Kim Faulds, Hero Award nominee is congratulated by Kevin Moore, the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction for the State of Indiana

Kimberly is a Hamilton Center (HCI) consumer whose success story has been openly shared by her in many settings.  Even before her court-appointed addiction therapy concluded, Kimberly was the only member in her group to raise her hand when asked about staying sober, based on the startling statistic that only one in 12 will succeed.  The challenge was presented, and she became determined to beat the odds.

At five months sobriety, having completed all of the court’s requirements, a spark was ignited for Kimberly during her exit interview when her counselor gave her an ‘excellent’ prognosis and invited her to return in seven months to share her story with others in the outpatient groups.

Grateful for the opportunity to have a tangible goal, Kimberly stated, “Just the fact that someone believed in me made me want to succeed.”

“I started to look at sobriety as something more than just getting out of trouble.  I started to see it as having real, lasting purpose.” She said.

Sure enough, Kimberly returned to the group at one year of sobriety with the incredible feeling of accomplishment. She shared her story for the first time.

At over three years of sobriety today, she has lost count of how many times she has spoken of her journey.  The opportunities presented include a variety of venues:  Hamilton Center’s addiction groups in both Vigo and Clay counties; to Indiana State University Psychology Department doctorate students; Hamilton Center Foundation board members; and most recently, she was featured in a video developed by the Hamilton Center Foundation. The video was debuted on October 27, 2015 to over 500 people at the Hamilton Center annual awards banquet that included the pubic launch of the Foundation. The video can be viewed at www.hamiltoncenterfoundation.org under the tab, Lives Changed.

She is actively involved in the HCI Trauma Informed Care (TIC) Consumer Committee in Vigo County and has served as chairperson.  Through this organization, Kim advocates for consumer driven care and promotes TIC both at HCI and in the surrounding community. Kim openly shares her story as a behavioral health consumer and thoughtfully discusses the concepts of what hurts and what helps within the mental health system.  Her courage, input and participation has been instrumental as HCI has transformed into a trauma-informed and client centered organization.  Kim provides a voice for consumers and promotes consumer driven care in her community combating stigma and helping consumers understand that they are not alone in their struggles.

In addition, Kim has twice participated in a creative writing contest sponsored by HCI depicting her feelings of stigma and Lighting the Way for others.  She provides information to local organizations about HCI, TIC and her recovery.  She is active in membership and sponsorship in her local recovery community.  Her outreach has extended beyond these structured organizations to friends and family members who know they will get honest answers to their questions, as well as a profound sense of caring from her.

“My sobriety is the most important thing in my life.  There is my faith, my family and my career; but I would not have any of those things without my sobriety.  I know this from experience,” she relates with a grateful, sincere heart.

“The paradox, ‘in order to keep it, you have to give it away’ is true.  I think that verbalizing my experiences, and then hearing the words in my own ears, is the best reminder of where I have been, what happened, and where I am now.  I try to set realistic goals to avoid discouragement, and I try to keep my expectations of others to a minimum.” She said.

What’s next for Kimberly?  Her latest goal is to write a book.  “It will potentially be 365 short, inspirational stories based on truths I have acquired on my journey to a better life, designed for daily consumption.”  She intends to self-publish the book and had no expectation or goal of make money from it.  “I have found self-expression to be profoundly instrumental in the healing process.  My practices of secrecy, deception and self-doubt are long gone.  Today, I am free to be me.”

As we embark on this holiday season, Hamilton Center and Hamilton Center Foundation are reminded of the blessings of the last year.

The recent launch of Hamilton Center Foundation Inc. was the culmination of a great deal of work by so many people  – including both our former and current CEO, the Hamilton Center Board of Directors who provided the “foundation” and seed money, and the committed Foundation Board whose vision will carry the work forward.

The Foundation’s Mission is to strengthen the community by providing consistent and lasting support to Hamilton Center, as it provides the highest quality behavioral healthcare and wellness services in Indiana.  It is our vision this important organization will provide significant resources to fund critical programs and services that are essential to the health of our community.

Mental health and addiction services are in greater demand than ever before.  Hamilton Center served over 12,000 children, adolescents, adults and families in central and west central Indiana in 2014/2015 fiscal year. Many of those served are our community’s most vulnerable citizens. Assuring and insuring a strong mental health system is vital to the quality of life of those who live and work in this community.

As we celebrate the season and approach the end of 2015, we ask for your serious consideration in making a gift to Hamilton Center Foundation now or through a planned gift.

Greg Goode, Chair of the Development Committee of the newly created Hamilton Center Foundation Inc., announced the creation of this new not for profit organization at the Hamilton Awards dinner, October 27, 2015.

The announcement was met with anticipation and excitement as it was evident that the Foundation was a culmination of an enormous effort that was years in the making.

“So many people have worked so hard to make this organization a reality – including my father’s initial foresight, Mr. Burks’s enthusiastic support and the Hamilton Center Board of Directors whose belief in this concept truly provided the “foundation” and seed money to form this important initiative.”, Goode stated.

The mission of the Foundation is to strengthen the community by providing consistent and lasting support to Hamilton Center, as it provides the highest quality behavioral healthcare and wellness services in Indiana.

“It is our vision that in the future, the Foundation can provide significant resources to fund services at Hamilton Center,” said Bob Rhodes, Board Chair.

Melvin L. Burks, Hamilton Center’s CEO, was particularly appreciative of all the support of both the Hamilton Center board and the Foundation board volunteers.  “The Foundation has the ability to play a vital role in assuring a strong mental health system in our communities,” he said.  “I am personally very grateful for the Board’s forethought and tremendous work.”

The Foundation Board, which originally began as an Ad Hoc committee of the Hamilton Center Board of Directors, has been meeting monthly since 2011.  The organization’s tax exempt status was received January 2014 but made retroactive to 2012.

The theme of the October 27, 2015 public kickoff event and tag line of the Foundation is Light the Way. 

A video was debuted showing local people who have struggled with mental health or addiction issues.  The video depicts the critical need for services, the impact on quality of life and clearly represents the theme Lighting the Way.

“I feel particularly honored to be part of the Hamilton Center Foundation,” said Margie Anshutz, the organization’s President/CEO.  “All of us can now play a critical role in assuring the continued availability of quality behavioral health services now and forever,” she said.

Hamilton Center, Inc. is a regional behavioral health system in central and west central Indiana.  The organization provides mental health, addiction and employment services to 13,000 consumers a year in a 10 county area. For Further information or to contribute to the Foundation go to www.hamiltoncenterfoundation.org or call (812) 231-8416.