The nonprofit is giving local residents a platform to share their recovery stories through a newly launched podcast, “The Friendship Society, with Cassandra and Sabrina.”
Manistee Friendship Society Executive Director Cassandra Kamaloski and Assistant Director Sabrina Ceresia serve as the hosts.
The podcast will share people’s recovery stories, aiming to help listeners realize they are not alone in their struggles with mental health or addiction.
“We started the podcast because part of recovery is sharing our story, and what better way to share it where everybody can hear it?” Ceresia said.
Kamaloski and Ceresia stressed that they are not licensed mental health professionals but regularly work with people from all walks of life.
“The Friendship Society is a mental health drop-in center, and we serve adults in our community who are struggling with mental illness,” Kamaloski said. “That could be depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. We get a lot of people coming in who are struggling with addiction, too, so getting them that support to other resources in the community, if they need to go to rehab or detox.
“We get people coming in from all walks of life,” she continued. “We’re peer-run. That means our staff has experienced mental illness in their life.”
Due to the shortage, Ceresia said, “a lot of people end up here.”
The Manistee Friendship Society offers several free services that help fill those gaps.
Key services include peer support groups, recovery programs, health and wellness programs, resource referrals and opportunities to build supportive relationships.
The organization also hosts community events, such as suicide prevention and awareness training, fitness classes and more.
Membership is free and open to people 18 and older who have a mental or psychiatric illness. Members gain access to a food pantry, a computer lab, a mini gym, free laundry days and free haircuts.
The first episode of the podcast featured Michelle Darke, a longtime member of the Manistee Friendship Society.
Darke detailed her journey with mental illness and addiction and the role the Friendship Society played in her recovery.
“When I walked through the door, I felt a sense of calm, care and concern,” she said on the podcast. “Friendship Center has a lot to offer. … I felt so much love. It was a safe environment and a clean environment. … I loved that when I came in, it was a nonjudgmental state and therefore helped me be vulnerable, be myself at the center. That’s exactly what I needed for my healing and my growth.”
The Manistee Friendship Society office is located on the third floor of the Briny Building, at 50 Filer St. in Manistee.
Drop-in hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, with appointments available before and after hours.
The organization can be reached at 231-398-0434.