Heart of Hope
History, Mission & Vision Statement 2023
At its inception, Heart of Hope was nothing like what It is today. As part of my work a State Psychiatric Facility I developed and provided a coping skills that I called “Road to Recovery.” The goal was to support and encourage recovery from mental illness and substance abuse from a holistic perspective using an interactive approach. Over the years, I noticed many individuals would be discharged only to be re-admitted within 6 – 12 months, sometimes less. At some point I realized that these individuals needed something more than what was available in their home communities. I, as we all do, know too well, there are NOT enough resources available in most communities to adequately support those that are on this journey on a daily basis. That being said, in April of 2010 I took the first steps towards where we are today. That is when the original Road to Recovery blog was launched which overtime become the site you are visiting now. Soon after that I started a separate social media presence and started sharing the posts and images I was creating there. It is there that I have met and interacted with some of you amazing and strong peolple.. While it started as a product of the class, it has grown and transformed including a number of name changes since that time to reflect the focus and mission of the ministry. At this time and for the foreseeable future the name is as indicated in the title of this piece – “Heart of Hope.”So what is Heart of Hope today?Well, Heart of Hope continues to be my personal outreach and ministry. I hope that through my interactions either personal, one on one, in the blog or in social media that all who are touched will experience the following as a result of those interactions:
Enlightened: To me, to enlighten is to share information with others so as to teach them something that they did not previously know, in order to allow them to improve the state of their lives.
Encouraged: I recently described encouraging as offering a hand to another whom has slipped and fallen along their way and helping them to get back to their feet,
Inspired: Continuing from the previous thought, once the individual has gotten back on their feet; to inspire is to walk alongside and urge them on in their journey, rooting them on saying “you can do it”.
Instill with Hope. To give, to share or impart hope. Hope is the belief that something good will happen and success is possible.
Empowered: Finally, to empower is to have others come to the realization of the strength and courage that resides within, so as to believe in themselves and their potential for success.
To this day and as long as I am blessed to continue this journey, this will be me mission and my purpose.However, I have also learned a very valuable lesson through this process, I have come to realize that I am merely A voice. I am not THE Voice. That brings me to the second and probably the more important part of Heart of Hope today.I see it as a caring community of travelers who are all on the same journey, striving to overcome our “issues” and be “better” than we were yesterday.We come from all parts of this great planet which we occupy, with all different types of problems including but NOT limited to any of the following:
Mental Illness – Depression, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, etc
Substance Abuse/Dependence
Co-Occurring Disorders – Both of the above at the same time.
Eating Disorders
Personality Disorders – Borderline, Dependent, Histrionic
Trauma – Abuse, PTSD, etc.
Divorce,
Grief,
LIFE!!
We come together to share our struggles, our victories, our joy and our tears. In sharing our experiences, we draw strength from one another, and individually and corporately we are one step further along in our journey. We acknowledge our similarities as well as our differences, respecting both. We will not always see eye to eye, but we can always accept one another’s opinions and discuss issues and ideas without resorting to personal attacks.Every physical road has curves, mountains valleys, pot holes, signs, etc. The same is true in regards to the personal recovery process and our growth as a community.What determines if we are successful in our recovery and maintain our personal and corporate well-being is how well we navigate these obstacles as we face them on our journey. Just as in driving, if we do not navigate these appropriately we will find ourselves in the bar ditch, or in recovery terms, relapse.I hope and pray that as you navigate along your journey, you will find enlightenment, encouragement, inspiration, be instilled with hope and ultimately feel empowered as you continue on as a result of being a part of this project. Similarly, I hope that you will share your failures, successes, struggles and insights here. In doing so we help one another on this journey we call recovery.
Heart of Hope Vision Statement
To develop and maintain a collaborative community of consumers and providers of mental health and/or substance abuse services, in order to create an environment that promotes hope, recovery and personal growth. I’ll tell you what it really means to worship the LORD. Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly. Free those who are abused! Isaiah 58:6 (CEV)
Heart of Hope Organizational Mission Statement
Heart of Hope is a non-profit outreach ministry with the sole purpose of sharing hope and healing to the hurting, especially those confronted with various forms of mental illness or substance abuse/dependence. It is recognized that these individuals are not the only ones affected by their challenges; they are not in this journey alone. They are a part of families and other social networks. These other networks are an integral part of the individual’s life and recovery and as such should be considered and included in the recovery process. This sharing of “hope and healing” is characterized by the following foundational principles: Enlighten: to share information with others so as to teach them something that they did not previously know, or to assist them in recall of previously known information, in order to allow them to improve the state of their lives.
Encourage: To give help or to inspire with courage. In other words, offering a hand to another whom has slipped and fallen along their way and helping them to get back to their feet.
Inspire: To influence, exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on, to spur on or motivate. Continuing from the previous thought, once the individual has gotten back on their feet; to inspire is to walk alongside and urge them on in their journey, rooting them on saying “you can do it”.
Instill Hope. To give, to share or impart hope. Hope is the belief that something good will happen and success is possible.
Empower: To promote the realization of the strength and courage that resides within, so as to believe in themselves and their potential for success.
This goal is achieved through a number of different avenues and techniques including, but not limited to the following:
Written materials
Motivational Speaking
Educational Workshops and Seminars
Personal Interactions – Face to Face, Telephone and Virtual (E-mail, Chat, Social Networks, etc.)