AVON — Tammi Jessup, executive director of Mental Health America of Hendricks County, says every day on her job is enjoyable.

“I really love being here,” Jessup said. “I like doing social work directly with people, but also just being part of something that’s large and can help people. There are so many things that we do here that do that.”

Jessup, who has been with MHA for about three and a half years, says she has to look no further than one of her groups to demonstrate the successes of the agency.

“Seeing (the support group that I facilitate), you can see how they help each other and see that when a new person comes to the group, how thoughtful they are and how willing they are to listen to that person,” Jessup said. “I like a lot about my job.

“We see mental health as a very broad area. We try to help people who have mental illness and their families and friends, but also to promote mental well-being for everyone.”

For individuals with chronic or severe mental illness, MHA has a program call “Connection.” The group meets each Friday afternoon, in a park if it’s nice outside and at Danville Unitarian Universalist Church if there is inclement or cold weather.

“They eat dinner together, maybe play some games together,” Jessup said. “A lot of times, as a non-profit, we are able to get tickets to Colts, Pacers, Fever, Indians, and Ice games. They are able to go and have that kind of social outing. I have heard positive feedback, both from the people who participate as well as the family members, saying that they have noticed a difference.”

MHA also has support groups, such as Westside Widows and groups for individuals with bipolar, depression, anxiety, and other similar mental issues. These groups supply social networking and a way to deal with issues, Jessup explained.

“People can just get together and talk about knowing what it’s like and know that other people feel the same way,” she said. “We have the group weekly, so they can start that right away.”

Jessup said MHA tries to do as many educational programs in the community as possible. Among them are the Kids on the Block Puppets, divorce classes, and parent education programs. These cover many different topics like bullying, smoking, substance abuse, self-esteem, and anger management.

“Each year, our educational director gets that information to the schools,” she said. “Then, the teachers can select the programs that they would like to have presented in their classrooms.”

Around the holidays, the agency has a Christmas gift program, as well as wreath sales.

“(The gift program) has been a tradition of mental health associations around Christmas time for people who are in nursing homes, the Connection program, and Hendricks County residents who are in state psychiatric hospitals,” Jessup said.

MHA is also involved with many initiatives within the county. Jessup is on the Hendricks County Coalition for Tobacco Intervention and Prevention. This year, there is a large push in the anti-smoking movement.

“While in the general population, the rate of smoking is decreasing,” Jessup said. “Among the population of people with mental illness, it is still huge. We are trying to work together to bring that down and to recognize that it is critical to people’s health and that people with mental illness can quit smoking.”

They also work with the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force and the Sexual Violence Task Force. In addition, they helped begin the Minority Health Task Force in the county.

For more information on MHA, visit the website at www.mhahc.org.

MHA is a United Way agency.

The services offered by MHS would not be possible without the support of the United Way of Hendricks County. The agency is struggling to make its goal for this year.

For more information on United Way of Hendricks County, visit the website at www.uwci.org.

If anyone needs assistance in Central Indiana, Connect2Help offers free and confidential telephone assistance to help those in need get information about food, housing, health care, shelter, support groups, and more. Dial 211 or 926-4357 seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

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