Relationships at the Clubhouse

Kenna, Mary, Ben, Nikita, Becky

Relationships between members and staff play an important role in the work order day. Members and staff work together as colleagues to carry out various tasks. The role of the staff lies in engaging members and that comes with good relationships. While working together, everyone gets an opportunity to have meaningful conversations and work on individual goals and projects.

Relationships at the Clubhouse are different for everyone. Kenna and Mary have shared their take on this unique aspect of the Clubhouse.

Kenna shares, “The Clubhouse provides a platform for members and staff to develop and maintain meaningful relationships in a professional setting while being a part of the work ordered day. Members are able to share very personal experiences and also get advice. Members have found advice about relationships, expectations, respect, and self-esteem to move forward with their individual goals. In addition to that, members also get to improve their social skills as well as how to grow while working in a group. It is a place where they get an opportunity to build trust and compassion to promote a feeling of worthiness. Members feel connected to humanity in ways that were not available before. This access to society and opportunities has given confidence that stretches beyond the Clubhouse walls. Lack of judgement and Freedom has led to life changing and empowering decision making. The relationships made in the clubhouse are invaluable and have given members the opportunity to find a sense of grounding, self, and community. Using personal stories of wins and losses to influence and motivate each other. At the clubhouse each day, each relationship, each experience is changing members for the better. Members are letting their lights shine, spreading that glow within the clubhouse and beyond.  

Mary finds relationships with Clubhouse members and staff to be very supportive. “I felt very loved after my husband’s passing. I love everyone else equally and have been overwhelmed and speechless by the support that I have received.”

Daniel has been a member of the Clubhouse for about two years. He shares, " The relationships I have formed have helped me improve my communication skills. When I am down, it helps me to focus on tasks and that has been a positive life skill. Members and staff together make the Clubhouse a big community in Baltimore City supporting each other and I get a lot out of the individual relationships I have within this community. Keena agrees with that and states, "This place advertises great productive lives that are beneficial to our communication skills."

For Nikita,” the Clubhouse is a place where I can be myself. I am able to bring out my goofy personality and also express honestly when I make a mistake. This gives me an opportunity to be able to relate with everyone and also work harder to make the day vibrant.”
 

Our members and staff have a different background and story. By being vulnerable, authentic and participating actively in the work ordered day, they get an opportunity to express themselves, gain insights and also achieve their goals and grow in different areas of their lives. The stories might be different but the impact Clubhouse relationships has on members and staff remains the same. 

Social Events Revitalize B’More Clubhouse

by Raymond Nichols

After taking a hiatus during the pandemic, we finally brought back our social events starting in July.  First, was a celebration dinner! We dressed up to the nines, danced our hearts out, ate pizza to our heart’s content and Morgan did a toast as well. It was so fantastic to even have social events again with our Clubhouse family. We had a ton of fun. There was a feeling of warmth and positive energy all around. To be able to take part in the festivities filled me with a lot of happiness and joy.

We have organized a variety of social events through the years. Some of the best ones that I recall were an Ice Cream social in the Inner Harbor, a trip to the National Aquarium, a game night at the Bun Shop, arts and crafts night not to be outdone by our epic celebrations’ dinners.

During the pandemic, we would go for a weekly picnic in Federal Hill once a week. It was a safe and socially-distant way to socialize during stressful and uncertain times. 

Personally, I am looking forward to a few social events coming up in the next few weeks. The first one is a bingo night with prizes.  Additionally, in August, we will be having a Watermelon Party while watching a summer themed movie. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. 

In the future, a social event I would like to be a part of is duckpin bowling. That would be exciting and fun to do with the group!

Social events are an integral part of B’More Clubhouse. They provide members and staff with an opportunity to interact and add some fun into their lives. At the Clubhouse, we are busy during the day with a lot of tasks and projects. Having a designated time during the evening at least once a week is a good way to slow down, relax, and enjoy each other's company outside the workday.

Sharing Stories for Pride Month

We celebrate June as Pride Month. The month is used to recognize the experiences of LGBTQ+ folks in the community and also support them in expressing their pride. 

To end Pride month, we wanted to share stories of members who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. We raise our flag up high and get members to be open about who they are.

Leroy

Personal pronoun: he/him

“I came out at the age of 13. I was bullied because of my sexual preference and have been called names. It was really difficult at first and it affected my self esteem. Fortunately I have had a really good group of female friends who have supported me. Pride to me means happiness and excitement about who I am. It can be difficult, but you gotta learn how to be confident and strong and be mindful of other people’s opinions. You have to let other people live their own truth. When people don’t accept me, I just turn the other cheek. I like the way I live my life. Pride to me is all about self respect so I try to accept myself as I am and let myself be myself. It's been quite a journey but I love it. With compassion, understanding and open mindedness; we can make the Clubhouse more welcoming to our LGBTQ members and staff.”

Leo

Personal pronouns: he/them

“I wish to tell everyone two stories about a story they already likely know. If you ever read the Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid, you may remember that she gets her wish to become human, but at the great cost of losing her voice, and having pain when she walks. She does not get her love, and depending on which version you read, she either just dies, or is taken to a good afterlife. 

A lot of people don't know Hans Christian Anderson was writing about his experience losing a lover, who was another man.
 

If you ever saw the Disney version of the 90s by Howard Ashman, you will see that he gave us a brighter end to the story: she now has a name, and Ariel was able to keep her legs, live on land, and be with her love, with the approval of her father. 

I cherish all versions, as both left their legacy on the tale. But, the Ashman version means so much to me because it has a lot of appeal to children who grow up to be estranged from their parents, and a lot of queer children become estranged. I don't wish to talk too deeply about my own experiences with it here, but I'd like to think it gave me hope, regardless of where my own parents felt at any given time.(Also, I got in trouble for taking my mom's forks and combing my hair with it).

But, if both of them taught me anything, it's this: it's not about getting the prince, it's about living true to yourself.”

Diane

Personal pronoun: she/her

“Pride means freedom. It took a long time for people in the LGBTQ+ community to have freedom. It’s taken 50-something years to get to where we are today, and it’s still not perfect. It all started with Stonewall 50 something years ago. The riots at Stonewall were started by trans women like myself. My first Pride parade was many years ago in Druid Hill Park and it was a really, really good experience. It’s too bad we didn’t get to have the usual celebration this year or last year. I still celebrated this month. I’m hopeful we will have Pride again next year.

Sharon

Personal pronoun: she/her

 “I am in my 40s. I consider myself to be gay/bisexual. I have known it since I was 5. When I was 27, I began dating both genders. I have had a few struggles. One particular church I went to for 8-9 years does not accept gays. They said they would “pray my gay away” I am one of the founding members of Dykes in the City (DITC). I think every person is beautiful, a child of god and a valuable part of the society. Everybody is welcome at the Clubhouse. Your ethnicity, sexuality, gender does not matter. As members, we have a right of being treated respectfully and we also owe the same responsibility, no matter what our opinion is.”

Kiona

Personal pronoun: she/her

I think B’More Clubhouses is one of the most inclusive places. When I saw everyone wearing pride masks, it made me really happy. I don’t identify with any sexual orientation and feel more like myself that way. Pride to me means living for yourself and your own joy and not fitting into a structure or normative. It is about living within your own boundaries.

Because of the inclusive community that the Clubhouse is, I am grateful to have received so much support. I grew up as a single child in a big family. In my 20s, I had a mental breakdown and had to relearn to live independently again. I moved to various places in order to do that. I go through different places in terms of my functioning and the support I need. At the Clubhouse, I feel like everyone meets me where I am at. The support from staff members, especially Phil has been immensely helpful with my goals. 

Thank you to all who shared their stories. As a Clubhouse, our intention is to support our members in their journey and respect them for who they are. We hope our flag gives everyone the conviction that we stand for our LGBTQ+ friends and makes everyone feel good.

 

 

Clubhouse Giving Day

 

by John Workman, Nikita Sharma, Raymond Nichols, Tavone Lee, Ben Arrowood

 

All of us at B’More Clubhouse got the opportunity to be a part of the first ever Clubhouse Giving Day on June 1st along with 38 other clubhouses. It was a day organized by Clubhouse International to commemorate the end of Mental Health Awareness Month with the hope of sharing more about the clubhouse community and raising some money as well.

We started preparing for the day towards mid-April. The first task we did was set up a profile on GiveGab, our fundraising platform. After that, we started to share the fundraising profile link with our supporters, board members, friends and family.

During the month of May, we shared the link and information about the Clubhouse on social media. We also sent a few emails to our current donor list. Some of the staff and members also shared the information with their friends and family. All our efforts helped us get a head start and we won a $500 prize for the greatest number of unique donors in the month of May by Clubhouse International.

On the actual day Clubhouse Giving Day, we set up a table outside our building with Clubhouse brochures and muffins from our neighbor local business, Charmed. We were able to get some offline donations from and also share about what we do. This was especially great since we just moved to our new property.

It was a day when all the members and staff were actively involved and updated about the fundraising process. We shared the link on social media, updated Instagram stories and kept communicating about our progress throughout the day. Because of that, we exceeded our goal by 55% and raised a total of $7,738 with 74 unique donors. We won another prize for having the greatest number of donors on June 1st as well. We were able to achieve that through great teamwork and a winning attitude.

This was the first time all the staff and members were actively involved in a fundraising campaign. We learned about the value of each individual’s effort in spreading the word and raising money. Next year, we hope to recruit more individual donors and set a higher goal.

Thank you so much to everyone who worked on this campaign and especially to Clubhouse International who provided us with the opportunity to learn and showcase our effort and skills.