Absolutely! We suggest that you post as Anonymous or under an alias that does not identify you. Any comment that violates a client’s confidentiality or BCI rules outlined in our handbook, will be rejected.

How do I share an interesting post with a friend?
You can email any post to a friend. At the bottom of each post, next to the comments link, is an envelope icon. Click it, enter your name, email address, and optional message, and click Send Email.

Why should I subscribe?
Our blog changes almost every day, because we post stuff as it happens! As a subscriber, you’ll be the first to know when there’s a new post. Subscribing is free and you may cancel at any time.

How do I subscribe by email?
Scroll down to the box on the right that says “Enter your email address.” Type your address and hit Subscribe.

How do I subscribe with a feed reader?
A feed reader will notify you even faster than email. It’s a free program you can download to your computer. A window will pop up to tell you whenever there’s a new post. You can subscribe to multiple blogs, add and remove them as you choose, and read them at your convenience. Bloglines is just one of many feed readers available. Go to http://www.bloglines.com/ and follow the instructions.

Photos From the Keepin' It Real Block Party

2008-08-20T16:13:00.003-04:00

On Saturday August 9, 2008, the BCI Outreach Team created a fun and enjoyable block party atmosphere to motivate our community members to consider the importance of their health and their individual HIV status. Free rapid HIV testing was provided along with information tables, a DJ, educational games, free food and give-a-ways.

Click here to view our album of photos from a fun event for a good cause.

Daily Message 8/20/08

2008-08-20T09:23:00.002-04:00

Dear God, We ask that you never let us lose sight, of where we have been...Reminding us to live in today...and to keep the focus on where we plan to go.

Mark Your Recovery Month Calendar

2008-08-19T14:09:00.003-04:00

Recovery Month 2008 is just around the corner, and BCI is celebrating with several upcoming events, so mark your calendar and make plans to join us! This year's theme is Real People, Real Recovery.

On Thursday, September 18, from 12 Noon to 2 PM, there will be a Picnic & Open House at Alpha North Wilmington. Join us to celebrate recovery at our brand new location at the Edgemoor Community Center. Fabulous people! Good fellowship! Great food! Parents encouraged to bring children. The location is 500 Duncan Road, Suite 144, Wilmington, DE 19809.

On Friday, September 19, from 10 AM to 2 PM, is our 2008 Recovery Month Softball Tournament in Georgetown. The tournament will be held at Sports At The Beach located on Route 9 in Georgetown. It will be a day of games, food, friends, and sober fun. We are inviting treatment staff, clients, friends, and family to form teams of 9. All equipment will be provided but feel free to bring your own. If you would like to participate, please contact Krystal at 302-856-4700. Let's Play Ball!

We also wanted to pass along an event from our friends at the 1212 Club.

On Saturday, September 6 from 12 Noon to 6 PM, the 1212 Club will hold the Real People, Real Recovery Community Enrichment Day. This day will be filled with speakers from differeent treatment facilities along with people from recovery groups and 12 step programs. There will also be a presentation conducted by the 1212 Board of Trustees, Recovery Coach Team, and Members. Lunch will be a barbeque from 2 PM until 3 PM. The location is the 1212 Corporation, 2700 Washington Street, Wilmington DE 19802. For further information or to have your facility participate in this event, feel free to call Stephen Burns at 275-1142 or Ethel King at 345-8176.

Daily Message 8/19/08

2008-08-19T10:07:00.002-04:00

I find it interesting that God says "Thy, will be done"...yet we really believe and convince ourselves that it's "Our, will be done". Let go, let God and watch the miracles that can happen.

The Most At Risk Are The Hardest To Reach

2008-08-18T08:33:00.004-04:00

The News Journal details the extent of our challenge in reaching a hidden and mistrustful population with the needle exchange. Though blacks remain hesitant to access the services, it's important to note our successes and how far we've come.

Before Wilmington got a needle-exchange program of its own, some addicts went to Philadelphia to get clean syringes from the exchange program there. In addition to needles, they brought back stories about police harassment near the vans that distribute them.

Those experiences make it hard to trust the Wilmington program, even though the relationship between its workers and police here has gone better than anyone could have expected, officials say.
...

"It's a fact that a needle-exchange program cannot reach the people it's trying to if there is not cooperation from the police department," Silverman said. "The cooperation we've had here has been outstanding. They're not using our vans as a mouse trap. No one has been arrested near the vans and no one has been followed and arrested down the block."
...

The program has exceeded its goals for clients and getting people into drug treatment centers.
And we have new strategies to reach those most at risk.
Silverman said she is formulating a plan, which she hopes to implement in the fall, that would get the program's current clients to go to shooting galleries and drug houses to recruit new members.

"Our team of workers are former addicts, former sex workers or have some connection to the communities we serve, but there are still places we can't go," she said.

Daily Message 8/15/08

2008-08-15T09:51:00.003-04:00

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Right!!! If you stay out of the kitchen, you'll starve. Some things in life, are a matter of adjustment. So turn down the heat and never bring yourself to a boil.

5 Questions for You, The Reader

2008-08-15T09:18:00.002-04:00

5 Questions is taking a break this week. For nearly a year, we've brought you twenty conversations with different Brandywine Counseling staff members, in their own words. (Only 140 to go!) That makes it a good time to ask you for feedback about this feature.

1. What was your favorite interview?
2. Which interview taught you something you didn’t know?
3. Whose interview would you most want to share with others?
4. What questions would you ask that we haven’t asked?
5. Who would you like to see interviewed?

Volunteer Spotlight: Walter Frazier, Outreach Support

2008-08-14T13:18:00.003-04:00

Walter Frazier came to Brandywine Counseling as a volunteer with the Outreach Department in July 2008, and quickly became someone we could depend on to help out. In the first of a series of volunteer spotlights, Walter tells us about his experience in his own words:

I relocated to Wilmington a few months ago and decided that while I am seeking full-time employment I would volunteer at a non-profit agency. I learned about BCI by word of mouth and called to see if my skills might be needed.

In the past 10 years I have served on Boards and committees and even worked for the American Red Cross for 3 years as a program director in Bloomington, Indiana. These experiences have given me the opportunity to learn how important the work of non-profits is to a community.

Just based on the name, I assumed this organization most likely provided substance abuse counseling. Although this counseling is part of Brandywine’s activities, I had no clue there was an outreach department that provides free HIV testing and treatment if necessary, nor did I know of the methadone program for heroin users.

I have spent my time raising funds for the annual HIV Testing Event, which is held this year on August 9. I have found this project to be very fulfilling and relevant to me since I have lost 3 close friends to this wretched disease.

I have been surprised by how BCI approaches its endeavors. BCI provides its professional services without prejudice and blame. I have seen how quickly BCI drops everything when a client walks through the door for help. It has been inspiring.

What I have done while volunteering is very small compared to the activities of the whole organization. I feel gratified thinking one person might be tested for HIV, receive early intervention and live a longer life as a result of my efforts.

Daily Message 8/14/08

2008-08-14T05:33:00.001-04:00

CHOICES-OPTIONS-ALTERNATIVES-DECISIONS...All yours...unless you give them away. Don't let others...Make up "your" mind.

Daily Message 8/12/08

2008-08-12T10:31:00.002-04:00

We can't "have" everything at once...Anymore than we can "do" everything at once. With focus and perseverance, we can achieve one thing at a time.

Outreach Workers Become Visible

2008-08-11T15:16:00.007-04:00

From delawareonline.com, some video of our outreach team in action as they prepared for last Saturday's educational block party.

Daily Message 8/11/08

2008-08-11T06:11:00.002-04:00

Dear Lord, Help us to re-group and re-focus, when things don't go the way we planned. To see that all is not lost. That through your love, we can overcome anything and we can rise above.

Daily Message 8/8/08

2008-08-08T07:12:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, someone said to me " people have stopped working toward something and they just work. It's like we have all forgotten why we work. Focus on what you are working toward. Set achievable goals. Ask God to remind you of past accomplishments and to guide you toward new ones.

Daily Message 8/7/08

2008-08-07T09:52:00.001-04:00

There are "reasons, explanations and excuses". Which do you use? More importantly...What makes, one different from another?

This Saturday - 1st Annual Keepin' It Real Block Party

2008-08-07T09:04:00.001-04:00

1st Annual Keepin' It Real Block Party
Saturday, August 9, 2008
3 PM - 7 PM
L.A.C.C. (Latin American Community Center) Parking Lot
4th and Van Buren Streets, Wilmington

This Saturday is our 1st Annual Keepin' It Real Block Party event! We invite you to join us and have a good time.

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness, educate, and motivate people to get screened for HIV. We are targeting the adult community members who reside in the Hilltop/Westside neighborhoods in the 19805 zip code. We will be providing Free and Rapid HIV testing, Free Food, Games, Prizes, Gifts, and activities for the kids. Please consider joining us to spread an important message and create a fun and enjoyable atmosphere that will motivate our community members to consider the importance of their health and their individual HIV status.

Don't forget, this HIV Awareness event will feature information tables, a DJ, educational games, free food and give-a-ways! This is an excellent opportunity for your agency to promote its mission and services. Be sure to invite your co-workers, clients, family and friends!

Daily Message 8/6/08

2008-08-06T09:00:00.002-04:00

We are entitled to our own mistakes and hopefully, we learn from the. Experience, knowledge and remembrance, are often the greatest deterrents.

Subscribe by Email

2008-08-05T11:50:00.002-04:00

Readers, we've added a new way for you to stay informed about all that's going on at BCI. Subscribe to our blog by email, and get our posts delivered to your inbox! Scroll down to the box on the right that says "Enter your email address," or click here. It's that easy.

Of course, you can still subscribe with a feed reader like Bloglines if you want to be the first to know when there's a new post. It's even faster than email and just as easy to set up. Or, if subscribing isn't your thing, stop by this page whenever you feel like checking in. At BCI, we're all about giving you options.