News Photo by Julie Riddle Staff and members of Alpena’s Light of Hope Clubhouse join presenters after an accreditation meeting Friday. In an organization where staff and those served work side by side, it’s almost impossible to tell which is which.

ALPENA–Kind faces in a simple, white-walled room listened patiently during a presentation Friday morning, the smell of spaghetti heavy in the air.

“You’ll like it here,” a man with a baseball cap repeated earnestly to a visitor. “It’s a good place.”

The members and staff of Light of Hope Clubhouse in Alpena eagerly heard the results of an accreditation process intended to make the organization an official arm of Clubhouse International, a group dedicated to helping those with mental illness live productive, happy lives.

A weeklong review of the facilities and practices of Light of Hope culminated in presenters sharing a few suggestions for improvements and a lot of commendations to the organization which, since 1994, has provided stability, purpose, and training to people dealing with the effects of mental illness in Alpena and the surrounding area.

Director Ed Lachowicz is tired of hearing that Light of Hope is Alpena’s best-kept secret. Recently arriving in Alpena to take over the reins at the clubhouse, Lachowicz has a vision of building professional relationships with the community and working as colleagues with other organizations in town.

Leadership of Light of Hope is more than a job to Lachowicz. He was working as an intern at a clubhouse in Maine when he himself experienced a period of mental illness, which, for a long, difficult time, went undiagnosed. Now, the director is moved to be sure others get the same kind of help that got him through that painful time.

“The only reason I’m still alive is because I kept going to that clubhouse every day, and those people kept giving me hugs and telling me it was going to be OK,” Lachowicz said.

Light of Hope, a small building tucked quietly into the corner of Sable Street and 3rd Avenue, within walking distance from downtown, is, according to Lachowicz, the next step up for someone with mental illness who wants to better integrate into society.

Light of Hope treats all of the people it serves — referred to by staff as “members” — as coworkers, and they work side by side, without hierarchy.

A giant whiteboard on the wall of the clubhouse meeting room, where staff and members gather to eat meals and make plans for each day’s work, lists myriad tasks that need to be done to keep the organization running smoothly.

Everyone has a job at Light of Hope, Lachowicz said, whether it be working in the kitchen, data entry, or driving to neighboring towns to pick up other members who need a ride to the clubhouse. Members who start on the receiving end of services often become leaders, themselves, taking over duties such as running the cash register at the clubhouse snack shop. They choose their own responsibilities, rather than receiving them by assignment, learning daily the urgency of work and seeing their place on a team as part of a bigger picture, Lachowicz said.

Walking through the building’s hallways, it’s nearly impossible to tell who is a member and who is staff.

The work-ordered day Light of Hope strives to provide builds job skills, and also teaches valuable life lessons, such as taking responsibility, showing up on time, and committing to a project for a full day, not just when it’s convenient.

In addition to jobs around the clubhouse, members may be connected with real-world employment experience. Transitional employees are connected with one of two Alpena businesses, where they take on responsibilities for a six- to nine-month training period and are checked on regularly by clubhouse staff. Eagle Supply Co. and Starlite Beach have partnered with Light of Hope to make the early stages of employment possible.

Members who are ready to take on more of the world are aided by clubhouse staff as they prepare for interviews, go through job training, and learn the responsibility that comes with earning a paycheck.

Some employments don’t go smoothly, according to Abbey Podbielski, social practitioner at the clubhouse. She told of members’ pride at earning their first paycheck, leaving one job and heading straight to another with confidence because they’d done it before, and truly wanting to work.

A growing average of 15 people a day come to the clubhouse to choose their chores and train to launch into a bigger world. The organization is owned by Community Mental Health but run through contract by Touchstone Services. The majority of the cluhouse’s funding comes through Medicaid.

Light of Hope has an impact even on those without mental illness, Podbielski said. Although it’s her job, the clubhouse is also where she wants to be, a place where she is welcomed by people who truly care about her and understand that everyone has struggles.

“You come in and get something from it, and, at the same time, you give just as much back,” Lachowicz said. “Everybody wins.”

As the preliminary results of last week’s accreditation study were announced, the room was peaceful, pleased faces showing that the news was positive.

The news wasn’t a surprise, though. The people in the room already knew the truth: Light of Hope is a good place.

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.