Dear Editor,
On behalf of Community Care Network and its two agencies, Rutland Mental Health Services and Rutland Community Programs, I extend my sincere thanks to the voters throughout Rutland County for their support in approving funding for our programs during the recent March Town Meetings.
For Rutland Mental Health Services, town giving supports a broad range of vital programs including mental and behavioral health services for children, adults and families, substance use treatment and recovery services, developmental disabilities services and emergency services, which combined serve more than 3,000 people each year in our area. To provide a brief, tangible example of the impact of this funding relative to essential service delivery, our emergency services team is able to provide mental health crisis coverage, 24-hours a day, helping nearly 1,300 people every year, including handling more than 200 calls or texts for help each month and responding more than 90 times per month to assist individuals experiencing severe crisis.
For Rutland Community Programs, town giving support goes to our senior volunteer programs (RSVP and the volunteer center, and One-2-One). These programs engage hundreds of adults age 55 and older throughout the region in meaningful community activities. As just one example, Operation Dolls and More, a program of RSVP, provided over 10,000 new and restored dolls, toys, and books to area youth, distributed through 50-plus organizations to over 2,000 Rutland County children this past year.
We are deeply grateful to Rutland County voters for your continued support of Community Care Network and the positive change our organization strives to bring about in our communities. Thank you once again for your invaluable support and trust in our work.
Dick Courcelle, CEO Community Care Network
