Volunteers Needed to Help with Recovery Picnic

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.

Volunteer Spotlight: Loretta Legg, Alpha North Wilmington

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.

Volunteer Spotlight: Walter Frazier, Outreach Support

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.

BCI Welcomes New Board Member

BCI welcomes Reverend Karla Fleshman of Wilmington as a new member of our Board of Directors. Karla is Founding Pastor of Imago Dei Metropolitan Church, as well as a Church Plant Consultant with Metropolitan Community Churches. She has a background in social work, HIV/AIDS, and spirituality.

The BCI Board supports our treatment services through fundraising activities and promotion of our mission to the community. We know Karla will be a wonderful addition to the organization. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome to BCI!

2nd Annual Old Skool Outreach

Hi, this is Brandy Rodgers from the Outreach department.

It was a warm and bright afternoon on June 3, 2008 when Brandywine Counseling's Outreach team celebrated its 2nd Annual Old Skool Outreach event. It was a great time of fellowship and outreach as the NEP team and other staff at Brandywine such as our site supervisor James Harrison, and Chris Zebley and Joyce Bunkley who are nurse practitioners that work with HIV positive clients, joined us for the occasion. Last year’s event was such a success that we had to do it again, but this time Bigger and Better.

The NEP team, along with some of the staff at Brandywine Counseling’s HIV prevention programs, walked throughout Wilmington neighborhoods accompanied by some friends and family spreading knowledge about HIV prevention, rapid HIV testing, and ways to join the needle exchange program. We had a nice turn out at the event as the crowd enjoyed music while eating some wonderful BBQ done by Demitrius Bullock of the NEP team before going out into the neighborhood. The normal outreach team, which includes eight, grew to about seventeen people.

We had a great time spreading knowledge and interacting with the community. We would like to thank everyone who came out and showed their support for the event and we hope to see more next year!

More photos from the event

Community Shows Their Generosity to The Lighthouse Program

We at BCI continue to see a wonderful response from people in the community who want to help out the Lighthouse Program by donating time or items. Thank you to all of you!

Several volunteers are teaching classes for the women, including crocheting, card making, and computers by Eul Lee, sewing and ceramics by Ann Morrow, and Life Skills and early recovery by Nancy Bloom. Their help has been incredible and the women LOVE the classes - thanks ladies!

We want to thank everyone who has donated toys, clothing, a huge train set, five sewing machines for the sewing class, and handmade quilts for babies. We also received a care package from Bear Hugs for Babies, a local charity that specializes in providing baby supplies to families in Lower Delaware affected by extreme poverty, homelessness, and/or disease. This is a great organization - please check out their website to learn more.

What do we still need for our 8 women and 9 children? Pampers. Lots of Pampers! I believe there's still a need for strollers, bicycles, tricycles, and wagons. If you have items or services to donate, please call 302-484-8080 or send us an email. All donations are tax-deductible. Thank you, donors and volunteers, for being such an important part of our women's and children's recovery.

Volunteer Project: Creating a Welcoming Entrance

CREATING A WELCOMING ENTRANCE
Alpha Program, 2814 West 2nd Street, Wilmington

First impressions matter in drug and alcohol treatment! Do you want to help us create a more attractive treatment environment? Brandywine Counseling seeks volunteers to do some odd jobs around the Alpha Center. Interior and exterior painting, and decoration of the outside entrance. Cynthia would love to have her office painted! Also, Evelyn would love to have the old ratty carpet in her reception area torn out and replaced with a new tile floor. Great for a group of 3-5 who want to give back to the community.

Flexible weekday hours. We will provide materials, but would also welcome donations toward the new flooring.

Apply for this project

Join Us May 31 for "Old Skool" Outreach

Volunteer your time to save lives! It's our 2nd Annual "Old Skool" Outreach Blitz!

Please join BCI Saturday, May 31, 2008 from 11 am - 3 pm for a Mega Outreach Blitz in the City of Wilmington to promote the Needle Exchange Program. We need former outreach workers and people who have never done it before but want to give back. Walk through the city spreading a message of hope, recovery, health, and safety. Encourage drug users to enter treatment, enroll in the needle exchange program and most importantly get tested for HIV.

Refreshments will be provided.

Last year's event was a big success and we can't wait to do it again.

If interested please sign up with Rochelle Booker at 757-3821 or apply online.

Dispensing Mural: Climb to the Top and Soar in Your Recovery

The Lancaster dispensing area has been livened up with a brightly colored mural, thanks to a group of volunteers from Chase. The team of a dozen people from the nearby Wilmington office took time out of their workday yesterday to give back to the community. In doing so, they’ve made the daily routine of coming in for medication more welcoming for nearly 700 methadone patients.

One wall depicts how we can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones to climb toward recovery, using faith, help, health, and hope. The opposite wall is all about reaching the top of that climb and being ready to fly, because the sky is the limit when you’ve overcome your addiction. We think this is just the right mix of inspiration and fun to greet our patients every morning. And this is only phase 1 of the project, because now, our patients will get to add personal messages in the blocks to those who have helped them in their climb toward recovery.

We thank Rachel Aponte and her group of artists from Chase for this gift they’ve given us. For an afternoon’s work, they became part of the recovery process for today's patients and many more to come.

Lancaster Dispensing Mural Sketch

A group of volunteers from Chase will be painting a mural this week in the Lancaster dispensing area. The theme will be "Steps to Recovery," based on an idea by Edna Maldonado of NSAFE. I thought this idea was great as soon as I heard it, because it reminded me of Pat's testimonial from the needle exchange celebration, about extending hands two ways on the ladder of life. We are also giving clients a chance to get involved by adding their own personal messages to those who helped them in their recovery journey.

Here is a sketch.

Volunteer Project: Videographer to Film "Virtual Tour" for Clients

VIDEOGRAPHER TO FILM "VIRTUAL TOUR" FOR PATIENTS
Alpha Program, 2814 West 2nd Street, Wilmington

Do you have experience with a video camera? Are you looking for a fun project that will make a difference for people in need? Use your skills to help us connect people with treatment in a whole new way. Brandywine Counseling seeks someone to help us produce a “virtual tour” of our facility, showing people what to expect when they come in to get help for their addiction. Work with our staff to produce a welcoming and informative video that is accessible through our web site.

Experience is desired filming professional quality videos and editing to produce a ready-to-view product. Also, knowledge of how to incorporate the finished video into a web site.

This project is available weekdays during daytime hours.

We have a video camera available.

Apply here for this project

What Should BCI's Next Mural Be?

Good news, mural fans - if you enjoyed following the Alpha project here on our blog, there is more where that came from!

We have a group planning to brighten up the walls of the Lancaster dispensing area (pictured) in the coming weeks. Not only that, we have someone on board to do Newark's waiting area. And don't forget The Lighthouse Program - no takers yet for this Sussex County project, but it's only a matter of time.

So we need some ideas for the artists! What would you like to see on our walls? Post your ideas and discuss here.

Alpha Mural Welcomes All with Message of Hope

It's with great pleasure that I present to you the completed BCI Alpha mural: "Out of the Ashes of Our Hopelessness Comes the Fire of Our Hope."

When a talented artist gets together with our BCI staff and clients, great things happen. Caelen Bird volunteered to do this for us in his spare time. Although he didn’t have a lot of knowledge of addiction treatment, he sat down with some of the staff and listened to our ideas for the project, and somehow came up with just what we wanted. Later, when we discussed having the clients choose the title, he immediately agreed to the idea. The Alpha staff and I very much enjoyed working with Caelen, and we thank him for sharing his time and his talent with us.

Please visit http://www.caelenbird.com/ to see more of his work.

Alpha Mural - The Winning Title

The winner of our contest has been chosen!

The title of the Alpha mural will be:
Out of the Ashes of Our Hopelessness Comes the Fire of Our Hope.

We received lots of entries, but we think this one is the best at offering inspiration while incorporating the symbolism of the phoenix. It was submitted by an anonymous commenter to this blog.

Here are some others we also liked:

Recovery – The Rebirth of Life

Out of the Fiery Ashes, I Was Reborn

Rise From the Ashes - Fly Phoenix
..............................................................Departure Time
Non Stop to Recovery............................. Now
Non Stop to Serenity ...............................Now
Non Stop to Happiness ............................Now
Now Boarding @ the Brandywine Counseling Gate #10

Alpha Mural - Day 10

Almost done...

BCI Welcomes New Board Members

The Brandywine Counseling Board of Directors announces the election of two new members on January 15, 2008.

Krista Dowling of Wilmington works for Nemours Health and Prevention Services as Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President/Intermediate Program and Policy Analyst. She received her Ph.D. in Drug Dependence Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University in 2007, and her Bachelor’s in Foundations of Behavior from George Washington University in 2001. Krista looks forward to applying her extensive experience in substance abuse and infectious disease to support such a wonderful and important organization.

Sanjay Kotha of Middletown is a Product Development Engineer with Rohm and Haas. He received a Master’s degree in Polymer Science from Clemson University in 2001, and a Bachelor’s degree in Petrochemical Engineering from Pune University in 1999. Sanjay is excited to be a part of our board and looks forward to using his background in engineering and business development to help make a difference in our society.

The BCI Board supports our treatment services through fundraising activities and promotion of our mission to the community. We know that both of these new members will add much to the organization. Please join us in giving them a warm welcome to BCI!

Alpha Mural - Day 8

Now comes some more detail, and our phoenix is beginning to come to life...

Click to view full size.

Alpha Mural - Day 7

Caelen came by yesterday with a box of paints and did this...

Click to view full size.

Client Contest: Name Our Mural!

BCI Alpha is having a mural painted in our waiting area, and we're asking our clients to help choose a title for it.

Wilmington artist Caelen Bird is volunteering his time to create this mural. Check out his website here. Paint was generously donated for this project by several local vendors, including Mammele’s, Dulux Paints, MAB Paints, and Lowes.

The concept we decided on was the phoenix rising from the ashes. Below you can see a preliminary sketch and a “Before” photo of the waiting area.

























The Phoenix bird is often used as a symbol of recovery. This mythical bird is synonymous with rebirth, healing, and peace. According to legend, a beautiful, one of a kind bird lives for 500 years. At the end of its life it builds itself a funeral pyre on top of the highest mountain. Then at sunrise, the morning sun causes it to burst into flames and be consumed. As the ashes cool, a stirring in the coals is seen, and a newborn phoenix rises reborn from the ashes of the old one.

As a symbol of being reborn from the ashes of our addiction, several analogies can be seen in this story: Fire represents treatment and early recovery. Pain represents introspection, the process of taking a look at the kind of person we have become due to our addiction. The newborn phoenix represents the recovering addict building a new life out of the ashes of their former addict lifestyle.

BCI Alpha clients can submit their ideas for a title through February 1. The winning entry will be incorporated into the mural. The winner will also receive a prize.

We are excited to finally add some color to our white cinder block walls! Keep watching this space to see the work in progress!

Winter Coat Drive

The Outreach Department is holding a winter coat drive from December 3-21. Please donate your new or used winter coats to help BCI clients in need. Coats may be dropped off at 2814 Lancaster Avenue.

For more information, contact Rochelle Booker-Stewart at 655-9880, ext. 23. Thank you.

Join BCI's Board of Directors

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of addicted persons and persons with HIV/AIDS? Do you want to work alongside BCI's leadership to support our mission of helping people achieve meaningful, long-term recovery?

Brandywine Counseling seeks talented and dependable individuals to serve on our Board of Directors. Put your talents to use in a place where your voice will be heard. We ask that members attend regular quarterly meetings in addition to active involvement in one of our committees.

Our most important area of need is development/fundraising. Desired skills include:

• Experience with non-profit fundraising activities, including: campaigns, strategic planning, donor relations.
• Ability to work as a member of a team.
• Ability to build consensus and garner support of other members for board initiatives.

Please send a copy of your resume, and anything you would like to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to the Board, to:

Matt Friedman, Executive Assistant
Email: contactbci[at]brandywinecounseling[dot]org
Fax: (302) 472-0392
Or apply online

Volunteer Truck Driver Needed to Help With Picnic

BCI is looking for someone with a truck to help with our client picnic Wednesday September 19.

We need to transport tables and chairs between locations in Wilmington a few miles apart. There are 8-10 tables 6-8 feet long, and 80-100 folding chairs. We need to bring them to the Mack Park (6th Street and North Cleveland Avenue) between 9:30-10:30 in the morning, and return them in the afternoon between 3:00-4:00.

Volunteers are welcome to stay and enjoy the picnic to celebrate recovery with food, fellowship, speakers, and open mike.

If interested, please respond to contact[at]brandywinecounseling[dot]org. Thank you!

Mosaic Mural Is Finished!

Now when you walk in the door to Brandywine Counseling, you’ll literally see addiction growing into recovery.

A tree made up of tiles and glass with treatment-related words and phrases written on them covers the wall in the entrance hall of the Lancaster Center. The mosaic mural is an attractive and inspirational addition, one that our staff, clients, and visitors will appreciate for years to come. We’d like to send a big thanks out to the artist, Emma Glencross, who volunteered her time to do this mural for us.

Emma truly went above and beyond our expectations for this project. She spent several hours a day over two weeks to single-handedly create this original artwork. This is in addition to meeting with staff to plan the concept, collecting all the materials she used, and firing the tiles in her pottery kiln. It was a pleasure to work with Emma. She not only has great artistic talent, but great dedication to serving others.

Our volunteers really do make a difference here at Brandywine. They have lots of fun too. We’ve got lots more projects available, so if you’re looking to give back to your community, check out our list here.

Click the photos to view full size.

Mosaic Mural - Day 3

Click to view full size.

Mosaic Mural Under Construction

All of us here at BCI are excited to watch our new mosaic mural going up in the entrance hall at the Lancaster Center. The mural is a tree symbolizing how addiction, through treatment, grows into recovery. In keeping with this theme, the words written on the tiles transition from negative at the bottom to positive at the top. The artist is generously volunteering her time to create this unique piece.

Here are some photos of the work in progress!