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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Michael Petty, Member of LifeLinks Clubhouse
5:55:30
ยท
4 min
Michael Petty, a member of LifeLinks Clubhouse, testifies about his personal experience with mental illness and the importance of clubhouses in mental health recovery. He shares his own story of attempted suicide and how the clubhouse model has provided him with a safe environment and purpose. Petty also reads a statement from another member, Michael Mingolzi, who discusses how LifeLinks Clubhouse helped him cope with Parkinson's disease and associated mental health challenges.
- Both testimonies emphasize the transformative impact of LifeLinks Clubhouse on their lives and mental health recovery.
- They stress the importance of continued funding for clubhouses to support individuals with mental illness.
- The testimonies highlight how clubhouses provide a sense of community, purpose, and skill development for members.
Michael Petty
5:55:30
Good afternoon, council members.
5:55:32
My name is Michael Petty.
5:55:33
I'm a 56 year old retired chef and a member of LifeLink's Clubhouse located in Elmhurst Hospital, Queens.
5:55:41
On 06/27/2023, I attempted to take my own life due to serious depression in which is a result of growing up in an abusive household, as well as losing my career as a chef to to a developed back injury disability.
5:55:58
I came to the clubhouse unaware of its actual existence.
5:56:01
I immediately felt a safe family environment because mental illness is not easy to talk about.
5:56:08
And being amongst members who are fighting similar battles makes that recovery so much easier.
5:56:15
There is a misconception that mental illness means a person is either crazy or danger.
5:56:21
When in fact, mental illness is so much broader as anyone else can experience it through trauma, abuse, loneliness, despair, especially in a city like New York that has experienced so much trauma over the years, including nine eleven in which I lost my wife, hurricane Sandy, as well as the recent pandemic.
5:56:44
And being in Elmhurst, that was the pan that was ground zero for the pandemic, which makes clubhouses so valuable to recovery.
5:56:52
Mental illness is not a one size fit all solution.
5:56:56
And the clubhouse models provide people's needs.
5:57:01
I found a safe haven as well as a purpose again.
5:57:04
I'm using I am able to use my cooking skills to serve and teach members.
5:57:09
I also have learned endless computer and office skills from other fellow members as well.
5:57:15
I ask you to please keep funding LifeLinks as well as all the other clubhouses.
5:57:20
I fear members as well as myself will be left without the necessary treatment in our recovery as members have been able to re reintegrate back into a functional society.
5:57:33
Thank you for listening to me.
5:57:34
Me.
Lynn Schulman
5:57:35
Thank you.
5:57:35
Next.
Michael Petty
5:57:37
Would you like me to read Mike's
Lynn Schulman
5:57:41
Yeah.
5:57:42
You can.
Michael Petty
5:57:43
Okay.
5:57:44
Alright.
5:57:44
Good afternoon members, counsel.
5:57:46
My name is Michael Mingolzi, a retired New York City government employee.
5:57:52
I am honored to stand before you to share my journey and highlights of the transformative work of LifeLinks Clubhouse, a community that has changed my life and empowered so many others facing mental illness.
5:58:04
In 2025 2024, after I my Parkinson's disease diagnosis, I deeply struggled with the per anxiety and depression.
5:58:14
My therapist at Elmhurst Hospital suggested LifeLink's Clubhouse.
5:58:19
I remember feeling hesitant as I walked in to the door for the first time.
5:58:24
My mind was filled with doubt.
5:58:26
Then staff members and members greet me greeted me warmly.
5:58:31
It was such a warm, small gesture, yet it gave me a glimmer of hope and I had felt I have not felt in months.
5:58:39
At Lifely Clubhouse, I found more than just services.
5:58:43
I found a community that has empowered my life through facilitating workshops, special events, and shared meals.
5:58:51
I regained a sense of purpose and a connection.
5:58:54
LifeLinks became my lifeline, helping me to rediscover my strengths.
5:58:59
Programs like LifeLink's Clubhouse don't just provide services, they provide transformative change, reducing emergency room visits, boosting productivity, and strengthening necessity.
5:59:12
Every dollar invested in mental health support is cost effective strategy that benefits us all.
5:59:19
These pros these programs empower individuals to overcome challenges, rejoice, rejoin the workforce, and contribute to society, creating a ripple effect, stronger families, safer neighborhoods, and more resilient and a more resilient city.
5:59:37
Let us work together to ensure no one is left behind.