Trip #6: Warren Park Health & Living Center

On Thursday, January 21, students from our class went to the Warren Park Health & Living Center. Residents at this community live with different disabilities, including mental and psychological challenges. The staff at the center invited residents down to an activities room, and our students spent an hour and a half playing games and conversing with residents. Here are some thoughts from Brittany Bejabeng, Laura Gaerditz, and Catalina Tueros...

Brittany Bejabeng

Last week, my class and I went to visit at the Warren Park Health and Living Center. This facility helps to provide for those who cannot stabilize mentally or physically on their own. About 90% of the men and women there do not receive any mail or source of communication from family or friends. They are housed at this facility and care is provided for them such as a warm environment, food, clothing, and activities. Taking the time observe the patients admitted there and also getting the privilege to hear their stories touched and inspired me personally. Some people had mental disabilities and struggled to comprehend me when I spoke to them, and I feel as though the reason for some of their struggle is because they were neglected at a time of need or faced some form of trauma, which broke my heart to see and hear.

Based off of the social aspects of things at Warren Park Health Center, many are marginalized, neglected, and exempt because they aren’t seen as worthy or desirable. That mentality should be pushed down and should not be the view in society. These are people with voices that cannot be heard because we don’t give them that chance. For a place you would think would be considered depressing, I found the environment to be lively and encouraging. The staff members there were so close to the patients, and their emotions, behaviors, and actions showed they cared very much. There were no lines drawn to say that I am better than you or you are less of a person than I am. They showed they were equal.

Christ calls us to love and be mindful of every single person as our brother or sister. Solidarity involves us uniting in mutual agreement or support. Service should be performed with and not for because we are not better than they are. We are all equal. We should form relationships and not be strangers to one another. In my perspective we need to humble and distinguish our pride because pride is okay to possess but when that quality is abused or misused then it is no longer attractive or valuable.

Being humans we have all somewhat felt marginalized in some aspect - for example, appearance, culture, beliefs, religion, disabilities, etc. In my eyes, we have all been marginalized in some way. There is no you are better than I am, but this is how society is. God created us all differently, and our problem today is that we don’t know how to accept diversity. That’s what makes this world corrupt. We should strive to be better. God would call us to love and care for each other. We are all different in some form and that's completely okay. If we were all the same, then it would boring. There would be nothing to learn from in my opinion. Life is gift and a privilege and all you can do is cherish and embrace it not take it and destroy it.

I always thought the saying, “One person can make a change for the world,” was dumb and not reasonable, but I now think it’s the most reasonable and believable saying I have heard. One person who makes the move to advocate is wise and knowledgeable, rather than just being one who sits and watches. We can learn to pray and ask God for that spirit of motivation to act upon this and be better.

Valentina Cordero

Last week, our class visited Warren Park Health and Living Center. As we entered the center, we divided into groups. Each person got the opportunity to talk to the people from this center. My friends and I met a young man. We soon realized that he had written the book that he held in his hands. He handed the book to us and as we read the foreword of the book, we discovered his world. His foreword answered all the questions we were scared to ask him. We discovered the reason why he was in this center and his disability. Just like majority of the patients, he faced a crisis in his life. He had suffered from a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident that put him in a coma. With his family’s faith in God, he opened his eyes and woke up from the coma on the day of his father’s birthday. His story amazed me and was a huge inspiration to me because he told me to always have faith in God. My friends and I began to read his book Walk with Me. Through this book we got to discover him and his inner feelings. I enjoyed reading his poems because I got to know how he truly feels in the inside. He then realized how much I admired his work that he gave me his book and told me to never lose faith in God.

Through my experience at Warren Park Health and Living Center I realized that centers like Warren Park are located universally. The mentally disabled are put in centers like Warren Park in order for them to receive the attention they deserve and need. It is good that there are places where they could receive them. In cases where the a mentally disabled person does not have any family member to take care of him/her, centers for them are located universally to help patients in need.

By analyzing my experience through the economic angle, I discovered that centers like Warren Park are very dependent on the government to continue running. The government owns and has the money  as the government is what funds public centers for the mentally disabled. Warren Park’s employees and its patients are very dependent on the government. The government has all the power to allow these centers to continue running. Without the government’s assistance, there would not be places where the mentally disabled could go to receive aid and medical help.

Through reflecting this experience at Warren Park, the Bible passage that reminds me of this situation is 1 John 5:4, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world... And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” The patient from Warren Park who I met is a great example of how everything is possible if we believe and have faith in God. His story served as a lesson to me. It helped me realize that we should never lose faith in God, because with that faith everything and anything is possible. God allowed him to wake up from his coma and has been by his side always protecting him.

By connecting my faith, my life experiences, and my emotional reaction in the visit to Warren Park, I feel really glad I got to visit a mentally disabled center. I enjoyed every part of it because I got so much out of this experience. My friend served as a great inspiration to me. He helped me realize that anything could happen in this world and to not take anything or anyone for granted. God never puts obstacles in our path that he does not believe we can not overcome. My friend is a strong, intelligent, and brave man that did not let his accident be the end of his life. He continues to do what he loves, writing poetry.

I am very glad Warren Park helps the mentally disabled who can not take care of themselves or do not have anyone that could take care of them. I believe that what this society could attempt to do is to not isolate them and stop making them believe they are not normal. I understand that they need medical aid from a special center, but I believe we can all attempt to go to centers like Warren Park to educate ourselves about the people who are mentally disabled in order to better understand their needs and to not be scared of their disabilities.

Catalina Tueros

As a nation it is crucial for us to unite as one within our society. All lives are significant and matter. Humanity has lost sight of the fact that everyone is granted dignity and a right to life. The mentally ill have no longer had the right to life in our society. They continue to face discrimination and are marginalized. In this week’s service trip, my classmates and I were able to visit Warren Park Health and Living Center. It is a living center that helps provide housing to those who suffer from mental illnesses. During our visit, we were able to meet some of the residents and have some fun by playing games. I was able to learn so much about the residents I was paired up with. It was truly a life changing experience for me. I was able to meet people who were truly amazing and intelligent. I was able to hold conversations that allowed me to reflect upon my own personal life. I will never forget the words, “keep the faith alive.” I intend to live this out forever. The world deserves to see how amazing these people are. They deserve the right to dignity.

The mentally ill are neglected and hurt within society. They are perceived as incapable and unable. Their voices are stripped away, and they are forever overshadowed. There is no pride or gratitude granted to the mentally ill. They are not benefiting from the treatment of society. They are often forgotten by family members, society, and the government. This is truly a universal issue. The mentally ill are hushed by the world. They are marginalized because of the negative perceptions placed upon them. They are seen as weak and unable because of their illness. Overall, they are still people who are apart of our communities and they should be heard. They are truly amazing people who view life differently than the rest of us. They are judged because of these differences. The media today sheds some light on the negative aspects of these illnesses but never shines the light on the particular person. Many people in our world fear the unknown rather than embrace it.

Political figures are able to make decisions that can either include or exclude the needs of these people. The mentally ill are dependent on the decisions that are made. The mentally ill are left out socially. There are very few relationships built because of the negativity placed upon the mentally ill. In history, the mentally ill have always been the outcasts of our society. Their conditions were always misinterpreted and this made the people fear them. They were often misunderstood and pushed aside. These beliefs are taught to future generations who continue the horrible pattern. These influences affect behavior by allowing the people to mistreat and marginalize the mentally ill. They are no longer considered in society because of their disabilities.

The idea of acceptance can be related to various bible stories, such as Romans 12:22. God is accepting of the people as they were. He encouraged the people to not conform to society's words or beliefs but to have faith in him. God is able to love his people and inspire them to have integrity in an ever changing world. This idea ties into the theme of Solidarity. Christ calls us to respond by being mindful of all people and to view them as brothers or sisters. The mentally ill should be seen as our brothers and sisters regardless of who they are. We are all created in God’s likeness. They deserve to be treated as equals within our society. Their disabilities should not give the public the right to place labels upon their lives. The public deserves to be educated so they can better understand the mentally ill. I believe that everyone, including the mentally ill, have so much to offer in different ways. Their lives still matter, regardless of who they are in this world. It is unjust to place chains around those we do not fully understand. I can relate to the marginalized because I am often unheard within my society because I am seen as young. My ideas and beliefs are not accounted for. I believe Christ would want us to come together as one. I believe that these differences should not create borders in our society. 

We may bridge the gap between social reality and what we hope for by advocating for these people. We can reasonably attempt to donate to local centers that help support the mentally ill. The more people who are educated within our society, the more understanding we will have. Political leaders and the media can also help shed light on the issue by using their power to help create a positive influence. More centers should also be funded and created due to the amount of people who need the help within the community.  The mentally ill deserve a voice within our society. There are so many things we are able to learn from them. We are able to see life differently and view life through their eyes. We must learn to appreciate life and learn how to lift the nation rather than tear it down.

Note: Minor grammar/style edits have been made to each post not affecting the content or perspective of these students.