Breakfast Raises $­­­60K For Bethel Mental Health Services Group

BETHEL, CT —Mental health is a challenge faced by many Americans and Ability Beyond honored community leaders who are making a difference at its annual Autumn Breakfast on Nov. 13, 2019 at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury.

Thanks to the 277 attendees and supporters, the charity event raised $60,000 for Ability Beyond’s Mental Health Services. These funds will help men and women with mental illness, often compounded by substance abuse issues, find a job and their own home to become part of the community.

Assistant State’s Attorney Sharmese Hodge received The Theresa Foss Memorial Award for continued advocacy to pursue justice on behalf of victims of violence and abuse in the region, particularly among the state’s most vulnerable populations. In 2018, Hodge prosecuted the human traffickers in Danbury who preyed on three individuals participating in Ability Beyond programs and many other individuals from throughout the region.

Dr. Tait Michael and Kevin McVeigh received The Celine Karraker Memorial Award. The team is the creator and supervisor of the community care team in Danbury, Norwalk and New Milford Hospitals. They save and rebuild lives of the people they treat during emergency care. Michael and McVeigh link high-risk patients with entitlements and regional service providers, including the mental health services, housing and sobriety programs of Ability Beyond.

Ability Beyond is a 501{c} (3) organization headquartered in Bethel, CT and Chappaqua, NY. It provides a wide range of services for over 3,000 people with a disability that inhibits their activities of daily living — including numerous residential alternatives, employment training, career counseling, job placement services, cognitive and life skills instruction, clinical and therapeutic support, and volunteer and recreational activities. Today, its services extend throughout Connecticut and New York’s lower Hudson Valley. For more information about Ability Beyond go to www.abilitybeyond.org.