What We Are Grateful for in 2023

Research suggests that when we express gratitude — in different ways, both privately or publicly — we’re taking part in an activity that supports our mental health. By and large, gratitude helps us recognize the “bigger picture” and remind us, even in small ways, why we do the work we do. Gratitude sustains and supports us, even when we are faced with barriers and challenges.

Here at the Flinn Foundation, we are so grateful for the work of our partners to increase and sustain the scope, quality and delivery of mental health services in Michigan. To learn a little more about what our partners feel grateful for, we reached out and asked them. We included a few Flinn board members, too.

Read what they have shared and take a moment to consider what you feel grateful for in 2023. Reach out to your networks and share! It’s a practice that is good for everyone.

What are you grateful for in 2023?

Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) has expanded our statewide outreach to connect with more families living with autism. We have provided almost 50% more trainings, educational forums and connections to our navigator service. Our challenge is always limited resources and funding to reach every person and family living with autism in Michigan.
Colleen Allen, President and CEO, Autism Alliance of Michigan

Mariners Inn broke ground on an 84-unit development for permanent supportive housing and recovery housing. The project is called The Anchor. More than anything else, I would like anyone who has the opportunity to view these responses, that without the support of the Flinn Foundation and their belief in us to deliver the type of mental health services necessary to help people recover, Mariners Inn would not be as successful in the delivery of those services.
David Sampson, CEO, Mariners Inn

We are grateful that we have grown in our community. We believe that our contribution is bigger than what or how we are viewed. We are blessed to have had volunteers and families see the value of our work. We are grateful for the opportunity to build a vision that helps. Team Growth — Let’s Goooo! Thank you to our partners and especially our families for assisting us in our work.
Calvin Mann, Emiy (Encourage Me, I’m Young), Inc.

Besides the gratitude I feel for the stability and warmth in my personal life — relative good health, marriage for 53-plus years, grandchildren who bring joy every time we are together — I am thankful for the work of many advocates, including at the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation, to raise public awareness about mental health issues and solutions. Thanks to the efforts of friends at the Foundation and in the mental health community in Michigan I have a new sense of hope that the future for our children and families dealing with trauma and other disorders of the mind will be brighter.
Jack Kresnak, Flinn Foundation Board Trustee

I’m grateful for people who see the value of partnership. And my partners, including Cathy Liesman at Development Centers. Together, we saw the value of partnering and coming together to form MiSide. I’m grateful for donors and stakeholders who also saw the value and supported it. I’m grateful for our staff seeing the value of partnerships and working with their peers to do more. In partnership, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts, and we lived that in 2023.
Sean de Four, President and CEO, MiSide (former President and CEO of Southwest Solutions)

I am grateful that I have this program, and grateful for having the support of the Boys and Girls Clubs to help build this program, especially for kids in Detroit. I’m an advocate for social justice and know how very important being able to have the program is for the kids we support. I’m incredibly grateful for my passionate team and for the wonderful supportive people in my life, including my kids, coworkers and friends.
Tiffany Abrego, Ph.D., LP, Executive Director of Mental Health and Licensed Psychologist, Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Michigan, Associate Professor of Psychology, Wayne State University

The Yunion is grateful to help bring more awareness of the need for more quality mental health services in our local communities. We are especially grateful for the established partnerships to assist in this process. Our partners include, but not limited to, Hope Village Revitalization, health professionals, schools and other faith-based organizations. We have been making strides in utilizing various ways to better communicate the need for mental health services, to help recognize when there’s a need for assistance and providing tools to improve overall self-care.
Sheriese Johnson, Executive Administrator, The Yunion

As Chairman of the Flinn Board and Chief Judge of the Wayne County Probate Court, I have witnessed many people who are committed to addressing the needs of those who suffer with behavioral health issues. I am pleased to note that more people are willing to provide their time for the benefit of others. In fact, as we enter the holiday season, may we continue to work together through collaboration as a dedicated principal to benefit those in need.
The Honorable Freddie G. Burton, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Ethel and James Flinn Foundation. Chief Judge, Wayne County Probate Court

We are extremely grateful to have received support needed not only to provide equitable wages for high-quality clinicians to provide quality care but also to meet families in the underserved populations where they are! It is so vital for us to be able to break that cycle of pain and do the work we are doing! We are so grateful to the organizations and partners alike that support the work we do!
Sakija Rushing, Chief Operating Officer, Journey to Healing, Inc.