Benilde Hall Monthly News and Announcements

Dr. Thomas Hall House Dedication Ceremony

Dr. Thomas Hall is a Vietnam veteran who has provided clinical support including local and national advocacy for those in recovery throughout his adult life. He has shared nationally about his personal battles with PTSD and the power of behavioral health services in helping veterans come all the way home after wartime service.

For over 29 years, Dr. Hall taught addiction counseling classes at Kansas City Kansas Community College, helping decades of mental health professionals learn how to treat clients living with substance use disorder without bias, with a focus on treating the whole person, versus treating someone as just a diagnosis. He also teaches using plain language to talk about mental health. His work started with veteran rap groups in the 70’s, now known as PTSD, has helped service members, veterans, and their families deal with the invisible wounds of war.

In 1999, he was selected as the head of the Addiction Counseling program and remained so until retiring in 2016. Dr. Hall is the former Executive Director of the Community Back Anti-Drug Tax (COMBAT) Commission for Jackson County and the former President of the Benilde Hall Board of Directors. Dr. Hall currently sits as National Chair of the Vietnam Veterans of America PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee where he continues to help normalize speaking about mental health and destigmatizes seeking help and has testified before Congress about the need for more easily accessible mental health services.

Dr. Hall is a proud father and grandfather. He survives the death of his devoted wife, Mary, and has continued his work to destigmatize talking about emotional pain and, as the Vietnam Veteran generation ages, is working to ensure the VA and other healthcare providers are prepared to help these veterans deal with the grief and loss that occurs in higher frequency as we age.

It is a great honor for Benilde Hall to be able to name a house after Dr. Thomas Hall. He has significantly contributed to the substance use disorder recovery and mental health communities in Kansas City and across the country. As a demonstration of veterans' success, Dr. Hall is one of the best in the country. Through his actions, Dr. Hall demonstrates how to lead a purpose-driven life after returning from combat to the civilian world.

Thank you to everyone who attended! To watch the Dedication Ceremony livestream, click here.

Benilde Hall Updates

Float Trip at the Elk River

Benilde Hall staff and clients went to the Elk River for food, fellowship, and floating. Thank you to the Benilde Hall staff and congregation of Splitlog Baptist Church who made this trip possible!

Volunteers at Benilde Hall

Volunteers from First Lutheran Church – Janesville, WI, Our Savior's Lutheran Church – Beloit, WI, and First Lutheran Church – Kearney, NE cleaned up trash in and around our property at the end of July. Thank you for your hard work! We are grateful to YouthWorks for helping to bring volunteers out to our site.

4th of July Celebration

The staff of Benilde Hall participated in Red, White, and Blue Day to celebrate the 4th of July weekend.

Onto a New Chapter

Congratulations to Corey and Mallori for finishing their internships at Benilde Hall in July!

Fun in Recovery

Benilde Hall hosts a Fun in Recovery group for our clients every Friday, where clients participate in different activities around the KC metro area.

July's activities included bowling, geocaching, softball, and visiting the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.

Benilde Hall Bears Went 12-0

Benilde Hall had the opportunity this summer to sponsor a boy's baseball team; the Benilde Hall Bears.

The Bears were undefeated this season. We are very blessed to be able to sponsor these young men.

Benilde Hall Named an Impact 100 Organization

We are proud to be named an inaugural United Way Impact 100 organization. This year, United Way launched the Impact 100 to provide unrestricted funding to the 100 organizations they believe are addressing the most vital health and human service needs in our community. This funding will help Benilde Hall continue to provide services for treating substance use, mental health, and homelessness. Thank you, United Way of Greater Kansas City!

Morale Committee Raises Money Through T-Shirt Sales

Benilde Hall's Morale Committee celebrates staff birthdays, sobriety birthdays, and work anniversaries, and organizes team-building events to show staff how much they are appreciated. Benilde Hall actively employs clients and graduates of the Benilde Hall program.

Benilde Hall hosted a T-shirt Campaign through Bonfire, which generated $145 for the Morale Committee.

Thank you to everyone who bought a shirt or helped spread the word about this campaign!

Stories of Recovery

Jenna's Testimony

Our Mental Health Coordinator, Jenna Strickland, recently shared her testimony at The Church of the Resurrection. Click here to watch.

Benilde Hall's Executive Director, Ken Vick, shared his story through the Show Me Recovery series hosted by the Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers. To read more Show Me Recovery testimonies, click here.

To read additional stories of experience, strength, and hope from former Benilde Hall clients and staff, click here.

Community Events

Meet Hannah Bradley: Program Manager at Benilde Hall

Hello,

My name is Hannah Bradley. I am originally from Georgia where I completed my undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Georgia in 2011. I moved to Kansas City in 2013 where I attended Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and completed my Master of Arts in Counseling in May 2017. I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in Missouri and have worked in the SUD and mental health field for the last 5 and a half years. I specialize in SUD and trauma work and like to utilize DBT and EMDR in my practice. While my Georgia roots are strong, I have loved becoming a part of Kansas City and building a life here. I am excited to be a part of the team here at Benilde and to continue Benilde’s outreach and impact on the community.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7 access to trained counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. And there is tremendous need, given:

· In 2020, the U.S. had one death by suicide every 11 minutes.

· For people ages 10–34, suicide is a leading cause of death.

· From April 2020 through April 2021, over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses.

Behind each of these data points, there are people, families and communities who have been impacted. Yet, in the face of these urgent realities, there is hope. The 988 Lifeline helps thousands of struggling people overcome suicidal crisis or mental-health related distress every day.

People can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for themselves or if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. 988 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the United States, you can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help.

Tobacco Cessation:

Are Very Low Nicotine Content (VLNC) Cigarettes Effective?

The company 22nd Century Group has created a cigarette with 95% less nicotine than traditional cigarettes.

There is a debate over whether VLNC cigarettes are an effective tobacco cessation tool. While a recent study showed that VLNC cigarettes helped individuals cut down on smoking, there are still health risks to using any combustible tobacco product.

To learn more, click here and here.

How to Help Benilde Hall

We are grateful to everyone who supports our cause. It is our mission to provide services to treat substance use, mental health, and homelessness, so individuals may return to the community as responsible, employed, and permanently housed contributing members of society. With your help, we can help our clients build a better future.