CHEEERS is a Qualified Charitable Organization

Please consider supporting us this Holiday Season!  

This year Governor Doug Ducey signed into legislation SB 1216, which increases 2016 charitable tax credit donation limits. This means individuals are now allowed to give more to nonprofit organizations (Single, $400 and Married Joint $800) while taking larger dollar-for-dollar tax credits !** **subject to income tax liability thresholds caps. Please consult your tax professional to determine eligibility. The deadline for your contribution has also been extended, but there is no need to wait. A donation to CHEEERS supports the services we offer to individuals with serious mental illness in our community. Visit our website and give today http://www.cheeers.org/give.html 

CHEEERS at University of Missouri for Project ECHO

Kansas City, MO.-  CHEEERS is represented in Kansas City this week by Kimberly Craig, CEO, who has been invited to participant in Project ECHO , an  innovative project supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) to address the needs of Pregnant and postpartum women with mental health and substance use disorders.  This pilot project is a collaborative effort with subject matter experts joining with the University of Missouri, and the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Center of Excellence on Behavioral for Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Their Families, along with the SAMHSA funded programs that serve pregnant women throughout the United States.  Project ECHO, leverages multipoint videoconferencing and a subject matter expert (SME) panel representing a wide range of disciplines and expertise to provide individualized, case-based learning to clinicians.  In particular the Pregnant and Postpartum Women’s ECHO pilot aims to  1) develop capacity to safely and effectively treat individuals and family members impacted by substance use and  mental health disorders and to monitor outcomes, and 2) develop a model to treat complex substance use  and co-occurring disorder conditions in pregnant and postpartum women who receive services in one of SAMHSA’s Pregnant and Parenting  Women Grantee locations.  CHEEERS is honored to participate in projects that introduce innovative methods to meet the needs of individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.  Kimberly’s contribution on the panel  will incorporate her 16 + years of experience working in women’s services, her knowledge around implementation of family centered programming (namely father or male involvement in predominately female focused programming) the use of Peer Support Services as an  effective and evidenced based intervention, as well as  methods to develop and integrate Peer Support Mentors in family centered programs.  

CHEEERS Announces Newly Elected 2017 Participant Advisory Council

November 9th, 2016  CHEEERS held it's Advisory Council Campaign and Election ! The Advisory Council at CHEEERS is a distinguished group of individuals who represent our program's participants and who serve as leaders for our community. Through monthly meetings with other program participants, the Advisory Council  gathers input about the needs and preferences of our participants, which is then used to improve the services we offer. This peer elected group also takes part in the planning of special events and activities to support ongoing growth and development. After the counting of the ballots, the election results are in ....
Congratulations to each member of the 2017 Advisory Council for CHEEERS! We look forward to working with you  to ensure that CHEEERS remains a  safe and welcoming place for all who seek our support.

CHEEERS Launches New Website

CHEEERS wishes to thank Diane DiCioccio who graciously shared her expertise, time and energy to develop our website through a Service by Design project and Experience Matters. 

For those who don't know, Experience Matters is a wonderful resource that matches experienced, business professionals who are looking for opportunities to give back and share their expertise with local service and non-profit organizations. CHEEERS submitted a proposal for a project to re-design our website (okay, that's not what we proposed, but it's what we decided was needed after meeting with Diane).  We feel extremely grateful that Diane chose us as an organization to assist. Not only do we have a fantastic website to show off, we have thoroughly enjoyed the exchange, benefit of her vast knowledge in marketing, and the support and encouragement she has offered us, as the business savvy woman that she is. We even had the good fortune of having Carly, Diane's equally talented and savvy daughter, join us for a summer internship on her break from Barnard College, Columbia University!  Please check out our website and while you are there, subscribe to this blog, and stay updated on what's new at CHEEERS!  www.cheeers.org

Our Summer Luau Party

Participants were all smiles at the Summer Luau party at the CHEEERS facility this past Friday. Everyone came out wearing their grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts, and colorful decorations covered the walls. The smell of summer luau barbecue wafted through the halls and music and laughter could be heard immediately upon walking through the door. Peer supervisors had a lottery, limbo, and dancing planned along with some pretty amazing prizes.

Though many were timid at first, participants had a great time testing their limits during a round of limbo, and almost everyone got a prize! As for the lottery, two participants carried away a movie popcorn bucket full of snacks and DVDs. Winners and other festively dressed guests took pictures in front of a lovely beach scene--almost forgetting that it was another 110 degree Arizona summer!

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With lots of games, amazing prizes, yummy food, dancing, and laughing, the luau was a major success. Make sure to check out the Activities calendar to stay updated on all CHEEERS events!

Out & About: Higher Octave Healing

On Wednesday June 9th, CHEEERS participants, led by fearless leaders Angela and Sasha took a visit to ASU’s Community Center. The group met with Higher Octave Healing, an organization dedicated to healing through music therapy. 

In this session, participants explored emotion and expression within a drum circle. Though the group’s music taste differed from swing music to hard rock, they all agreed that music is a powerful force when used to relax and calm down.

Higher Octave healing had a number of drum games planned and the participants shared lots of laughs as they tried out a completely new experience. In addition to learning a new instrument, participants were given the challenge to convey a certain emotion through purely drums and facial expression. While some emotions such as “bitterness” were difficult to guess, things like “peace” and “joy” were immediately recognizable. This activity gave participants an opportunity to work together and explore how to read others’ emotions.

The session went by quickly and by the end everyone was smiling. The participants expressed how much they loved the music therapy. One participant even declared “Music practice time is music happy time.” There is no doubt that the participants will return next week for round 2 of Higher Octave healing.

CHEEERS Welcomes New CEO, Kimberly Craig

After an extensive nationwide search and more than 120 applicants, the CHEEERS Board of Directors is pleased to announce it has selected Kimberly Craig as the new CEO. She will begin March 28, 2016.

Kimberly joins CHEEERS from Women’s Health Innovations of Arizona, a non-profit formed to meet the needs of women with mental health and substance use disorders, where she served as CEO and President. Previously, she was Vice President of Women’s and Children’s Programs for a large Arizona non-profit behavioral health organization where she developed and managed evidenced-based recovery programs for women and their families with mental health and co-occurring disorders. In 2011, Kimberly was recognized for her leadership work as one of 17 women in the nation appointed to the Women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute.

Kimberly’s behavioral health career began in Billings, Montana. As a part of the leadership team for Rimrock Foundation, Montana’s largest freestanding behavioral health agency, she helped launch a nationally-recognized program to address drug dependence in women with children, the first of its kind in Montana. 

“I am honored and humbled to be selected as the CEO,” said Kimberly. “I look forward to building on the tremendous reputation and important work of CHEEERS in our community, and helping the organization, its staff, and the members served reach their full potential.”

With a career spanning more than 16 years, Kimberly’s lived experience, passion, and commitment to improving the lives of those with mental health and co-occurring disorders is proven and respected.

“We are excited to have Kimberly at the helm of the organization and couldn’t be more pleased with our choice,” said CHEEERS Board Chair Tonya MacBeth. “We are also grateful to all of the extremely talented candidates who made this process so competitive and to our Recruitment Committee for their rigorous review of candidate qualifications. Our Recruitment Committee included Directors from our Board, agency staff, and clients to ensure the voice and priorities of all people within CHEEERS were involved in this process.”

CHEEERS is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit peer-run, peer-driven, consumer-operated organization dedicated to providing strength-based services to adults who experience serious mental illness. Our mission is to empower individuals and families affected by behavioral health conditions to achieve a healthy and meaningful life through the use of recovery-based community services and our shared experiences.