This month, we’re welcoming Jadan Shorts to the NAMI newsletter team as our local reporter. Jadan will be working the NAMI Washtenaw beat to bring you stories about our latest programming, events, classes, and initiatives. You can find her first article, Who Knew Rocks Could Be So Kind? on our website and in our News & Events email on December 7, 2021.
Jadan is a new volunteer at NAMI and a soon to be graduate of EMU. She loves to write and make herself available to new opportunities. She initially became interested in Mental Health awareness from watching her mom Carmen Hall who is a personal growth coach residing in Cleveland, OH and growing up watching her parents care and learn more about her brother Jordan who is autistic. Jadan is excited to stop the stigma that’s connected to Mental Health.
To introduce Jadan to our community, we asked her to share some information about her interest in volunteering with NAMI.
Why did you decide to get involved with NAMI Washtenaw County?
I was interested in getting involved with NAMI because I care about the health of people around me and my mom is a therapist and I wanted to learn more about why she loves what she does.
What sort of work do you do as a NAMI WC volunteer?
I volunteer with Lend a Hand and I also write about events in the newsletter.
What has your experience as a NAMI WC community member been?
My experience so far has been so great. Everyone here is so friendly and open to meeting new people.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future of NAMI and for how approaches to mental health might change?
I hope that NAMI encourages people to feel comfortable being who they are, accepting people for who they are.
If you’re working on an initiative that you’d like Jadan to cover, please contact her at jshorts@emich.edu.
Welcome to NAMI Ms Shorts.
Good luck in your new roll.
Thanks for sharing.
I can relate a little to your brother.
I have a learning disability.
I had depression as a teen.
I was in spec ed all the way, in the Michigan Public School System.
Tell your brother not to give up.
He can do anything he puts his mind to doing.
I graduated in 1994 from Riverview High School.
My final gpa was 2.9.
Hard work pays off in the long run.
I do not drive.
Today, I am an ordained minister.
I am trained as a Crisis and Recovery Counselor.
I was trained in Oct of 2021, through Vibrant Emotional Health.
In 2019, I was a trained active listener at 7cups.
I was at 7cups from Dec of 2019-Aug of 2021.
I am retired on disability.
I am a 2016 Dallas Theo Sem. Graduate, online.
I have a certificate in Bible Studies from there.
In Oct of 2018, I Founded 1ST HOLY BIBLE CHURCH, Online.
So, if I can making something of my life, so can he.
So can everyone.
It might just take a while.