November 2017
Our Mission!
Improving the lives of children, adults, and families impacted by mental health and substance use disorders.
Greetings!

Practicing gratitude can help you experience the emotions of happiness more often, improve your resilience, and strengthen your relationships. Read about more of the benefits in our Did You Know article below.

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UPDATE
Serenity Flashie Tree and Memorial Dedication
On November 16, 2017, Arundel Lodge dedicated the new Flashie Tree, in loving Memory of Marisa Angela Bolan (11/28/1966-11/26/2016) and other members of the Arundel Lodge community who have passed away over the years.
O'Neill Foundation Grant Provides New IPads
Arundel Lodge’s staff works across 32 residential homes, performs offsite visits to clients who live on their own or with their family, and works with both adults and transition age youth in the community, helping them find and keep employment and attend school. Access to advanced technology is a critical part of being able to meet the needs of the community through these programs.
DID YOU KNOW...
Practicing Gratitude Improves Your Mental and Emotional Health
It is easy to be grateful for specific, good things in our lives – a promotion, a new grandchild, or a successful operation. It is also easy for most people to find and express gratitude on a special day like Thanksgiving, surrounded by friends and family. But gratitude is also a way of being. It takes intention and practice, and the rewards may surprise you!

According to Dr. Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and a leading scientific expert on the science of gratitude (Yes, the SCIENCE!), gratitude can have a dramatic and lasting effect on your life, “Gratitude reduces lifetime risk for depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, and is a key resiliency factor in the prevention of suicide.” He asserts that being thankful can block toxic emotions such as envy, resentment, regret, and depression. That’s just the start! 
HIGHLIGHTS
Maryland's First Lady, Yumi Hogan, Delights in Her First Visit to Arundel Lodge
Arundel Lodge FAQ
Arundel Lodge receives many recurring questions from community members wanting to know more about what we do, those we serve, and the programs and services we offer. We are pleased to provide the community with answers in this section, If you have any questions, email them to  "I Have a Question" and we will do our best to answer them. You may even see your question in our next newsletter!
 
Q:  Does Arundel Lodge have profiles of the therapist or psychiatrist, and/or doctors to match my personality ?
Volunteer Corner
Volunteer Opportunities
I nterested in volunteering at Arundel Lodge? See our volunteer opportunities and choose the one that's right for you!  Read more .
 
Be part of the Arundel Lodge volunteer team!
Contact    Cindy Garmoe      or call (443) 433-5906
Meet the Team:
First Step Recovery Center 
First Step Recovery Center’s Team: Leigh Ragan, LCADC, April Butler, CSC-AD,
RB Belch, LGSW, Christina Meighen, LCPC.
The First Step Recovery Center team provides counseling, education and support to adults 18 and older who have substance use disorders or co-occurring mental health disorders. Take a moment to meet the team.

Leigh Ragan, LCADC , is First Step’s Director. Leigh received her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She owned and operated First Step Recovery Center, Inc. for 17 years before the Center’s merger with Arundel Lodge. Leigh has been driven to help people since she was a child. “I came from a family where helping others was important,” she says. “My parents were always volunteering somewhere. When I was about eight or nine I would ride my bike to a local nursing home and play the piano for the elderly. I love to help people. I just enjoy it and I enjoy seeing people get better and be hopeful that they can change their lives.” Leigh’s aspirations for First Step Recovery Center are to continue expanding substance use treatment services for the community; to incorporate bilingual (Spanish) substance use groups; and to continue to provide excellence in integration between mental health and substance use treatment.

RB Belch, LGSW , obtained his masters in social work from University of Maryland Baltimore and has a CSCAD (Certified Supervised Counselor Alcohol and Drug) from Anne Arundel Community College. He is an Army veteran and was part of the 82 nd Airborne. While attending UMBC in 2009 on the GI Bill, RB had the opportunity to do an internship with Leigh Ragan at First Step Recovery. It was then that he formed an enduring regard for the recovery model, the recovery population, and group therapy in general. After securing his LGSW in 2016, he sought out Leigh to ask what sort of placements might be available in the area. He was happy to learn that not only had First Step merged with Arundel Lodge, but that there was an opening for a therapist. RB says, “I consider it a privilege to work with our clients and to be associated with my peers. I feel valuable because I am where people are coming that need help and I am a stepping stone for people on a road to better health and recovery. It’s pretty simple, it feels good to help out in a meaningful way and be part of the solution.”

Christina Meighen, LCPC , received her Master’s at the University of Baltimore in applied psychology. Before coming to Arundel Lodge, Christina worked at the Phoenix Therapeutic Foundation (OMHC) and Tuerk House inpatient substance use facility in Baltimore City. Although she learned a lot from both places, she says, “I realized I did not have the opportunity to develop therapeutic relationships with people. I was helping them put out fires . I was finding them long term residential treatment and doing prior authorizations for medication - a much needed resource, but not the direction in which I wanted to go.   I wanted to develop more enduring relationships with my clients and be able to encourage them in their process of recovery. At First Step Recovery Center at Arundel Lodge, I have been working with the same clients since I started. I have watched them struggle and grow while building a strong therapeutic relationship. In leading groups, it has also been rewarding to help clients build interpersonal relationships with other group members – they become each other’s support network and provide each other with encouragement. I have definitely had some proud moments, watching clients grow through their recovery.”

April Butler, CSC-AD , received her Master’s from Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, PA, and gained a wealth of experience working for a number of substance use treatment facilities, including Pyramid Healthcare’s inpatient unit and halfway house for men in Altoona, PA; Conewago Place, an inpatient facility in Hershey, PA which held a contract with the Department of Corrections contract; and Pathways, an inpatient facility in Annapolis, MD. April came to Arundel Lodge in 2015 and says, “My Mom always said I should find a job that doesn't feel like work. Other careers that I have considered just don't seem as rewarding and I don't think I would be as passionate about them. I like watching people transform and progress on their path to recovery.”

First Step Recovery Center aspire to help the people they serve grow and form positive relationships within the community ; achieve self-fulfillment and self-actualization; stay in recovery; and reconnect with their families.
Community Happenings
Arundel Lodge Participates in Homeless Day
In this year’s 10 th annual Homeless Resource Day on October 28, 2017 at Glen Burnie High School, almost 300 volunteers directed about 384 homeless individuals and families to over 60 agencies providing health and human services. Fifty-three children came with their parents and participated in games and activities. Individuals received help obtaining identification, medical screening, legal, and employment assistance to help them overcome homelessness. Arundel Lodge staff provided diagnostic assessments and set up follow up appointments for several attendees.
Shannon Love, Maureen Steele, Carla Berganza, and Valerie Bell
Thanksgiving Celebration
Zara Denkova, Zach Brown and Natalie Montgomery
Thank you to Arundel Lodge staff and volunteers who donated, prepared, and served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for persons served and their families on November 16th and November 23rd! Your acts of kindness provide moments grace to those who need them most.
Reindeer Roundup is Back!
Arundel Lodge’s popular Reindeer Roundup is in full swing and all are invited to participate! This is an opportunity to give a kind gift to persons in need who are served in our Residential and Supportive Living Programs.

It’s easy!
  1. Visit our main campus lobby (2600 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater) to choose your reindeer
  2. fill out the form
  3. deliver your unwrapped purchases to Arundel Lodge’s Human Resources office by Thursday, December 15th

Gifts will be distributed at Arundel Lodge’s holiday party on December 21 st . You are invited join us for the party!

If you would like to be an “Elf” and help wrap or distribute gifts, please contact:

(Subject line: Reindeer Roundup)
Reindeer #5 would like men’s socks, a pair of jeans, and 2 crewneck sweatshirts-one red and one blue!
You're Invited to Arundel Lodge's Talent Show
Come see our amazing persons served strutting their stuff at the annual Arundel Lodge Talent Show. All are welcome. Our theme this year is Winter Wonderland ! This is an extraordinary event when persons served truly become the stars of the show. They sing, dance, play instruments, or just report the weather. Everyone has a talent. Staff celebrates, rejoices, and sometimes we cry at the beauty of it all.

Join us!
Tuesday, December 19 th
1:00 p.m.

2600 Solomons Island Rd
Edgewater, MD 21037
Phone: (443) 433-5900