Whitney Devine and Austin Dambacher Sangamon County Recovery Oriented Systems of Care provide positive activities

Jeff Williams:
Welcome to Community Voices, a production of NPR Illinois. I'm your co-host Jeff Williams. in the studio with Whitney Devine. It is Whitney Devine.
Whitney Devine:
It sounds made-up, but that's what it is.
Jeff Williams:
It does. You know, I thought, okay, Sangamon County Recovery Oriented Systems of Care. Is that correct?
Whitney Devine:
That is correct.
Jeff Williams:
With Austin Dambacher also. And yeah, they're in the studio to talk about some things. So, how's it going?
Whitney Devine:
It's going great. It's going great.
Austin Dambacher:
It's going well.
Jeff Williams:
Is it good? Right on, right on. So, is there any particular thing you want to dive into right off the bat? they're looking at each other. Look at this.
Austin Dambacher:
We're always up to something. We have a few projects going on, a very informal hiking meetup, just a good chance for people in recovery to connect with each other, get out and about in nature. And Lincoln Memorial Gardens is beautiful.
Whitney Devine:
I'm fully prepared to hike in the rain as long as it's not a torrential downpour.
Jeff Williams:
Right. You got the right boots for it and everything.
Whitney Devine:
Yeah.
Jeff Williams:
I have some like galosh (style) boot sort of things … like the type that my grandfather (had), (with) the buckles, the little brass buckles over the top, I've got those and I always have wanted to use those! (laughter) Anyhow… I haven't had a chance. This might be my chance!
Whitney Devine:
We've done several activities. We've done some yoga events in the past. But we try to do a little something for everybody. So physical stuff, outdoor. And that is open to anyone, like you said, in recovery. Recovery looks different for every person, and so not only like substance use disorder, but also, mental health and entire families are welcome too. So if you want to bring the family, can totally do that. Kids too, with supervision.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah, supervision for the kids. Don't drop your kids off and then get out of there and leave the kids to, no, that's hiking. and the charge of all the kids running every which direction.
Whitney Devine:
We tried to do one last year, but we kind of learn as we go. And that one happened to be scheduled at the same time as a 5K. So, it's blocked off.
Austin Dambacher:
What are the odds of that, though? (laughter)
Jeff Williams:
The chance of, you know, I mean, there's 5Ks that happen in different places. There's lots that happen, but at the same time, like, come on.
Whitney Devine:
Yeah. We're trying again. And we've looked at the news and.
Austin Dambacher:
Like all the community calendars, we always double check now just to make sure that we're not competing.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah, no, for sure. You do have to check. You have to check the other events going on. Sometimes it's like, oh, there's not that much. No, there's a bunch. You know, especially once you start looking, you realize it's like, oh, there's something this date. Let's still do it this other day or place, you know, yeah, there's a lot.
Austin Dambacher:
And especially once it gets nicer, like May.
Whitney Devine:
May is full of everything!
Austin Dambacher:
May is every single weekend has like some massive event, if not multiple. And then same with June, same with July, same with August with a lot of August is a lot of like back to school and school focused events. But yeah, when the weather is nice here, all of us take advantage of it. So it's a very, We have to choreograph that song and dance of, okay, who's doing which event when? Luckily, we're on all kinds of committees and councils and coalitions where...
Jeff Williams:
So you can kind of check, like, whether.
Austin Dambacher:
We can easily communicate with each other, and especially whenever it comes to planning, we know who to reach out to, like, hey, just wondering if you guys were doing this event on that day. If not, we were going to do an event, and you know, vice versa. So that's nice.
Whitney Devine:
In partnership with Birth to Five Illinois and Envision Unlimited.
Jeff Williams:
That's called Birth to Five, you said? Okay.
Whitney Devine:
Yeah, we are partnering up out at the Hope Springs Apartments and we're helping start a community garden out there, hands in the ground event, and we'll have mental health resources and different things there too. And we'll kind of talk about the benefits of gardening.
Jeff Williams:
And I'm sorry, where did you say that is again?
Whitney Devine:
Hope Springs Apartments, which is 1135 North 9th Street.
Jeff Williams:
Okay.
Whitney Devine:
Planting vegetables and.
Austin Dambacher:
Yeah, excited for that one.
Jeff Williams:
That will be a cool one as far. Sorry, I didn't mean to like interrupt kind of there, but it seems like a really good way where people can kind of connect with the most basic growing food and thinking about it that way. That can open a lot of stuff in a person's mind too, you know, like to like versus just always think, well, everything is just kind of prepared. But when you actually start to grow your own food, you're planning it, your hands are getting dirty.
Whitney Devine:
I made this happen.
Jeff Williams:
Right, all this other connection. So that's a great, a great one.
Whitney Devine:
So the Hope Spring Apartments, like kind of the initiative with that.
Austin Dambacher:
So they are through Envision Unlimited, which they actually just opened up a community mental health clinic here in Hope Springs Apartments. They're all about just helping out people getting housing, who might not have been able to get it other places… for whatever the reason, whether it's background, their mental health, or just overall health and well-being. And the folks that work there, I can't sing their praises enough. They are just that's awesome.
Whitney Devine:
So, the residents that are primarily there, it's permanent supportive housing for individuals with mental health challenges, disabilities, and substance use disorders. So, this is just another thing that we're bringing it to them and community come in together. It should be a cool thing.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah. And so Austin, as you kind of mentioned, you made it, sounded like you implied that they do they have other locations or other places that they work with(?)
Austin Dambacher:
So, Envision Unlimited, yes, they are, I believe they're based out of Chicago. So they've got quite a few facilities and outpatient clinics.
Jeff Williams:
It’s kind of throughout the state?
Austin Dambacher:
Yeah, this is the first one in Springfield. And I believe it is no barrier in terms of who they take?
Whitney Devine:
Yeah. So, I know that they take, for sure, they take people who have Medicaid, low income. They have walk-in services for mental health, which is so needed. Yeah.
Austin Dambacher:
And so, we do this community needs assessment every single year. the top barriers to accessing help throughout the county have been, long wait lists or, this place won't take my insurance or, something related to finances. So having a clinic that accepts any and every kind of insurance and, income base, like it's, we need more of that.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, well, people, they just, they're on the verge of giving up sometimes because they think that everything's just like a, like this hurdle that's too big to jump or it's like so close to impossible that it kind of can take a person's hope away, so it's good to be able to provide things where people can at least not feel like everything is just not working out for them at all, so that's very, very good.
Austin Dambacher:
Yep, absolutely.
Whitney Devine:
Yeah, and their community health center, their community mental health center is on 1306 South 6th Street.
Jeff Williams:
Okay.
Whitney Devine:
And I know that they do groups and they have psychiatry there as well as counselors. So, they kind of offer the whole thing. Okay.
Jeff Williams:
And the name again for people if they're listening.
Whitney Devine:
It's Envision Unlimited Community Mental Health Center.
Jeff Williams:
And that also is with the Hope. You said the Hope.
Whitney Devine:
Hope Springs is the apartments, which is separate.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, okay, gotcha, gotcha.
Whitney Devine:
But they CMHC or Community Mental Health Center is they do individual therapy, treatment planning, case management, peer support, skills training. Yeah, they kind of do it all.
Jeff Williams:
Yeah, right on. So now we're coming to the time where you're able to do more like, as you mentioned, outdoor activities. Like take us through like the last, like the winter, like things that you do when it's like kind of inside sort of a thing. Oh, they're both laughing right at this question here.
Austin Dambacher:
Okay, so we like to have fun. I myself am in recovery. When I got sober… you know, there's all these misconceptions about what sobriety can look like, whether that's sitting in a circle of old people drinking coffee, just like. And that's not the case. I've had so much fun. I've had much better times being sober than I ever did, you know, prior. So, when we throw our events, you know, yes, we do the like the yoga, the hikes, but we also do music bingo and paint nights and family game nights, we just like, we'd like to switch it up. Like our art events are like Ongoing. Ongoing ones. And then our, so we call those our ‘relax and recover’ events.
Whitney Devine:
And that's with the Springfield Art Association; we partner with them for that.
Austin Dambacher:
And 5th Street Renaissance.
Whitney Devine:
And 5th Street Renaissance. I'm also in recovery myself. And it was kind of scary when you first get sober, because suddenly my social settings have to completely change, and then it's like, I have this fear, like, what am I going to do for fun now? What do I even like? I don't know what I like sober, And for myself, kind of an artsy person, it's hard to still be in those settings, where there's alcohol or, and so we try to create those settings for people where they can not only connect with other people who are in recovery, but also like explore, explore hobbies, learn, learn new things, like we had this wind chime workshop where we We got seashells and we made wind chimes. Not my thing at all, but it's really fun to just try different things. And it's been really cool to see people show up at our events and all of our events are completely free and just build that community, which is so important.
Jeff Williams:
And here again, back when our band nil8 toured (full time). At the time, everybody in the band was straight edge, we just kind of were. There was a band, well, I have to cut this part out too, I guess the name, but this band ‘7 Year BEEP’. They were out on tour, so there's a bunch of people that came to the show… and this was back when this place called the Underground, which was right across from Skank Skates (Corner of 11^th and South Grand in Springfield). It was way back and these bands would come through. It was cool, the owners would actually get a lot of bands that were on Sub Pop (music Label) and different band labels that were big at the time and have them come through (while touring). And it might be like a Tuesday or a Wednesday or a Sunday night, but they liked it because it was like, man, it's cool because you're connecting us as we're going to Indianapolis to Chicago or something like that. They were booking shows on hard nights to book, you know, like on a Monday or whatever it is. So, anyhow, this happened to be a Friday night that this band, 7-Year ***** came through, and a lot of people kind of compared him at the time to L7, but it was more just because there was an all-girl band and so people and music magazine articles at the time would just label them like that.
Whitney Devine:
Was this like pre-Black Sheep?
Jeff Williams:
This was before Black Sheep, yeah, this is pre-Black Sheep. So, anyhow, these people are like, ‘Oh my God, you guys should have a party’, because the old nil8 house is just a couple blocks away from that music venue. People at the show were like, ‘Please have a party!’ But… a lot of times we'd say, ‘No, we're not gonna have a bunch of hooligans coming over just getting too crazy’, you know (laughter). But we're like, okay, let's do it! And I was like, but it's still going to be the way we kind of do it. So we got there and (since we weren’t prepared for a party). We had old Twister board games, and we were doing stuff like that. And I had a bunch of just tons of ice cream. I was just like making everybody these stinking root beer floats, but they were actually Dr. Pepper floats because I didn't have any root beer. (laughter) And I was like, that's just what we're going to do! So, you know, we were just blasting music loud, playing twister, multiple… like quick twister games, you'd get in and out fast and just hand in people like these Dr. Pepper floats! And it was cool because afterwards, a couple of the girls in the band were like, ‘…dude, that was the most fun freaking party! You guys are nerds though, don't get me wrong!’. (laughter) But it was just fun… it was like the most fun party on their whole trip (they said). So, it was kind of cool. But that's the thing is sometimes people, it's like, you said, the fear of you're not sure in your mind, like almost think, can I still have fun? You know, you just think that. But then it's like, wow, there are, these, so many other things in life where it's like, cool, I can have fun. And I kind of actually, I feel mentally better, whatever the reason I do, I just feel better or I feel like I'm not anchored in a way, something like that. So sorry, anyhow. But yeah, so you've got a couple of those events coming up.
Whitney Devine:
Yeah. We've got, so we do events where we host just ourselves, but then we do a lot where we partner with other organizations. Yeah, we try to build those kinds of mutual relationships, where it's like we simultaneously try to help promote their organization and get the word out about what services they offer. But then also their strength in numbers. So coming together and working together on events has been really great. Like we've partnered with Gateway Foundation. We've partnered with Fifth Street Renaissance several times. And the next one that we've got coming up that's collaborative, we're doing a big mental health day in the park.
Jeff Williams:
Okay. Which Park?
Whitney Devine:
So it's going to be at Jaycee's Park.
Jeff Williams:
Oh, nice!
Whitney Devine:
So it is, it's called Mind and Wellness Family Day.
Jeff Williams:
Okay.
Whitney Devine:
And that's with Springfield Urban League, ourselves, and then Birth to Five. And we're going to have vendors out there, community resources, food, activities for the kids.
Austin Dambacher:
It's going to be fun.
Jeff Williams:
That'll be really cool. Last summer, in conjunction with the Art Association, I did a mural on the, like one of the buildings there in Jaycee Park, right? And so, it was really cool because I went to Washington (Jr. High… which is right next door). Since then I really…. that part of Monroe Street, it's not like a thoroughfare really, it kind of ends. So, you're usually either like on Clear Lake or something like that. (My point being) I hadn't been by there really until we started working on the mural again. So then, you know, we started working on it and it was, really, really cool to see how much activity was going on in that park in the neighborhood, and the different people would come up each day in different ways and kind of just say, my god, thanks, it's cool, you're doing this. mural this the lady came across with her walker one day and she came across and she was taking her time and I was it was in conjunction with some of these kids who were like there's a mentorship program right to kind of teach and they none of them had worked on murals before and they were all from the area and were homeschooled and so their the parents were kind of trying to keep them away from some things so when the lady's coming across with her you know like when people come up the kids would kind of freak out first they're like oh mom's trying to protect her from all this stuff But it's like, hey, this is this, it's just stuff that happens, it's just interactions that happen (as part of day to day life). So, this lady came up though and she's like, she started talking to one of the girls and she goes, ‘I just wanted to come over here and say, just keep doing what you're doing. I love, I love what you're doing and watching it every day. I’m just watching it unfold. All right, I'll leave you alone.” And she went back across the street. But it was just cool to see, you know, this, the, every day there was like different things just going on in the park. But it was, it was great to see this activity, you know, just cook out or just people just playing on the swings or anything over there. So that'll be a cool event, though, anyhow, because that part, I was like, man, that's awesome. I love that the park was just getting utilized a lot, you know, because sometimes, I mean, it's not in your direct line of sight, you know, Lincoln Park, Washington Park, you know, about those, you know, everybody. But it was, I don't know, anyhow, it was just, it was cool to see the utilization of all the parks.
Whitney Devine:
Yeah, we tried to find locations that are, low barrier when it comes to transportation and things like that, just making it accessible to everybody. And so Jaycee Park has definitely, it's been a good one for sure. So excited for that one.
Jeff Williams:
Right on.
Whitney Devine:
And then after that, one of our art events that I'm super excited for, It's called Brunch and Brushes, Paint Your Pal Event.
Jeff Williams:
Paint Your Pal.
Whitney Devine:
Paint Your Pal. So this one's going to be outdoors again. It's going to be next to Kiwanis Park at 2924 Stanton. And again, this is all ages event, but show up with a friend, sibling, anybody, you know, and you're going to do like a blind painting. So I'll have a canvas, they'll have a canvas, and they'll sit across from each other and paint each other, and they won't see it until the very end. So it just, and you know, you don't have to have any artistic skills at all. In fact, that's even better if you don't, you know. So that one's with Fifth Street Renaissance, and then we're going to have recovery resources there as well. But that's kind of an artsy one that we're doing.
Jeff Williams:
Right on, very cool. Well, once again, Whitney Austin, thanks a lot for coming in and telling us about some of the programs you have coming up. So, and with the Sangamon County Recovery Oriented Systems of Care.
Whitney Devine:
Yes.
Jeff Williams:
That's the right name again.
Whitney Devine:
Yes.
Jeff Williams:
I just want to make sure. Oh, website.
Whitney Devine:
Absolutely. So you can find our website at www.sangamoncorosc.org … I encourage everyone to go out and check out our website because we have our event calendar on there with all of our upcoming events. But not only that, we have our community resource guide. We've got a digital booklet that is very extensive. You can find anything from where you can access health care, mental health, substance use, treatment, to down to where the local parks are or recreational activities.
Jeff Williams:
Love it.
Whitney Devine:
Yeah. So definitely check that out.
Jeff Williams:
Very cool. Like about a month ago, I had Evan Mitchell in here from Taylorville. He's in bands and stuff, but he also skateboards a lot. So, he helped initiate the process of getting a skateboard park in the park in Taylorville. So, at the end, I started thinking about, I was like, you know, it is kind of cool that like all these so many communities have parks and the parks are free. It's a free thing. You can go and sit just in a park and it's just nice. It's just a free thing you can go do. So I made a list of all the parks between Quincy (to the west), over to Danville (east) and just below Bloomington (north) down to about Litchfield (to the south). Any parks that have a skateboard park… even if it's just like a little quarter pipe or anything, as much as I could and just kind of listed it real quick. Some people probably were bored. They're like, oh my god, he's just talking nonsense. But at least, well, this one skater dug along is like, dude, you listed all the parts. That's awesome, dude. So anyhow, but it is, it's one of those things where it's like, don't overlook it. You know, it's right. They're right there, you know, things. Whitney Devine, Austin Dambacher, Sangamon County Recovery Oriented Systems of Care. All right, well, once again, guys, once again, Whitney, once again, Austin, thanks so much for coming by.
Whitney Devine:
Thank you so much. Absolutely.
Austin Dambacher:
Thanks for having us.
Jeff Williams:
Right on.
Whitney Devine:
Thank you. can have your soup now.
Jeff Williams:
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