Written By Melody Belliveau, Crossroads Clubhouse Member, Riverside Board Member & Certified Peer Support Specialist
As a member of Riverside’s Crossroads Clubhouse and a senior relying on social security and Medicare/Medicaid benefits and services, I can tell you that these resources make an impact. Thanks to Riverside, I was given the tools to make recovery a reality. Please allow me the honor of sharing just how.
My life’s traumas started at birth. Throughout childhood, breathing issues, among other crisis-level challenges, left me feeling like a burden that built resentment in my mother, who never healed her own wounds. Violence took place and expressions of love became uncomfortable. My safe place was in the hospital.
They were feelings I took with me into adulthood that even had me attempting suicide a few times. Life was unfolding into a pancake pile of traumas. I had children, along with broken marriages. My last spouse was diagnosed as manic depressive with psychotic episodes. The maintenance protocol was not successful for him, and in the end, he took his own life. As a mother of four with responsibilities to fulfill with 12-hour work shifts, the trauma had me on mental health medication for the first time in my life.
I continued to work until my body started failing. By the time I started the disability process, I felt completely broken. This process included getting diagnosed with complex PTSD and anxiety. It was bittersweet to be labeled, but it was better than the ones I had given myself. Physically, I was diagnosed with a very rare genetic autoimmune disorder that explained all of my health issues. But it was one where I was already approaching the world record for the oldest person who lived with this condition.
But I learned … I realized that I wanted to heal. I started counseling for mental health and herbal remedies for the physical. Upon my counselor’s encouragement, I toured my local Clubhouse. I cried through the tour and yet felt safer than I ever had with a group of people. I felt a sense of belonging that I still carry today.
Riverside’s Impact
Eventually, I moved to the town of Millbury, which led me to my path with Riverside Community Care. My Riverside counselor, Hilary Rioux, has been an incredible source of support and encouragement, enabling me to heal and grow to become the woman I am today. But as she reminds me, I’m the one putting in the work. It takes effort and perseverance to travel the path of healing.
As a member of Crossroads Clubhouse, I have volunteered in the different units we have for culinary skills, retail experience, and clerical and data entry skills. Each day we can learn the skills of budgeting, money management, and menu planning. A quote I saw displayed at a job once sums it up: “The more things you try, the more likely it is that you will try the one thing that will make all the difference.”
Employment and Educational Opportunities
The employment and education opportunities at Crossroads also encourage exploration. Transitional employment brings a member into the work field with complete Clubhouse support, supported employment that helps members get permanent positions, and independent employment for those who are ready to work independently.
I went from my first transitional position at Marshalls to a clerical/receptionist position at the Department of Mental Health in Grafton. That position was far beyond a paycheck in value. It was a lived experience that brought me growth beyond what I could have even hoped for. When the position ended, I went on to take the Kiva Centers Certified Peer Support (CPS) course—an opportunity Crossroads made possible. I have also become a Riverside board of directors member to use my lived experiences in service to others.
Today, I am the oldest living person with my health condition, and my goals in life aren’t a future of retirement like so many desire but to create a legacy as an entrepreneur and founder of my own nonprofit, The Share-Bridge Foundation. Its motto is, “Dream big—you never know what’s meant to be.”
Furthering My Mission of Social Advocacy
A lack of accessible mental health support, along with the attached stigma, is the biggest issue our society is facing. Clubhouses, along with the other Riverside services, address this issue by empowering people to improve their mental wellness, find a supportive community, and rediscover the hope needed to continue moving forward amid adversity.
The support I receive from Riverside has been made possible through the Medicare/Medicaid insurance programs that are facing damaging cuts. I encourage everyone to advocate for their preservation so others can receive the vital programs like Riverside provides for healing in our society today. Our voices can make a difference, and I am grateful for having the opportunity to use mine here.
Love, Light & Hope, Melody Belliveau
Crossroads Clubhouse is an employment and recovery centers that offers adults with mental health challenges hope and opportunities to achieve their full potential. Clubhouses help members build self-esteem and dignity in a successful, restorative, and stigma-free community.
