I enjoy helping people fill critical gaps by developing creative ideas and leveraging those "best practices" and "lessons learned" that give a tremendous return on the investment. I use my network building and communications skills for facilitation, strategic planning and proposal writing.
Being among people who are concerned about rectifying a challenging situation by working together to share ideas and develop solutions.
I love sitting in front of a warm, glowing fire or with someone special.
I want to help people help themselves and each other improve their quality of life, and empower communities to renew themselves from the inside-out.
I want to see the Creative Strokes Network advance. Members with mental health challenges form at least one Home Energy Action Team (HEAT) a month to help them declutter, clean, and paint a room. By providing "self-stigma-busting" peer support to each other, they have fun taking on what would typically be unthinkable to undertake alone, with a little mentoring and free paint that is their color choice.
They enjoy celebrating success together in the room they have transformed, which in some cases becomes a meeting space for network members. The Creative Strokes Network helps members improve the quality of their home, personal, and social life. They become evidence to others of the tangible difference their individual initiative can make.
I passionately want to see this funded and brought to scale with recognition of the tremendous return on investment it provides. Although we had a CT Mental Health Transformation mini-grant for planning and partnership development, there has been nothing to help sustain and support Network membership development and expansion.
For example, I believe that we can leverage the videotapes and create an exceptional mass media program out of what is in the planning process now with low income inner city youth committed to community service. It would demonstrate how a variety of target populations can change a "community in despair" to a "community of hope" from the inside-out.
In 2008, I began working with my brother in Bridgeport, CT to establish the Creative Strokes Network (see above) with the Mental Health Association of CT, BridgeHouse, and others.
From 2005-08, I developed "HEAT4Philly" Network, evolving into the Philadelphia Gas Works' Community Advisory Council of those representing low income consumers. During that time, we collaborated with and the United Way of SE PA's Project Warm Heart with neighbors helping neighbors in need to weatherize their homes.
I have also spent years developing national networks, e.g., for coordinating human services at the local level, for Y2K civic leadership, etc. which evolved into federally supported and foundation funded programs.
I am experienced as a trainer providing Technology of Participation (ToP) courses in Group Facilitation Methods and Participatory Strategic Planning developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs.
