LONG BRANCH – Shore House will kick off National Mental Illness Awareness Week with an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6, outside of its offices at 279 Broadway by unveiling the city’s first Yarn Balming (aka yarn bombing).
Yarn bombing/balming is a growing trend that seeks to add color and art to concrete streetscapes, and asks passersby to pause and notice their surroundings by using yarn to cover and brighten mundane objects.
Good Yarn, a local group of knitters from Fair Haven, will be partnering with Shore House to “balm” two of the trees on the corner of Fifth and Broadway to draw attention to Shore House and its unique approach to helping adults to recover from mental illness.
“We prefer to using the term balming in reference to soothing the soul through art, creativity and community,” said Rachel Griffin from Good Yarn. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Shore House to bring attention to their dedication to ending the stigma around mental illness.”
“Most people don’t realize that 1 in 4 families has someone living with a serious mental illness,” said Heather Brown, executive director of Shore House. “Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition and that is why we celebrate this week each year, with other mental health advocates all across America, to educate the public and fight to end the stigma associated with mental illnesses.”
Shore House, the first and only organization of its kind in New Jersey, fills a significant gap in the mental health system by offering opportunities for meaningful work, education, relationships, and access to housing in a supportive, caring and dignified community setting. It is a model of rehabilitation for people living with severe mental illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and clinical depression.
Through Shore House, people living with mental illness can and do regain their self-esteem, restart their lives, recover, and develop new skills. They integrate into their communities through employment, education and service, which allow them to realize their potential.
Shore House will end the week with its annual Art of Recovery art exhibition, featuring Shore House member artists. The exhibition will showcase a variety of work created by the members, including drawings, paintings, pottery, and ceramics.
The exhibit is free to the public and will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Beauregard Fine Art Gallery, located at 109 East River Road, Rumson.
Additional information is available by contacting Brown at 732-759-1595 or visiting www.ShoreHouseNJ.org.
