The Trillium Drop-In Center has now been serving individuals with mental health needs in Prince William County for ten years.
The center celebrated their 10-year anniversary over the weekend, and several electeds and community members came out to celebrate the work they’ve done.
State Senator Jeremy McPike presented a Senate resolution to Trillium Executive Director Cynthia Dudley.
“My family’s been – suffered – and has experienced mental health, and it impacts all families. And we need to be brave to understand and treat it like we treat our hearts. We need to break down the stigma to make sure that we treat our minds, our mental health equally across the board, and have resources like Trillium out there to help all community members,” said McPike.
“This is such a welcoming home, a gathering place for so many people,” said Delegate Rich Anderson.
Supervisor Ruth Anderson provided Dudley with a proclamation from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
Dudley shared about the history of the center, and how things have fallen into place over the past ten years.
“Somehow the universe began to give us exactly what we needed,” said Dudley, continuing, “It’s been a glorious ten years – today marks the very day that we opened, and some of us are still here ten years later. Every single day I feel like one of the luckiest girls in the world.”
Trillium’s Board President Shannon Shy shared his own experiences as someone battling with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“I was diagnosed with a really severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder back in 1997 when I was on active duty with the United States Marine Corps. I suffered for many years, not knowing what was wrong with me…by the time I was diagnosed, it completely shut me down…I am now to a place where OCD doesn’t affect me at all…I just kept reminding myself ‘Your doctor said it was possible to get better,’” said Shy.
