Staying healthy both physically and mentally is essential to living a great life. Without good health, people face roadblocks around employment and education and are unable to become their best selves. Healthy communities are strong communities, so we must work to improve health and wellbeing county-wide.
United Way of Mower County is fighting to improve the health for every individual within our community. UWMC is strengthening Mower County through our funded partners.
Through 2019 funding...
success stories.
Cedar Branch Developmental Achievement Center
"A client's parents purchased a stander for one of our clients. They asked if it could be brought to the Developmental Achievement Center (DAC) for her to use there. They brought the stander to the DAC, however, she did not tolerate standing in it for very long and could generally only tolerate standing in it for a few minutes at a time.
Through using the stander daily at the DAC, she slowly began to stand for longer periods of time. Now she stands for periods of 20 minutes or longer daily without becoming uncomfortable. She enjoys doing activities and looking at herself in the mirror while she is standing. Using the stander daily has allowed her to build strength in her legs and the power of gravity allows everything in her body to work better, thus improving her overall health."
recovery is happening
“It wasn’t long after Recovery Is Happening was founded that we had volunteer Peer Recovery Specialists, Melissa and Joe, meeting with the inmates in our jail, facilitating recovery groups and connecting them with community-based recovery support upon release. Peer Recovery Specialists are individuals who they themselves are now living a life of active recovery and are uniquely trained to offer peer-to-peer support services aimed at promoting abstinence-based, long-term recovery. They serve as a guide and mentor to those who seek to sustain recovery. Because Melissa and Joe have “been there”, they are often able to connect with inmates on a deeper level, and more quickly, than having not had the same experience. Not only do these jail recovery groups provide and expound on practical new skill sets of recovery, more importantly, it provides a level of support and encouragement that meets the inmate’s need right where they are at in the recovery process.
Some of the services that Recovery Is Happening provides to inmates are assisting them with identifying potential problems, overcoming barriers, sharing their own experience and knowledge about addiction and recovery, and supporting the inmates by listening, motivating, and encouraging.
The connections that are being made between Peer Recovery Specialists and inmates while they are in jail is having a great and lasting impact, and the fruit of that labor is quickly paying off. In less than a year, one former inmate has completed treatment and is on the road to becoming a Peer Recovery Specialists herself. It all started with a simple yet life-changing conversation in a correctional facility. A relationship formed and is still maintained for up to a year (or longer) after getting out of treatment.”
