by Lora Fleetwood, NCSTAC resource development manager
Writing grant proposals can
be one of the most daunting tasks nonprofit administrators undertake.
Grant writers must wade
through rules and regulations, define appropriate language and develop
effective plans. But learning these lessons has helped many of the
representatives of 22 consumer supporter organizations who participated
in the National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center’s
(NCSTAC) grantsmanship training in April 2002 to win many grant awards.
Melinda Davis of the Advocacy Initiative Network of
Maine, Inc., Paul Komarek with the National Alliance for the Mentally
Ill (NAMI) of Ohio, Catherine Bond of Project Return: The Next Step
in California and Pam Thompson of the South Eastern Center of North
Carolina reported that after they participated in the training they
had written grant-winning proposals.
Nine months later, people
continue to reap this training’s
benefits. “The tangible results of this training are evident
in the number and variety of winning grant proposals our alumni are
writing, as well as in the work they are doing to pass their skills
on to other grassroots organizations,” said Leah Holmes-Bonilla,
NCSTAC director.
|
In a follow-up survey of training participants
NCSTAC
Grantsmanship scholar, Nancy Dulac (left), gets
research tips from trainer, Eve Berry. |
conducted last October, every grantsmanship scholar said they
found the program to be very useful. Several of the people who were
surveyed said the training had helped them develop a standard grant-proposal-writing
formula. They found that a solid, effective blueprint might be one
of the most important elements of a good grant proposal.
After they finished the training,
the participants were required to pass the knowledge and information
they’d gained from it
to others in their communities or organizations. Various participants
said they had provided formal grantwriting training or advice to
their colleagues on this topic. Brian Parrish, program director with
the VOCAL Support Center in Virginia, developed a grant proposal
writing program for various centers in his state. His program will
bring staff from these centers together once a month for four months
to work through the proposal-writing process.
To learn more about grantsmanship, visit
the Foundation Center Web site at http://fdncenter.org/. The Foundation
Center is one of the
most prominent nonprofit organizations in the nation that specializes
in providing information on grantmaking foundations and on how to
write grant proposals. You may also visit the Grantsmanship Training
Center at www.tgci.com/. NCSTAC’s free publications,
Guide to Proposal Writing and Fundraising Basics are available on
its Web site at www.ncstac.org/content/resource.htm.
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MHA of Collier County,
Florida Offers Innovative Services
 |
| by Petra Jones M.P.A., executive
director, MHA of Collier County For more
than 40 years, the Mental Health Association of Collier County
(MHACC) has worked to achieve its mission by providing mental
health public education and advocacy and connecting people
who need mental health services with mental health care providers.
A 2002 NCSTAC grantsmanship scholar recipient and an affiliate
of the National Mental Health Association, MHACC offers a variety
of programs to the Southwest Florida community.
Divorce
education
Two education programs MHACC offers
help families who are going through divorce. The program focuses
primarily on helping
parents and/or the family to understand children’s reaction
to divorce and teaching them how to help the children cope with
its consequences. MHACC’s Putting Children First
program, a four-hour court-mandated class for parents, is
designed to help raise awareness about the emotional trauma children
can feel when a family breaks apart. The program helps parents
understand
that children have the right to continue to be with and
love both of their parents. This program provides support
to divorcing
families and provides help in the family restructuring
process.
The Families in Transition initiative,
another four-hour, court-mandated class, helps children between
the ages of five
and 14 understand their feelings as family conditions change.
The program also features a puppet show that is designed to
help children, age five to eight, understand and express their
feelings about these changing circumstances and cope with their
fears. Families in Transition is the only children’s
mental health class offered in Collier County.
One
Child at a Time/One Adult at a Time
This initiative, the only program of its kind in Southwest
Florida, links children and adults who lack mental health insurance
or financial resources with mental health professionals who provide
their services on a pro bono (free) basis. Children who need
mental health counseling may be referred to MHACC by school guidance
counselors, family members or by health care professionals. Adults
can seek help independently or be referred by family members
or health care professionals.
Once MHACC has verified that a person
is financially eligible for this assistance, it locates a mental
health counselor who can best meet the person’s needs
and is willing to provide services on a pro bono basis. MHACC
sets up the first meeting between the counselor and his or
her client. Children receive an initial evaluation and, if
needed, up to 12 counseling sessions. Adults are eligible for
eight counseling sessions. Participating mental health providers
can voluntarily increase the number of counseling sessions
they offer, as required.
Brown
bag luncheon series
Through this series, MHACC provides hour-long mental
health workshops to local businesses and employers. Qualified
staff members educate attendees on such issues as cultural
diversity, stress management, how to strengthen communication
skills, how to build successful working relationships and how
to develop conflict resolution skills.
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Teen
Advisory Board
This 29-member board,
which is composed of students from
all Collier County’s
high schools, works to identify students’ problems and concerns, including
school violence, drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy. This board meets
once a month during the school year to evaluate the students’ feedback.
Referral
services
MHACC provides referrals for people who need mental health
services and/or other social services and distributes information
on mental health issues. Circle
of Hearts
This program is designed to teach single and divorced
women to mentor other women so that they may move forward with
their lives.
Senior
peer counseling
Through this initiative, seniors provide emotional and
mental support to other seniors in need.
Support
groups
MHACC offers a
variety of programs to the Southwest Florida community.
|
Anxiety, depression, bereavement and gay/lesbian support
groups meet weekly to provide assistance to people who are dealing
with conflicts in their lives. Some participants have attended
these support group sessions for more than 10 years, with positive
results. This service is offered free of charge. Publications
MHACC’s Guide to Mental Health Services and Directory
of Licensed Mental Health Professionals, provides information on
mental health services and service providers in Collier County.
In addition, MHACC’s quarterly newsletter, Mental Health
Matters, informs the community about its activities and about important
mental health issues.
New programs
MHACC is committed to providing services based on community
need and is in the process of establishing two new programs. MHACC
seeks a qualified group leader for a chapter of Schizophrenics
Anonymous that it plans to sponsor. The MHACC will also launch
a facilitated support group to help teens deal with family alcohol
and drug abuse issues. To learn more about MHACC and its many programs
and services, visit our Web site at www.naples.net/social/mhealth/ or contact the association at
2335 Ninth Street North, #404
Naples, FL 34103
941-261-5405.
Visit MHA in Collier County’s
Web site. LINK to www.ccmha.org/ |
NMHA Releases New Publications
|
 NMHA has
produced five new publications that cover a variety of topics,
including recovery, suicide prevention,
and managed care. All of these publications are available online
at NMHA’s Web site at www.nmha.org.
The booklet, What Does Gay Mean? provides
guidance to parents on how to talk with their kids about sexual
orientation and prejudice.
Safeguarding Your Students Against Suicide offers general information
on suicide and young people and includes a checklist institutions
can use to assess the quality of their services designed to help
those who are at risk of suicide. Making the Journey of Recovery reinforces the message that recovery from mental illness is possible
and provides concrete steps that people can take  to enhance their
own recoveries.
Although
the rate of bipolar disorder is the same across ethnic groups,
African Americans
are less likely to receive information and treatment for this
illness. NMHA’s brochure, Bipolar Disroder and African
Americans offers some reasons for this disparity and provides
resources. Navigating Managed Care can help mental health consumers
and their families learn how to navigate administrative hurdles,
find the best benefit packages, choose primary care and mental
health care providers and obtain appropriate and timely referrals.
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Mental Health Service Provider Wins Media Award
|
South Shore Mental Health (SSMH), a community-based service
provider in Quincy, Mass., received a third-place award last
September from the Northeast Region of the Alliance for Community
Media for its television public service announcement (PSA). The
National Alliance for Community Media represents public, educational
and government cable television access organizations throughout
the country.
| These images “drive
home the idea that mental illness can happen to anyone |
As part of its annual drive to promote
awareness of May is Mental Health Month, SSMH produced a one-minute
PSA, titled “Breaking
the Stigma.” May is Mental Health Month is an annual nationwide
observance dedicated to raising public awareness of mental health.
Taped at Quincy Access Television’s studios in Quincy,
the PSA appeared on the local access station there throughout
the month of May to help raise awareness of barriers to mental
health care.
“We are honored to have won this award
recognizing our efforts to bring awareness of the issues concerning
access to mental health services,” said Tamara Crosby,
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SSMH public relations
coordinator and the PSA’s
producer. “We hope that our PSA will help break the stigma
attached to seeking these vital services.”
Designed for a general audience, “Braking
the Stigma” opened with the voiceover, “Many people
believe that mental health problems are rare and happen to someone
else, but, the truth is, they are common and widespread. Nearly
half of all Americans will experience a mental, emotional, drug
or alcohol problem at some point in their lives.” During
this voiceover, images of everyday people appear: men, women,
old and young, and people of different ethnic backgrounds.
These images “drive home the idea
that mental illness can happen to anyone,” Crosby said.
The PSA also conveys a message of hope and recovery and offers
information about how viewers can access local mental health
services.
Visit South Shore Mental Health’s
Web site www.ssmh.org. |
Announcements
|
|
Highlight Your Multicultural Materials!
Does
your agency provide public education materials in languages other
than English? If so, please send copies to Lora Fleetwood,
NCSTAC Resource Development Manager National Consumer Technical
Assistance Center, National Mental Health Association, 2001 North
Beauregard Street, 12th floor, Alexandria, VA 22311, attention:
Lora Fleetwood or by e-mail to lfleetood@nmha.org. NCSTAC would
like to include these materials in a multilingual/multiethnic
clearinghouse. NCSTAC would also like to highlight your materials
in Consumer Reporter News.
Publish Your Article
NCSTAC is always looking for articles
about exemplary programs and organizations in the mental health
field.
Your 500-word article should discuss your organization’s:
mission, size and scope, products and services, the clients it has reached,
and the lessons staff has learned. Submit articles and photos
to Lora Fleetwood, NCSTAC Resource Development Manager, National
Mental Health Association,
2001 N. Beauregard Street, 12th floor, Alexandria, VA 22311 or
by e-mail to lfleetood@nmha.org. back
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MHANYS
Conducts Candidate Survey
The Mental Health Association of
New York State
(MHANYS), an NMHA state affiliate,
surveyed all 2002 New York state candidates for governor, comptroller
and state attorney
general this past fall, to learn their positions on mental health
policy.
Five politicians responded to the
survey. Survey results are available on MHANYs’ Web
site at www.mhanys.org.
Collaboration will be at the heart of the 2003 National Mental
Health Association Annual Conference, June 4 - 7, 2003 in Washington,
D.C.
In 2003, the mental health community will face major budget problems
brought on by deep cuts and shifting priorities. Collaboration
is our best solution - working with consumers, families, legislators,
government agencies, and mental health professionals to develop
the answers. NMHA's 2003 Annual Conference program will provide
a forum for finding solutions together and exploring the value
of partnerships and relationships. www.nmha.org
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