As we kicked-off our most recent Challenge with Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit and Coalition on Temporary Shelter, we had little briefing regarding the details of the project.  We were split into two groups, half working with Goodwill and the other COTs. I was assigned to work on the Goodwill Team, specifically with the A Place of Our Own Clubhouse.

Our first day on location was equal parts energizing and overwhelming. Who would have realized the scope of Goodwill’s work? Automotive services, cleaning services, Greenworks and many programs such as Flip the Script and Operation Good Jobs are a part of the impact Goodwill has on the greater Detroit area.

The conversations that I have had over the past two weeks with members and staff at the Clubhouse have had a huge impact on my perspective. A Place of Our Own Clubhouse is a resource for individuals living with mental illness to assist them in achieving their social, personal and working goals. The conversations we have had with members regarding not only their experiences with the Clubhouse, but their life-experiences have lingered at the top of my mind since the project commenced.

I have listened to stories about mental breakdowns at university, friends drugging drinks, and any variety of traumatic experiences. These are all events that could occur in anyone’s everyday life, yet the majority of individuals behave as if they are immune. There are very few things you can become overnight, but you can become invisible.

Mental illnesses and disabilities can afflict an individual overnight, forever changing one’s life. One’s independence, in its many forms, can disappear rendering you invisible to the general population. Personally, that is something I often have taken for granted. I challenge each of you to see everyone and acknowledge their unique situations before deciding to look past them. No one’s story ends at face level, and it is important to remember that.