Mental Health is so very important to the overall well-being of a person, and here at United Way we are proud to partner with the Mental Health Center of North-Central Alabama. They help to provide counseling and support to people suffering from mental health issues. Daniel is one of those folks. He was kind enough to share his experience about how the Mental Health Center has impacted his life. This is his story.

My name is DANIEL I've been going to mental health center for 12 years. I've been seeing a therapist for 14 years. I've been diagnosis with bipolar, been in and out of the mental hospital and juvy, as well. I'm just going to tell you a little bit about myself. 

I'm almost 19 years old and I have a full-time job now. I wouldn't be where I'm at today if it wasn't for the people that LOVE ME. I probably wouldn't be here right now. I have achieved a lot of goals in my life and still have a lot to go. Never think there's nobody there for you because there is.

These people at this clinic have helped me when nobody else would. They are the ones that help me achieve my goals. They will help you if you will just open up your heart and tell them what is bugging you and what is wrong. It might take time to get comfortable to talk about what is wrong, because it took me years to open up and to make these people see what I am going through. I tell you this - it’s OK to hold it in but not for too long because if you hold it in too long it will take longer to get better with the depression. 

You might be going through stuff that people don't understand. But these people here will understand what you are going through if you just give them a chance to help you. You might be going through a death in the family or abusive relationship, trouble at school or trouble at work. 

Life will throw you a curveball at some point, but it all depends on what turn you will take, and you don't have to face it alone. 

Always keep your head up high and never look back on the negative.  Always cherish the moment with the people you love, because tomorrow is never promised. 

Today is my last day coming here to mental health center because my work insurance won’t cover it. I still know I need more sessions, but I have to deal with it and move forward with the people I love.  I would like to thank all the people here at the Mental Health Center of North-Central Alabama, who have helped me through some rough times. You will never know how much I appreciate how much y'all have done for me. 

If you are reading this all ways tell yourself there's someone there for you and love you. 

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?!www.uwmcal.org

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United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

 When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.  

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?! www.uwmcal.org

By: Tennessee Valley Outreach

Mendy, a former resident at Tennessee Valley Outreach sat down one day and shared what being at TVO meant to her. This is what she had to say in her own words…

“This place is still such a blessing to me. I cannot express in words my deep gratitude to God for bringing me here. I have grown so much mentally and spiritually. I have learned to put Him first in all that I do. Being here was like being part of one big family. It is such a wonderful place. The staff here has shown me what it means to have a real relationship with God; not just in my times of need, but at all times. I have learned to trust Him with every aspect of my life and I have to credit my experiences here at Tennessee Valley Outreach for that”. 

Since Mendy left TVO as a resident, she has gotten married, has had 2 children and will begin attending college this fall in her pursuit of the career she feels that the Lord is preparing for her. We are so excited to see how the Lord is going to use her for His kingdom purposes and feel blessed to be a part of her spiritual growth and maturity. Tennessee Valley Outreach wishes her well and will continue to guide and encourage her each step of the way towards what we believe will be a successful venture for her. 

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

 When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.  

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?! www.uwmcal.org

By: Morgan County System of Services- Hands Home

Zack was excited because the day had finally arrived for him to be discharged from HANDS Home for Boys. He and his mother both now seemed to be trying to get their lives back on track, in contrast to his day of arrival which had revealed a far too extensive history of family dysfunction, peer conflicts, allegations of neglect, and exposure to negative influences for someone who had only lived sixteen years. To nobody's surprise, he had also developed a quick temper, short attention span, and longstanding issues of distrust.

Zack reported that from an early age, alcohol and drugs were regularly purchased for him by his grandmother, who often babysat for him; and by his father, who continued to have ongoing issues with substance abuse long before finally leaving the family altogether this past year. "My grandmother would wait until my mom went to work, then say to me 'Honey, you and I are gonna party now!', even supplying weed and alcohol for my friends who dropped by the house. She eventually died of a massive overdose, which of course she caused, but I still miss and grieve for her because at least she was there for me while growing up."

He did not like talking about these traumatic memories; instead being more likely to release emotions by acting out or being the "class clown."  So, it was a bit surprising to the staff when Zack of all people, on his last day at HANDS Home, asked: "Are we not going to have a 'goodbye group' before I leave?" His reference was to what he had observed a few days earlier, as staff and peers were given a chance to go around in a circle and individually offer words of encouragement to another resident who was being discharged. "Sure, we can do that, " was the counselor's response.

But everyone's biggest surprise was when Zack's own turn arrived, when he said: "I just want to wish everyone well, and to let you know these during these past few weeks y'all have become my second family."

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

 When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.  

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?! www.uwmcal.org

By: Mental Health Association

Standing in the room where people gathered to share their struggles, their triumphs and their lives, the 6’2” 307-pound man felt weak.

“It felt so weak to have to say there is something wrong with me. In hindsight, other people haven’t seen it that way, they’ve seen it as a strength. I think people are becoming more aware that admitting you need help is one of the strongest things you can do,” Will Stults said.

For Stults, who lives with bipolar II disorder, help came, in part, from the Mental Health Association in Morgan County. The Decatur-based nonprofit organization and partner agency of United Way of Morgan County offers support groups for individuals living with mental illnesses.

Surrounded by others living with bipolar disorder and depression, Stults found acceptance and accountability. Twice a month, he travels more than two hours roundtrip to attend the meetings.

“I think there’s a stigma around going to group. For me, it’s much better to hear about other people’s experiences. There’s like a camaraderie of not feeling alone or like I’m the only one having this struggle. And for so long I felt that way,” said Stults, who lives in Russellville and works in Athens.

Susan Claborn, director of MHA, has witnessed Stults growth first hand.

“Having men step up and talk about mental illness is tremendous. The conversations they have are not all about mental health. They talk about the daily stuff. They talk about their lives. For many of them, group is the only place they feel comfortable talking about these issues,” Claborn said.

Along with attending group, Stults takes medication and lives a healthy lifestyle to face the mental illness battled by many generations of his family.

“I’m the fourth generation. I don’t know if the word ‘bipolar’ went as far back as my great grandmother, but from her behavior it sounds like the same thing.”

As a child, Stults remembers feeling different – happier in the spring and summer and depressed in the fall and winter. In the fall of 2018, after 25 years of running from the illness, Stults faced the diagnosis.

“I’ve suspected for a while that I was bipolar II, but I was kind of in denial about it. I was scared to get help. I thought I would lose my sense of spirituality, my creativity and my personality,” said Stults, a singer-songwriter. “But I don’t feel disconnected from God and I don’t feel like my creativity suffered. I feel like it’s given me the space, mentally, to figure out who I am.”

Unlike individuals with bipolar, who experience mania, people diagnosed with bipolar II experience hypomania. During his high phase, Stults would feel really productive, lose weight without trying and thrive on 3 hours of sleep a night.

“When I was up, it seemed like my mind was constantly racing. I was having six or seven thoughts for every person’s one,” Stults said.

And then, as the cooler temperatures of fall arrived, he would crash. The crash in 2018 was hard. He knew he needed help.

In early 2019, six weeks after he started taking medication, the thoughts running through Stults’ mind quieted.

“I was putting on my shoes and 40 percent of my mental noise went away. It felt like a miracle. I couldn’t imagine having that much peace of mind,” Stults said. “I think with mental illness the fear is always getting to a point where you are so unstable you won’t do anything because your judgement isn’t sound. I almost got there.”

This is the first fall of Stults’ life that he feels stable and that everything’s normal.

“The thing I’m happiest about is when my 13-year-old son said, ‘Dad, you are so much more polite and when I’m talking, I can tell that you’re listening to me know.’ My wife and my son both say they don’t have to walk on eggshells around me anymore because they would never know if I was up or down,” Stults said.

While the medication helped still his mind, the MHA support group provides Stults with continued emotional and mental support.

“Bipolar people, a lot of times, get stable and think they don’t have to take their medication. That’s what’s great about group. They hold me accountable. They can tell if I’m acting different. Having people who are comfortable enough to say, ‘I don’t think you’re doing that great right now,’ is so important,” Stults said.

By speaking out about his experiences, Stults hopes to reach others battling mental illnesses.

“If I had known one person that had gotten help and it had done something good for them, I think I would’ve gotten help years before. I feel like I wasted 15 years of adulthood,” Stults said. “I’m a big God guy. All of this feels like a big gift, like a huge miracle that I can use to reach others. I feel like it would be blasphemy to not tell other people about my experience. I can’t change who I am. I can’t change that I have a mental illness. All I can do is present who I am.”

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

 When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.  

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?! www.uwmcal.org

[DAN BUSEY/DECATUR DAILY]

By: Catherine Godbey Staff Writer for the Decatur Daily

Emma Gayle Landrum, clad in a green vest covered in Girl Scout patches, knelt beside the plot lined with miniature American flags and laid a wreath on the veteran’s grave. The 10-year-old read the name on the marker — Donald S. McFarland Jr. — and thanked him for his service.

“I just feel honored to do this. I feel honored that I was able to help Mr. McFarland and be here for him. He is my veteran,” Landrum said.

For 17 years and four months, the World War II and Korean War veteran laid in Decatur’s Roselawn Cemetery with no marker — military nor personal. Now, thanks to Landrum, a stone recognizes McFarland’s life and service.

“It makes me sad when I think that he was here with nothing at all. You couldn’t tell anyone was buried here. It just looked like grass,” said Landrum, who participated in the Wreaths Across America ceremony Saturday at Roselawn Cemetery. “It makes me sad to think about all the other veterans here that don’t have a marker. That is going to change.”

Taught by the Girl Scouts to be “honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong,” Landrum, now in her fourth year in Girl Scouts, made securing markers for veterans buried at Roselawn Cemetery her mission.

The fifth grader at Priceville Junior High School learned about the unmarked graves while volunteering with her Girl Scout troop during last year’s Wreaths Across America. On the drive home, Landrum asked her mother and father questions. What does “unmarked” mean? Why don’t they have markers? What can we do?

“I thought it was just wrong that the veterans didn’t have anything,” she said. “I didn’t like that they weren’t being honored. I feel they need to be honored. They served our country. We need to remember them.”

Motivated to make a difference, the young Girl Scout decided to raise money for McFarland’s marker as her bronze project, the first step to the gold award, which is equal to the Boy Scout’s Eagle rank. To earn a bronze award, the service and leadership organization encourages girls to identify a local issue, create a plan to address that issue and educate and inspire others to take action.

To raise money to set the memorial plaque, which cost $335, Emma Gayle Landrum made necklaces and bracelets. Using a hammer and letter stamps, she punched words, such as “faith,” “hope,” “love” and “warrior,” into brass tokens.

“She was so committed to this that she was ready to pull out of her personal savings to do enough for two markers. I had to remind her that the whole point of the bronze project, though, is not to pay for it, but to earn it,” said Landrum’s mother Crystal Landrum.

By selling all 50 of the bracelets and necklaces, Landrum earned enough money to buy a marker for McFarland and 10 temporary bronze veteran markers to place at other unmarked graves.

“Every veteran that we knew of here has at least something. That makes me happy. That makes me feel good,” Emma Gayle Landrum said. “Now I want to get every veteran a permanent marker. It’s going to happen. This means a lot to me. No veteran should be forgotten."

For her silver and gold projects, Landrum plans on building off her bronze project and possibly creating a set protocol for the funeral home when they identify a veteran and what to do to ensure the veteran receives a marker.

Landrum is one of 10,000 girls participating in the United Way of Morgan County’s partner agency Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, an organization devoted to building a girl’s courage, confidence and character and inspiring them to make the world a better place.

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

 When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.  

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?! www.uwmcal.org

By: Boys and Girls Club of North Alabama

Check out this awesome story of how the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Alabama are making a difference in the lives of kids and teenagers! Learn how Tyler chose a life of joy, safety and relief when he crossed the threshold of the Boys and Girls Club! 

"Does it work? It did for me!"

                                     ~Tyler

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

 When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.  

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?! www.uwmcal.org

By: Rebekah Martin with the Hartselle Enquirer

“When he was born,they didn’t know what was wrong,” she said. “One official diagnosis was failure to thrive, but when he was just a few months old, they discovered his lungs had collapsed. That’s when they decided to go with the trach … When you have a child who is on a vent, caregivers have to take classes and undergo a home study.”

Through that process, the hospital and DHR recommended that Muajani, who works as a certified nursing assistant, be M.J.’s caretaker – something she said she never saw herself doing. “I worked a lot, and I didn’t have any babies, so I was like ‘No, that’s not for me,’” she said. 

When the choicecame down to M.J. coming home with her or going into the foster care system, however,Muajani said it was an easy decision. “He’s family, and we take care of family,” she said. She brought M.J. home a week after his first birthday. “I’ve had him ever since,” she said. “It was a struggle at first.It was different at the hospital, when you can call for a nurse, but it got real when he came home.” 

To read the full article click here!

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

 When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.  

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?! www.uwmcal.org

Molly Moses knows that she’s lucky to be alive. And she has total strangers to thank for it.

She was just 16 years old and on a family boat ride, when suddenly, the boat jerked. The friend sitting next to her was thrown 30 feet, but Molly landed right outside the boat and was struck by the whirling propeller.

“I didn’t actually feel the pain,” she said, “but I felt a pull on my left leg; so I basically held my leg on with one hand and kept myself afloat with the other.”

Her friends and family got her into the boat and called for help; and the paramedics were arriving when the boat got back to the dock. Her left leg was nearly severed, she had lost a great deal of blood, and they weren’t sure she’d survive the twelve minutes until the Medflight helicopter arrived. But Molly was a fighter, and she held on until they got her to Huntsville Hospital, where she survived an 18-hour surgery to remove the leg and stop the bleeding. That first night, she received 55 units of life-saving blood, provided by LifeSouth to the Huntsville Hospital System and medical centers throughout Alabama.

“Now I see that without that blood…without somebody taking a few minutes to donate…I wouldn’t be here,” says a grateful Molly Moses. So thank you to LifeSouth and to all their amazing donors for giving the gift of life…literally!

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?!www.uwmcal.org

They call it the blessing house, the quaint single-story brick-accented beige home lined with shrubs at the end of the cul-de-sac. Each nail pounded in the wall, each stroke of paint, each shingle hammered in place by one-time strangers, now friends, symbolizes a blessing to Harold and Kathleen Moore.

Now, using the Habitat for Humanity of Morgan County structure as a ministry, the Decatur couple aims to pay the blessings they received forward. Since moving to the home in July, the husband and wife hosted a fall festival with stations for pumpkin painting and bobbing for apples and scheduled a Christmas party for the entire neighborhood.

“Where God has planted you, that’s where your ministry is. God planted us here. We want to start being a blessing in our neighborhood. There is so much bad happening in the world, you’ve got nuclear war threat, you’ve got gun violence, I feel like we need to pour more and more positivity into the people around us,” Kathleen Moore said.

That mentality appears throughout the home — in the “Love one another as I have loved you” stencil painted on the wall and the wooden signs with the charges “Pray big, worry small” and “Trust God, love one another.”

Like many families, on Thursday, Thanksgiving, the Moores will gather with loved ones at their southwest Decatur home for a day of gratitude. Looking back at the past year, Harold Moore struggled to put his thankfulness into words.

“Where do I start?” he said with a shake of the head.

This time last year, Harold Moore was receiving dialysis four times a week due to kidney failure, Kathleen Moore was working a part-time job and caring for her husband, and Mindy Thwing, executive director of the Morgan County Habitat chapter, was wondering how she would tell the couple their home would not be built.

“We didn’t have the money to build the house, our donations were low and we didn’t see how we could do it. But, as we were getting ready to tell the Moores about the delay, God, like he always does, appeared. You never know where the funding is going to come from, but it comes. We call the Moore home our miracle house,” Thwing said.

Habitat for Humanity dedicated the Moore home, the 82nd house built by the Morgan County chapter, in July. The night the Moores moved in, Harold, who had been on the transplant list since his kidneys started failing in 2010 after two emergency surgeries to combat a gangrene infection, received a call about an organ. The kidney from a high-risk donor with a history of drug use turned out unviable, but the call from the UAB Hospital transplant team gave the couple assurance.

“The doctor told us the average life expectancy on dialysis is five years. After six years of being on the list and not receiving a call, we get our first call the night we move into this house. We knew he must be near the top of the list. Habitat jokes that they build miracle houses. For us, it is true. This is a miracle home for us,” Kathleen Moore said.

Three days after the first call, the transplant team contacted Harold again. Another kidney was available, this time from a 30-year-old man with a clean history. After three weeks of recovery in Birmingham, the Moores returned to their new home.

“Kidney transplant is not a cure for kidney failure. It’s kind of like dialysis, it’s a treatment. You don’t know if it is going to last two days or 30 years. So far God is blessing us. We’ve only had to do dialysis in this house once and it was the second day we were here,” Kathleen Moore said.

The couple even views the six years Harold Moore spent on dialysis as a blessing. The treatments forced Harold, who worked 12-hour shifts, every day of the week, and Kathleen to re-evaluate their priorities.

“If it wasn’t for Harold’s kidney failure, we wouldn’t have slowed down enough to start going to church together and to really have that relationship with the Lord that we have now,” Kathleen Moore said.

Four months into his recovery, Harold, no longer in need of dialysis treatments, is regaining his independence and Kathleen secured a full-time job.

“We are amazed by how God has blessed us. There is no way we would be where we are today without Habitat. With Harold’s disability checks and me only being able to work part time so I could take care of him, we barely made ends meet. We had plenty of time, but not a lot of money. That’s where Habitat stepped in,” Kathleen Moore said.

The Habitat for Humanity homes, which cost $70,000 to build, are not gifts, they are earned, officials said. To receive a home, individuals must complete monthly budget classes, homeowner education courses and up to 400 volunteer hours at a build site or another nonprofit. They also agree to a monthly 30-year, no-interest mortgage.

The Moores credited their 19-year-old son, Michael, with completing the majority of the volunteer hours.

“Michael is a lot of the reason that we have the home. When Harold was not able to be on site because of his health and I was at work, Michael was out with the crews volunteering. I am so grateful to have a son that has that heart and spirit of wanting to help people,” Kathleen Moore said.

That spirit of helping extends throughout the family. The Moores plan on using their home for outreach. They hope to host Bible studies for individuals with physical disabilities, show movies on a large screen in their backyard and plant an herb garden for the neighborhood.

“We thought in order to do missions we would have to travel somewhere else. We don’t. Right here is our mission field,” Kathleen Moore said. “Our mission is to share his love with other people. God has used so many people to share that love in our lives that we just want to pass that forward.”

United Way, along with our 30 partners, fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person right here in Morgan County.

When you support United Way of Morgan County through your workplace campaign or through a corporate or individual gift, you are helping the most vulnerable among us…the young, the old, the sick, and the poor as well as those affected by both man-made and natural disasters.  Those people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family members, and your friends.

United, we can win the fight!  Won’t you join us?!www.uwmcal.org

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LifeSouth Community Blood Center Category: Health

It takes 30 minutes to give blood, and it made a lifetime of difference to me.

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