Fellowship Place Seeks Continued Support from North Haven Rotary Club

Melissa Holroyd, Development Director of Fellowship Place in New Haven, recently described her organization as one which has provided support services for adults with mental illness for over 50 years. Offering a wide array of rehabilitation services, clients may receive meals, clean laundry, use of the shower facilities, referrals to permanent housing, recovery counseling including skill building, use of a computer learning center, and educational/vocational counseling. Open 365 days per year, over 600 adults are served each year, most suffering from schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder.

Because the serious effects of mental illness often surface during late teens to mid-twenties, these individuals have limited opportunity to learn life skills and to become functional members of society.  Fellowship Place offers them an opportunity to become productive members of their communities.

The organization has 45 housing units available where tenants, many formerly homeless, receive onsite case management and support services to help them become successful in maintaining a home. Another key component of Fellowship Place for the very poor is a camping program at Camp CONNRI which utilizes 272 acres of rolling hills overlooking a fifty acre lake in Asford, CT.  Here campers, many whom have never been away from home, enjoy a variety of activities including swimming, hiking, fishing, a variety of sports, nature studies, arts and crafts, and more.  The Development Director emphasized that the cost for a camper to attend this week long event is only $200.

Indicating that these “camperships” are often funded with private contributions from individuals and community groups, Holroyd thanked the Rotary club for their previous generosity and encouraged them to continue their support. She described one camper’s enthusiasm quoting, “This was my first opportunity to go swimming in 15 years and I loved it.” Another had said, “I have never had a vacation before. It felt wonderful to get out of the city.” To lend support send an email to mholroyd@fellowshipplace.org.