RESOURCE is hosting an event to thank you for partnering with us over the past 50 years. The event will feature a chance to see old friends and make some new ones, music, a short speech by RESOURCE President Debbie Atterberry, a slideshow celebrating the last 50 years at RESOURCE, and appetizers.

We greatly appreciate your involvement with our agency and hope you will be able to attend our 50th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, Oct. 21, 5:30-8 p.m. at International Market Square, Minneapolis.

WCCO reporter Reg Chapman will be the celebrity host for the event. Throughout his career, Reg has been recognized for his work, receiving several Associated Press awards and honors from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is dedicated to volunteerism and has been recognized for contributions to the community.

Please email resource@resource-mn.org or call 612-752-8011 to RSVP to the event.

RESOURCE continued its celebration of 50 years of service by hosting an "Achieving Dreams/Stepping Forward" benefit breakfast on May 26. The goal of the event was to raise awareness, fundraise and celebrate RESOURCE's history of providing services to 250,000 community members and their 350,000 children.

In person and video, speakers at the event included former clients who have overcome chemical dependency or mental illness, found steady employment, and moved out of homelessness, as well as a presentation from President Debbie Atterberry.

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"RESOURCE's Vision for 2030" inspires us and gives us optimism about the future

In a world filled with bad news, all of us are thirsty for good news and solutions to the world's problems. The staff of RESOURCE works daily with people facing real challenges related to employment, chemical and mental health, and disabilities.

In the midst of a recession like this one, the staff is working harder than ever, but seeing clients make progress day by day keeps them optimistic and coming back for more. Part of their inspiration comes from the "RESOURCE Vision for 2030," which was drafted by Board Member Julia Van Etten after conducting extensive focus groups with RESOURCE staff.

Division directors live out vision every day

President Debbie Atterberry with division directors Kim Feller, Gary Stevens, Karen Hovland and Betsy McMillan dressed in 60s and 70s attire celebrating RESOURCE's 50th anniversary.

Director of Recovery Resource Center Gary Stevens has worked with RESOURCE's chemical health programs for 37 years. He's seen a lot of positive changes in how people dealing with addictions are treated. "There are more evidence-based practices," he says. "Our staff is now composed of professionals and para-professionals; you don't have to be in recovery to be a chemical health counselor." Stevens says he still enjoys seeing people make positive changes in their lives. "Since most of our participants come to us because they've had multiple relapses, we work with them for four months to a year. I think our success rate is extremely good. Seventy percent of participants complete the program, and 85 percent, including people with dual-diagnoses, remain sober for 90 days or more. Our program is holistic, and we have a reputation for providing quality services at reasonable costs. While other programs have closed, we are going strong."

Continually opening doors for someone new

Diversity and creativity propel our mission

Satisfied Employment Action Center client and her kids.

Employment Action Center Director Betsy McMillan has worked with the organization for 31 years. She is proud that the increasingly diverse clients are served by an increasingly diverse RESOURCE staff.  "EAC has always focused on providing employment and training services," says McMillan. "When we started, we served only a couple of hundred individuals from one suburban Hennepin County location. Today we serve almost 16,000 youth and adults a year from 18 locations across the metro area.

"I am inspired and energized by the commitment and creativity of our staff. Every day we get to help people who have endured extended periods of unemployment to secure good jobs, pay their bills, put food on the table and give their children a brighter future. We all have a family member, a friend, or a neighbor who has lost his or her job and is struggling to keep their family together and provide for their most basic needs.  Strategies like temporary subsidized employment help people weather the economic storm while giving them new work skills."

Recovery from mental illness possible with right supports

Director of Spectrum Community Mental Health Karen Hovland, who has worked at RESOURCE for 33 years, describes the dramatic changes that have occurred during the last 45 years since people with mental illness were released from state hospitals and directed into community-based care.  She admits there's been mixed success because communities weren't really prepared to house and care for all of the people leaving institutions. 

"In 1974 when we opened our first community mental health center, we didn't use words like 'recovery' when talking with our clients about their illness," she says.  "Now, we incorporate the idea of recovery into our work and talk about recovery as a real possibility.  In 1974, we didn't talk much with clients about being able to go to work.  In fact, they were often told that work was out of the question.  Now we do hold out that hope for them - though people with mental illness continue to be among the highest unemployed population in our community.

"During the last 10 years, we also have learned that supportive housing, where people with mental illness live independently, with the help of Spectrum staff, is a relatively low-cost and effective solution." Hovland hopes health care reform is able to change the current mental treatment paradigm. She says if we collaborate more efficiently with the medical community and begin working more effectively with young people with mental illness, we can shift mental health expenditures, so more people can live more cost effectively in the community.