Clear Blue Sky (CBS, Inc) and The Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD) Invite you to a Mental Health Forum on The Importance of Support in Recovery from Mental Illness. 

Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Time: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Place: University of the Virgin Islands ACC Building, 1st Floor Conference Room

 Complementary breakfast at 8am and lunch at 12pm

For more information or to register, please feel free to contact Clear Blue Sky at 1-340-774-9688 or VIUCEDD at 1-340-693-1173.

You can also register online at http://mentalhealth.viucedd.org

Presenters:

Dr. Leighman Lou is one of six psychiatrists in the U.S. Virgin Islands and has worked here for 38 years. At present he is the Psychiatrist at the Bureau of Corrections and the Division of Mental Health. He has dedicated his life to Mental Health in the Virgin Is-lands and also has a private practice in Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dilsa Capdeville, MSW started as a student case worker with the Social Welfare De-partment. Committed to helping children and families, Ms. Capdeville co-founded the Women’s Resource Center with Attorney Edith Bornn and Alice Hamilton 30 years ago. Sixteen years ago she started Kidscope an advocacy agency for children of domestic violence, abuse and family dysfunction. Ms. Capdeville continues to help children and families who have difficulties.

Lori Thompson, Ph.D. grew up in St. Thomas and graduated from All Saints School. She received her masters and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Thompson has over 15 years of experi-ence and currently works at Schneider Regional Medical Center, the Bureau of Correc-tions and at Insight Psychological Services, LLC.

Leia Benjamin is a graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School. In her first year at UVI her schooling was curtailed by a mental illness. Now Leia is working daily to recover and return to school to pick-up where her life was interrupted. Her biggest desire is to help in the home environment and change some things in the court system.

Margaret Spencer is a family member and an advocate for people with mental illness. She is also a trained teacher in the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program.

Reba Fahie is a graduate of the Eudora Kean High School. She won the high school beauty contest in 1979. Since 1984 Ms. Fahie has struggled with a mental illness and is now working on her own recovery with the help of family, professionals and CBS.

Luz Moron retired from the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue in 2000. She wanted to give back to her community and while searching for a support group for a relative, Mrs. Moron encountered and joined Clear Blue Sky, Inc. in 2008. She has been board secretary since 2009 and enjoys working closely with the Executive Direc-tor, the members and staff of Clear Blue Sky, Inc.

Sue Boland is the Development Manager at Guardian Insurance Company (a member of the Lockhart Group of Companies) and a pioneer in hiring people with mental illness on St. Thomas.

Our new location is within easy walking distance from downtown Charlotte Amalie. Our members love the accesibility.  Located just up the road from the main post office, we no longer require additional transportion to bring our members to our daily planned activities.

Villa Fairview was made famous as a beautiful home carved out of Estate Catherineberg.  Through the years, new owners have expanded the facility, added a lovely swimming pool, and new rooms.  At one time it was even a Bed and Breakfast with superb views of the harbor and downtown.

And now we add a new chapter to this home.  We will continue to preserve the quintessential beauty of this historic building while giving our members improved surroundings in this tropical oasis of old-world charm.  The high ceilings, tall double doors, interior courtyards, harbor views, and hardwood floors have an immediate calming and soothing effect.  The peaceful, tranquil setting takes you far away to a holistic, healing atmosphere that acts as the perfect antidote to the non-stop bustle of modern living.

This return of the building to the community is a part of the key tenet of our organization as we ensure the full re-integration into society for not only our members, but also for our treasured architectural gems.

Many of you have asked for a faster, simpler, easier method to assist us in our fundraising efforts.  To that end, we have added a “Donate Now” Button to the right hand side of this page.  Your donations are processed immediately by PayPal and begin benefitting our organization right away.

Please feel free to contact us directly if you would like a record of your donation.

CLEAR BLUE SKY just closed on the purchase of the historic Villa Fairview allowing for expanded operations and an increased number of members.  This is a significant step forward for the Clubhouse and a giant step forward for our members and volunteers.  

Thank you all for your continued support!