“LMECCC is one of the few places on Earth where the things too good to betrue are in fact true.I feel truly blessed to have walked through the doors of LMECCC March 31, 2008 when I started my TEC (TEC Stands for what?) 2000 classes.  I have the skills I use now because of LMECC. It has been great to have an outlet to learn more and grow in my Recovery because of LMECC. When this whole thing started I was living in a homeless shelter and now I have an apartment!  What more can I say—my entire life has improved and this has benefited the lives of my children as wellbecause I am not so stressed out, worrying how to pay bills.”

In the last 15 years, we have touched many lives like this one.Not only do we equip someone with skills to get a job, we give them hope.This is what we are are about.  Building Bridges to change lives, sharing hope and healing with each other. Past, present, and future! When life gets overwhelming,LMECC is there for peer support.Problems on the job? A co-worker causing trouble? Come talk about it at LMECC— we’ve all been there. We can help someone identify their emotional triggers and help them cope with a situation before it gets too difficult. Not only is LMECC helping individuals acquire the training and employment skills needed togainemployment, but we actively work with folks so that they cankeepandexcelin their jobs.

We all know thatwhen individuals who are in mental health and addiction recovery are employed, they are much less likely to experience a relapse.The current job market is highly competitive with more people than ever looking for work. People with a mental health disability need LMECC’s services to level the playing field and give them a fighting chance.

In 2010, LMECC has served about 1500 people who made over 25,000 visits to LMECC.Our participants keep coming back— a clear indicator we’re doing something right! 

Read what one of our graduates, Joan, has to say:

“The Employment Specialists were wonderful support. I had holes in my employment history, and they suggested a resume emphasizing my job qualifications.  As a result,I landed my jobwith the Government, which I have held for the past 8 years. Only a small percentage of people with mental health disabilities are employed,but many more of us want to hold jobs.”

Come help us continue to build and celebrate with those lives that have beenchanged—the people who have becomeemployed—the ones who havemoved off disability—because of involvement with LMECC. Your gifts to the Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center over the past 15 years havepositively impacted many lives in ways you can never imagine.

In addition to coming , we want you toopen your checkbook and make a financial contributionto the Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center. To keep our doors open, our computers powered up, and our interns teaching, we need approximately $3800 per month from individuals like you.

Can you please make a donation today? We providecritical employment servicesto the community with thegrace and understanding that only a consumer-operated center can provide.The interns and staff at LMECC know what it’s like to re-enter the job market after taking time off for a mental health crisis. And we know what it’s like to keep plugging away at work when we can barely function in other areas of our life.  You’ve heard the statistics...one in four of us will experience a diagnosable mental illness within our lifetime.LMECC, through our up-to-date training programs and wellness support, can minimize the interruption mental health challenges can have on our careers and social life.

Jobs and education can provide a feeling of purpose, contribution, and belonging when nothing else in life makes sense.Check out Gregory’s story:

“I saw a flyer about how to become a Certified Microsoft Office Specialist when I attended a job fair at the Government Center. I was interested in computers so I followed up and was accepted into the TEC (should write this out) 2000 class in March of 2008.  Within a year, I completed the course and an internship at LMECC whichpropelled me into the next level of my career.Once the student, I was now the instructor for computer classes. The education from being a TEC 2000 graduate and an intern at LMECCgave me the confidence to accept the challenge of bringing computer training to my peers. This training is most important when the ones you teach learn something thatgives them hope and confidenceto use what they have learned toempower themselves.I was not only an instructor, butI had an impact on their lives and touched families and communities.We all benefit from the process.”

Gregory is just one example of someone who not only has been touched by LMECC, but who, in turn, is touching other lives with the knowledge and training he has received. Gregory couldn’t succeed alone... and neither can LMECC. We need your contributions today.

If you, and others like you, can make a contribution to our work,we can keep this cycle of hope evolving.Please make a donation to LMECC so we can help others like Gregory. It may be you, a family member, or someone you’re just acquainted with that ends up needing LMECC’s services.Every dollar helpsthose who are building their own road to recovery. I like thinking of LMECC as abridge... sometimes it’s over troubled waters, over a deep crevice in our lives, or over problems just too big for us to push through.LMECC helps us over these obstacles by providing the support and the path to stay on track. When I began my work at LMECC in 20xx, I saw enormous potential for the organization and was proud to become part of it. Since then, you have provided many opportunities for us to grow.  We’ve done this together.  Here are a few accomplishments I am most proud of:

• Instituting the “Into The Future” Internship program, which has helped over 20 people take beginning steps to return to work. The Internship program offers a safe space for individuals to prepare themselves as they move forward on their journey of recovery and road to employment. Each year, interns contribute an estimated 5800 hours of work to LMECC and our community.

• LMECC created its first strategic plan with input from various stakeholders. The strategic plan focuses on five sections: Employment, Training, the LMECC Model, Marketing and Fundraising. I see our strategic plan as LMECC’s roadmap to success!

• We have joined forces with our friends in recovery— In addition to the services offered at LMECC, we created strong partnerships and collaborations. For example, once a week LMECC staff travels to the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) to provide WRAP classes, computer training, recovery based employment groups and monthly Jumpstart groups. We also provide computer training to the Falls Church Consumer Wellness Center and the Reston Drop-In Center twice a week. No one likes to “go it alone.”

Working together and sharing success, we create a stronger recovery movement.

As we celebrate 15 years of the Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center, we look to the future with boundless optimism. We’ve learned a lot and have a great bunch of people who come through our doors every day.We’ve got a great reputation for successand other groups across the country want to replicate our model. I hope you are as proud of our work as I am.Since the early days of our establishment in 1995,we have seen the demand for our services grow.The center was founded by a group of people with mental health issues who wanted to support other people in their situation— and since then,LMECC has literally helped thousands.

Our free computer training in standard software applications is more popular than ever. Training is available in Microsoft Office Suite (certification), Front Page, QuickBooks, Networking Basics, and Adobe PhotoShop. Knowledge of all of these applications is in demand in the competitive marketplace.We are leveling the playing field for those experiencing differing abilities by offering these classes. We also offer training in using the Internet and Email. We help peoplemake connectionsandbuild a virtual network with friends and supportersvia email. I have seen peoplebecome reconnected to the world through the internet— we can open up a world of possibilities and learning for each other once we get online.

At LMECC,we provide access and connectionsto a world that is moving so fast around us.  LMECC enables people to keep up with technology and even be on the leading edge. Our combination of offerings are unique— technology training along with support groups designed to keep us mentally healthy. At LMECC, we know what it means to have mental health issues and other disabilities.We can relate to our peers in a very humanistic and safe environment while we learn a new way of functioning in the world.

The Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center is a bridge people use to help folks reach their mental health recovery and career goals... yet LMECC is also the bridge where it’s safe to pause, sit down and dangle one’s bare feet off the edge, to enjoy the rushing water. There’s no where else like it!  As you can clearly tell , we are excited about the work we are doing together at the Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center. I hope you are, too.

There are two things I want you to do today:

1.Go mark your calendarfor a day when you can stop by and visit. You are always welcomed. 

2.Grab your checkbook and make out a check to the Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center. 

Please be generous.
 
You know the work we do is vital to the health and wholeness of our community and we change lives for the better. I can’t sum up the effect of our work any better than our student Stepanie can. Stephanie now holds a fulltime job:

“LMECC had faith in me from the beginning. They put forth every effort to get me where I want to be and help me to accomplish my goals.I’m able to live a normal life and be a productive person in society.I can’t thank LMECC enough for everything they’ve done for me.”

That “thanks” really goes to our supporters like you. Thank you for believing in LMECC and celebrating our joy with us.

Marialice Williams, Executive Director,