Cornerstone Montgomery Revenue and Competitors

Officially, Threshold Services is a not-for-profit organization. That's what we are not for, but what are we for? I like to call us a for-impact organization. We exist to have a positive impact on our community. The difference between for-impact organizations and businesses is a matter of ends and means. Businesses do things - sometimes good things and sometimes bad things - to earn money; we earn money to do good things. For-impact organizations are value based and mission driven. Threshold Services' mission is to help people with mental illness lead fulfilling lives by providing exemplary mental health services and by helping to build a more caring community through public education, professional education and advocacy. Working with young people is one way in which we help to build a more caring community. Several years ago, the Psychology Club at Paint Branch High School took a particular interest in Threshold Services. At that time, they were a small group of about twenty-five students who had an interest in mental health. We began a "learning exchange" with these students, bringing to them experts in the field of psychology. In turn, they began sending students to our group homes during the holidays - from Christmas and Easter to Valentine's Day. The students initiated these gatherings and engaged Threshold Services' clients in meaningful dialogue. Today, the Club is more than one hundred members strong, and last year they were honored as Threshold Services' Volunteer of the Year at our Annual Membership Meeting. We have since then developed a new Psychology Club at Gaithersburg High School, borrowing the valuable lessons we learned along the way. For this new Club of approximately fifteen students, we developed a one-year game plan, sent guest speakers throughout the year, helped develop and participated in a Psychology Fair at the school. We also recently planned a thirty-minute local public television interview with two of the Club's members and the Club's teacher representative regarding teen pressures and suicide and about how Psychology Club members are better able to deal with these issues - because of their experiences with, and what they learn through, the Club. Recently, a teacher from another local high school contacted our Director of Development and Community Relations, Heidi Coons, to see what we can do about forming a club at their high school. We work with the youth of America to help promote understanding of mental illness and co-occurring addictions. Understanding leads to acceptance, and acceptance leads to a better life - for everyone. Think of what happened with recycling and wearing seat belts. Someone convinced the kids that one must always do those two things. If you don't recycle and buckle up, you will hear from your kids. I tell you this from personal experience. Now recycling and wearing a seat belt is the norm. Similarly, high school Psychology Clubs will engender understanding and acceptance of people who suffer from mental illness - throughout the community. Help the youth of America to learn and to grow in wisdom, and you will change the world. Have You Ever Thought?