2019 was a watershed year for Capital Clubhouse. Thanks to the groundwork laid by its charter Board Members and Executive Director, the Clubhouse opened its doors at 1313 New York Avenue NW, offering persons living with mental illness in the Washington DC area a place to belong, meaningful work and relationships, and a path to recovery. In doing so, it joined a network and movement of over 320 established Clubhouses in 32 countries on every continent (https://clubhouse-intl.org/) – proof that community, structure and a supportive, sequenced path to employment are critical elements of recovery.

 

Most importantly in 2019, Capital Clubhouse received its certification from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to provide services.​ This, along with a critical change in regulations was made possible by the generous contribution of legal expertise by our General Counsel, Hogan Lovells, and strong collaboration with DBH management and staff.

 

The Clubhouse Director, Maria Núñez, and Program Director, Amy Muhlbach, worked throughout the year to get the word out to organizations and practices devoted to mental health. We held our Grand Opening for members on September 12 at our headquarters on New York Avenue.  Alongside staff, our fifteen charter Clubhouse members worked to set up the infrastructure to support full operations. Specifically, staff and charter members together developed a regular newsletter, set up teams to plan and make meals, created key databases and files, and procured necessary equipment with the help of a $40,000 set-up grant from DBH.​ In addition, we engaged the services of Dr. Ron Koshes as Consulting Psychiatrist.

 

On October 23, 2019, we sponsored our annual fundraising event at the New Zealand Embassy, hosted by Ambassador Rosemary Banks. The Honorable Joseph Kennedy III gave the keynote speech and accepted the Capital Clubhouse Mental Health Advocacy Award on behalf of former Congressman and mental health advocate, the Hon. Patrick Kennedy. We had a great turn out from community leaders, DC residents and local sponsors.

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From a financial perspective, fundraising from individuals, corporations and foundations continued throughout the year to support our 2020 strategic plan to move into a larger space to be able to offer structure, community and a sequenced return to employment to a greater number of Washington DC area residents. 2019 audited financial statements will be posted by on our website by June 30, 2020.

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Respectfully,

 

Maria Núñez, LICSW

Executive Director