Tag: Hope

The Season of Harvest and Thanksgiving: Celebrating Gratitude and Growth

Written by Valerie Melroy on November 25, 2025.

showing sunflower with wheat - growth and joy

As I write my last blog as the Executive Director of Voice and Vision, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thirty years ago, we were a team of five part-time staff in a small office in Bucks County with two computers and three desks, while compiling CST (Consumer Satisfaction Team) data by hand. We were excited to be part of pioneering something in its infancy in Pennsylvania: people with mental health challenges interviewing people who had left state hospitals, and those living in the...

Need More Information About Advocating For Your Family Member?

Written by Valerie Melroy on October 28, 2025.

Voice and Vision is pleased to announce that the first chapter from our 2015 book, Help and Hope: From Families Who Have Walked the Walk, has been updated and is now available free on our website. “Advocating for and Supporting Your Family Member” contains essential advocacy tips for families supporting loved ones with developmental/intellectual disabilities, mental health conditions, autism, addictions, and other challenges. Peer support, an integral part of Voice and Vision’s...

Awe of Nature

Written by Robert Karchnyak on July 25, 2025.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend actress Lili Taylor’s book launch at the Discovery Center in Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. There, she shared with the audience what brought her to the wonderful world of birds. On a break from acting, she sought the quiet of the Hudson Valley, where she owned a home and noticed bird songs. She found herself drawn into “a parallel universe,” one that was “full of life and the will to survive” (Turning to Birds, p. 5,...

How I Found My Voice Interning for Voice and Vision

Written by Rosalina Garczynski on June 5, 2025.

Sue Benzie with intern Rosalina Garczynski highlighting Rosa's Graduation Project.

When I first applied for my internship at Voice and Vision, I had no idea what to expect. As a social work student, I knew I wanted hands-on experience helping others. But stepping into such a dynamic organization felt overwhelming. Now, as my internship comes to a close, I look back in awe at how much I’ve grown, both professionally and personally. Before my interview, I scoured the Voice and Vision website, trying to understand their many programs and services. By the time I sat down...

The Impact of Inclusion

Written by Sage Brown on May 8, 2025.

My son attended his first Mummers event in October of 2023. At the time, we went just because of his general interest in the mummers. Uptown String Band was having their annual ParklandFest, so we thought it was a perfect time for him to listen to their music live. While at the event, he enjoyed listening to their music—this was big for my son because previously he had no interest in music, and loud noises bothered him as a young child. After this event, my son started watching a YouTuber...

College Plus – From Feeling Broken to Breakthrough to Triumphant

Written by Susan Benzie on February 28, 2025.

“Voice and Vision was the launch into all my accomplishments. I can never forget those experiences at Voice and Vision. I genuinely felt heard. I went from feeling so small to feeling bigger and bigger.” Recently, Ezri, a former College Plus student, met with us to say “thank you” for the role Voice and Vision played in her success. We are grateful to Ezri for allowing us to share her story with all of you. Ezri struggled as a youth with mental health challenges, repeated...

Focus on Light this Holiday Season

Written by Valerie Melroy on December 20, 2024.

This year, the start of Hanukkah and Christmas Day coincide, which happens approximately only every 30 years. Both of these religious holidays are special for those who celebrate them, and some people celebrate both! Let’s explore a few similarities between Hanukkah and Christmas: Hanukkah commemorates the celebration of the great miracle when a one-day supply of oil to provide light lasted eight days as the Jewish people rededicated the Temple over 2,100 years ago. Christmas remembers...

Go Out and Touch Some Grass!

Written by Robert Karchnyak on October 25, 2024.

On Saturday, September 28th, we gathered in the parking lot of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Many residents of Philly and its surrounding suburbs consider it a treasured sanctuary. A chance for an urban dweller to, “go out and touch some grass.” There has been a fair amount of research that shows a correlation between time spent in nature and an overall reduction of stress. Birding happens to be the perfect activity to put that correlation to the test. It grants you the opportunity to...

Using Communication to Drive Care: Supporting Your Loved One with a Disability in a Medical Crisis

Written by Maria Miller on August 6, 2024.

Photos of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Device sample pictures.

Supporting your loved one with communication challenges can be a daily stress: caregivers use strategies to meet basic needs, grow social skills, and encourage authentic relationships. Sustaining everyone’s mental health is also a key consideration, because when a person struggles with communication, their behavior can reflect their frustration and complicate fruitful interactions. Patience and knowledge of the person’s communication style are always necessary. During a health crisis,...

All It Takes Is One Person

Written by Leesa Forst on May 24, 2024.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Since its establishment in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has brought awareness to the challenges faced by millions of individuals living with mental health conditions and to celebrate recovery. As President Biden (2024) stated, it is also a time “…we recognize the bravery and resilience of the tens of millions of Americans living with mental health conditions, and we show our gratitude for the dedicated mental health professionals and devoted loved...

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