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Welcome to Paradise Center, Inc.! We are a non-profit organization by adults with mental illnesses, for adults with mental illnesses. We offer support to one another with our mental illness recovery, a process that restores hope and meaning to life. We offer each other friendship, empathy, camaraderie, and acceptance in groups, meetings, and daily social activities. Paradise Center is different from other self-help support groups because we are open five days a week, from 9:00-3:00, with opportunities for social and recreational activities as part of the supportive atmosphere.
Without the opportunities that Paradise Center offers, most of us would be home alone and without friends or support.
We are a non-profit organization by mental health consumers, for mental health consumers. Come join us and see for yourself the difference a few good friends can make! To become a member of Paradise Center, a person must be over the age of 18 and have a mental illness. We believe that most people improve with good medical treatment, but it is not a requirement for membership. A person does not have to receive services from Mental Health Mental Retardation (MHMR) to be a member. If you’re interested in becoming a member, call or stop by for a tour. After you complete a brief application, we’ll review it to determine your eligibility. You will then be given a date and time for orientation. More about us... The only membership requirements for our Center are that a person identify themselves as a mental health consumer and that they agree to observe the Center’s behavior guidelines. Current membership totals over 400, with approximately 175 members attending the activities each month. Daily attendance average is about 65. New members can self-refer or be referred by an organization, service provider, or family member. The Articles of Incorporation of Paradise Center, Inc. charge the Member Advisory Board (MAB) with the responsibility of the daily operations of the Center: “Paradise Center shall have a Member Advisory Board, consisting of twelve (12) to eighteen (18) elected individuals who are elected by peer vote of the consumer-members of Paradise Center. The Member Advisory Board and the constituent consumer membership will exercise the authority for the direction and management of the daily functions of Paradise Center, including programs, activities, and general operating matters.” During their one-year terms, these MAB coordinate the daily activities, secure the front desk, answer the phones, greet visitors, orient new members, staff the Snack Bar and Thrift Store, and recruit and supervise volunteers from the membership to perform the daily maintenance of the building. These MAB also lead the weekly member meetings, weekly peer support groups, perform the necessary financial functions of accounts receivable and payable, and attend the weekly MAB meetings to discuss the daily operations of Paradise Center. Daily activities include art class led by a member, pool tournaments, bingo, karaoke, and community outings. Special events each year include overnight camping trips, and day trips to areas around the metroplex. For more about these, see our special events area. Our Center is run by and for mental health consumers, supported by a Director and Assistant. We have three offices, a laundry room, four restrooms with two showers, a thrift store, and a multi-purpose room. We have a large open area with a living area where consumers visit or watch movies while others play pool or sit in the snack area. We have two telephone lines and one office set up solely for consumers to use the phone, free of charge, to take care of personal business. Several of our members who use assistive devices are grateful that our building is completely accessible by wheelchairs and walkers. Our fifteen-passenger van helps us get to the various outings around town as well as to conferences around the state. We have a leased computer through MHMR Tarrant County and some donated computers that are available for members to use. We are known in our community for the wisdom and knowledge our members have earned in navigating the many health and human services systems in our area. We have filled a crucial helping role for MHMR clients who are on the waiting list for a case manager. Securing housing, accessing emergency utility payment assistance, securing emergency medications, and accessing minor emergency care are all events that we have assisted community members with in the past year.
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Send mail to
paradisefwtx@yahoo.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
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