May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Club Cadillac is celebrating by re-opening their clubhouse and returning to in-person activities.
Club Cadillac has been serving Wexford and Missaukee Counties for over the past 25 years providing people a community and resources to tackle mental health issues. However, the pandemic closed the clubhouse in 2020 and forced them to move their sessions to virtual over the past three years.
After three years of virtual activities, on Thursday Club Cadillac held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate their return to the clubhouse and in-person activities.
“We wanted to make the community aware that we are still here, and we are still open, and celebrating all we have gotten through in the last three years,” says Club Cadillac Director Amy Kotulski.
During the pandemic, the club went from seeing 20 to 30 people a day to completely closed as they moved their sessions to a virtual format.
Darcy Smith has been a member of Club Cadillac for over the past 20 years. She says she had a tough time being away from the clubhouse during the pandemic.
“I felt like I had nobody, but now that clubs back, I feel like I have my family again,” Smith admits.
The President of the Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce, Caitlyn Stark, was at Thursday’s celebration and says mental health services are needed in Cadillac now more than ever.
“Us having our own services so we can service our own community, so we can service our own workforce is critical during this time,” Stark acknowledges.
The Director says their excited to be back and seeing more members come in every day.
“Our average daily attendance is increasing every month and we’re so excited to see old faces and new faces come back together,” Kotulski says.
