Kathy Clark has worked tirelessly for Gilead, and does it with grace and style. She has volunteered on everything from client surveys, spearheading the Quizine Event Committee, writing hundreds of thank you notes, and many, many more essential tasks. Kathy has helped Gilead’s Development Team bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources for the individuals we serve. Kathy and her husband Ted became members of Gilead’s Legacy Society in 2012 — a clear statement of their investment in our mission.

Judy D’Andrea is a real go-getter! She offered her teaching services to Gilead in 2013. Her Master’s degree in Special Education, specialization in teaching reading and Orton Gillingham training utilizing multi-sensory instructions and material have been put to great use in our group home. Judy tutors the client in preparation for his GED exam. She is extremely patient going over everything step-by-step, explaining algebra, geometry, biology, chemistry and much more in detail. He says, “It is going very well; I look forward to my tutoring sessions with Judy.”

Lisa Coughlin came to Gilead’s 2010 Quizine for a Cause event and loved it! She turned to her husband Ted and said, “I want to host a dinner at next year’s event.” This is the kind of woman Lisa is, full of passion and commitment. Since this time Lisa has given tirelessly to our agency and she does it with grace and style. Lisa has a smile that inspires the room and the energy of 6 people. With Lisa’s help, Gilead has grown the Quizine Event to one that brings in over $100,000 for the clients living with mental health conditions throughout Middlesex County. Lisa is a member of both the Event Committee and the Live Auction Committee. Gilead hit the jackpot when Lisa became one of our star volunteers.

The compassion Becky shows to our clients is an inspiration for us all. All of us at Gateway noticed how she treats everyone with great kindness, always willing to listen with respect. Her words and action go a long way toward helping our clients; they enjoy her company and feel appreciated. Thank you Becky for being an awesome volunteer!

When not at school, Shelby volunteers her time at Gilead’s finance department.  She helps with filing, storage, cleaning, organizing and anything else that we throw at her – always with a smile on her face.  Thank you Shelby!

Simply put, James Mandile lights up the room every Friday when he comes to volunteer at Gilead. Whether he is asked to write thank you notes to our generous donors, organize road race packages, address and sort envelopes, speak at an event, advocate at the Legislature, or participate on a committee, James always says yes and the yes is a joyous yes. He is someone you always want to include because he makes every task more enjoyable. Jim sets a wonderful example for others and we are so lucky that he wants to spend his time improving the lives of the individuals we serve. Thank you for your volunteer service Jim! We appreciate all that you do for Gilead.

Betsy Graziano is not new to the mental health field.  She began her career in 1978 at Connecticut Valley Hospital and was familiar with Gilead through her work as a social worker at the Department of Mental Health Services.  She was reintroduced to Gilead through another volunteer, Kathy Clark, when she attended the Run for Every 1 event in 2018.  Since then, Betsy has volunteered on the Quizine Committee, Run for Every 1 Committee and regularly volunteers at the office writing thank you notes.

“I share and support Gilead’s mission – of not just treating individuals with mental illness, but providing services that help them become fully active participants in our community.”

Curtis Weybright leads the First Church Volunteer Team for the annual Run for Every 1 Road Race. They have taken Gilead Community Services under their wings, provided our team a place to feel safe, taken care of, and supported. Each year Team Gilead arrives to a room that is set up for the event including the registration tables, banners and poster boards hung on the walls, baked goods for a morning snack, clean bathrooms, and extra porta potties outside. They set up and serve lunch and stay until the end of the day cleaning up. For several months before race day, Curtis attends all of our weekly planning meetings, recruits church members to share their mental health journeys, secures a time for Gilead to speak to the congregation about our mission, and to generously donate the offerings collected that Sunday to the cause. All of that AND a First Church team represents Team Gilead during the race. Come on, that is AMAZING! Every year Curtis tells us that the church can’t handle any more people but somehow he always finds a way.

Everyone knows Vinnie Loffredo, lifelong Middletown resident. He is someone who cares deeply about all Middletown residents including the individuals receiving services at Gilead. Two years ago Vinnie volunteered to be on Gilead’s Live Auction Committee for Gilead’s annual fundraiser and we haven’t stop asking for his help since. As a Live Auction Committee member he secured thousands of dollars in donations and helped create several new and exciting items. Later in the year he joined our Run For Every 1 Committee to help organize our annual walk/run event. Education is Vinnies avocation and he used these strengths to spread the word in the community about the array of mental health services Gilead provides and the need to raise money to provide these services.

For the past two years, Ashley Raithel, an Assistant Professor of English and Coordinator of the Center for Civic Engagement at Middlesex Community College, has organized a group of volunteers to give back to the community during a day of service.  Gilead was lucky to have these groups of students and staff from MXCC to help beautify Gilead properties!  They painted the kitchen, dining room, porch, living room and hallways at Gilead’s Magnolia home. Another group fixed and painted the yard furniture and fences at GI while a third cleaned up the outdoor areas around the Administrative offices, Outpatient Clinic and Resource Center.

“We cannot have a community college without a community. At Middlesex, we want to make sure that we are not only invested in the students that we serve, but also the community that surrounds us,” said Ashley. “We want to be sure that we are putting into action what we teach our students every day—kindness matters.”

Thank you Ashley and MXCC for giving back to the community!