Sheldon Clubhouse’s “Breaking The Label” fashion show gave people an inside look at what the organization does for mental health in Grand Rapids.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Move over, Met Gala. On Tuesday night, the second floor of the Sheldon Clubhouse in downtown Grand Rapids was the place to stay up on the latest fashion trends, and for a good cause.
The Clubhouse hosted its annual “Breaking The Label” fashion show to raise money for its programming.
“We’re a Clubhouse model program for adults living with severe and persistent mental illness in our community, so schizophrenia, bipolar, major depression. We are a one-of-a-kind program that really fills the gap,” said Tara Vandyke, associate director of Clubhouse programs.
“Medications and therapy do amazing things. But having a place, a community of folks that get it, that have shared lived experience, who can help, when you’re feeling down that they’re there as a support. It’s also a great place to help folks return to work, go to school, be more independent.”
Marjon Wilkerson is a member and he said Sheldon Clubhouse has meant a lot to him.
“It’s a place that I can come to when I’m feeling down and out, or a place that I can come to when I have appointments right across the street. It’s very convenient,” he said.
In the past, the fashion show has been held off-site, but organizers and members alike say this year it was important to bring people into Sheldon Clubhouse to see it for themselves.
“You can’t describe Clubhouse in just a few little statements. You have to be able to see it. You have to be able to embrace it. And the one thing that so important with the fashion show is now we can say you’ve seen it,” says member Leasa Holton whose story we shared in a One Good Thing story about a year ago.
“Sheldon Clubhouse has meant a whole new world, a whole new me. The person I was back when no longer exists. So now I’m just a little butterfly flying around and doing my thing and being happy and enjoying myself.”
