You will also read in this publication about the opening of our new youth access center, the Impact Center, in Springfield. The Impact Center is a safe, welcoming peer-led center for youth 16-21 with mental health concerns and/ or substance use disorders. It offers services to connect to resources and supports, free Wi-Fi, a book lounge, a media lab, support groups, and more. The annual ArtSong Youth Art Exhibit reception and silent auction marked its fifth year in 2018. ArtSong, a fine arts therapy program, uses art instruction concepts to empower youth in our residential programs through their creativity. The wonderful event featured paintings and live music performances. It was truly inspirational to see and hear these young artists confidently express themselves with their talent and imagination. Also, this past summer, our Aventura! Summer Camp Scholarship gave Springfield children and teens a memorable opportunity they otherwise would not have had access to. The genesis for the Aventura! program was Gándara Center reaching out to parents in the community: many of them said they lacked child care during the summer months and it was difficult to find fun, educational, and safe activities for their children. Another way we supported the most vulnerable young people we serve was raising funds for a universally accessible playground at our Mooreland residential group home for children. Our 4th Annual Frozen Yogurt 5K in August raised more than $20,000 for this effort to give our “littles” a safe and fun outlet in their backyard. We expect to break ground in the spring. This year also brought a transitional development at Gándara: my decision to retire in May of 2019. It has not been an easy decision to make, but the time has come to conclude my career and spend more time with my family and friends and watch my two beautiful granddaughters grow up. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to lead such a professional and dedicated organization. Little did I know how rapidly Gándara Center would grow when I first joined the agency in 1982 as a clinical supervisor for our psychiatric day treatment program. At the time, Gándara had one location in Springfield’s North End, our outpatient mental health clinic, and employed approximately 30 staff. When I became Executive Director in 1989, we had 84 employees and served 2,000 clients. Now we are in more than 45 locations throughout the state, employ close to 900 staff, and serve more than 12,000 adults, children, and families. Although we have branched out, our mission remains the same. It has been a true pleasure to lead such a talented team of professionals. I am proud of what we have achieved and I know that Gándara Center, with such a passionate staff— as well as committed donors, supporters, and partners— will accomplish so much in the future. The agency will continue to champion the underserved as it has since its founding in 1977. Kind Regards, Henry Julio East-Trou, Ph.D., LMFT, LADC1
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