Transforming Lives for Over 20 Years

Crossroads Clubhouse sets annual open house for October 20.

Photo by Josh Ellard.

It’s a night of fun, awareness, and appreciation.  Crossroads Clubhouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing hope and opportunities for Tulsa area adults living with mental illness, will host an Open House on October 20 from 4:00-7:00 p.m, at 1888 E. 15th St.  There will be light hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and live music by The Scissortails.  There will also be guided tours of Crossroads, with Program Coordinators on hand to answer questions about Employment, Education, Housing, Culinary, and Wellness Programs.  The event is free and open to the public.
The annual event serves two purposes: to thank donors, grant makers, referral sources, student interns, and volunteers, and to educate the general public as well as prospective members and their families about the services offered.
With a considerable spotlight on funding for mental healthcare in Oklahoma, it’s important to play a part.  Crossroads is not a treatment facility and offers no such services.  As an accredited member of Clubhouse International (iccd.org), which oversees the operations of over 340 Clubhouses worldwide, Crossroads is the other half of the mental health equation, helping members to reach and sustain their full potential.  This is how its members transcend stigma and live a life in which he or she is a person, not an illness.  
Crossroads is celebrating its 21st year of service to the Tulsa area.  Their central location means easy access for members, many of whom use the bus system or The Lift. Their Transitional Employment (TE) Program is a partnership with local businesses, including Reasor’s, Marshall’s, and the Altamont Bakery at B’nai Emunah Synagogue.  In TE, Crossroads turns members into employees who earn respectable incomes and contribute to the local economy.
Employment Coordinator Lily Leffall said, “One of the beauties of TE is that an employee (Crossroads member) is covered if for some reason he or she can’t go to work on a certain day.  A staff member learns the position, and we are the ones who train them, not the employer.  So the employer does not have to go through the training process.”
The Crossroads Housing Program has placed many members in safe, affordable homes.  Eight homeless members gained housing last year, while another ten who were in danger of losing their homes received funding to pay rent.
Members who seek to complete a degree or begin studies altogether can benefit from the Education Program, which offers field trips to college and technical campuses in the Tulsa area.
Crossroads is a good steward of personal and environmental wellness.  Members can assist the Culinary Unit in preparing daily lunches and tending to the Garden of Hope, which was recently named a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat as well as a Monarch Waystation.  Crossroads’ monthly Saturday Socials include movies, cultural festivals, and many other fun events.
Find out more about Crossroads Clubhouse.  Drop by for lunch and a tour at 12 noon, Monday through Friday.  Visit online at www.crossroadsok.org.
See you on October 20!