Dear Marti,
I wanted to tell you what an honor and a privilege it was to hear you speak at the Indiana Council for Community Mental Health Centers Child and Adolescent Conference in July. As part of the Child and Adolescent Committee, we were honored to have you speak to the leaders in our state and tell your story in such a powerful and inspiring way. Alter hearing your story, our local organization was so moved, that we invited you to speak at our Genera l Staff day this past week. Again, you rocked the house with your powerful testimony and brilliant delivery. As a service provider, and administrator, there is nothing more inspiring than to hear from a survivor about how meaningful the work we do can be, and how it has personally affected someone.
Your story is one of pure courage in the face of so many obstacles that many of us cannot even fathom. Your deli very of the challenges, the pain, the trauma, and most importantly, the hope and abili ty to persevere is awe inspiring. Looking around the room and see ing the faces of our staff and the appreciation of your story, yo ur surviva l, and your conti nued fight for others was unbelievable. I want to personally thank you for the work you do, the courage you possess and the hope you instill in each of us as we continue to advocate for others, and for ourselves. Positive self talk, mindfulness, and visualization are so important in our own self care. Thank you for being real. Thank you for being funny.
Most importantly, thank you for bei ng you. Keep pushing ahead and inspiring others to do the same.
Sincerely,
Letecia Timmel, MSW, LSW
Systems of Care Program Director