Leanne’s recovery story

“It allows our hearts and souls to sparkle for a bit”

She was fighting stage fright when she stood up to speak. She said so herself, handwritten notes in front of her, addressing a room of people at a Richmind WA art exhibition. But she stood up anyway. Because she wanted people to understand what the HeART & Soul program had meant to her. And she felt it was important enough to push through her own fear to say it out loud.

Her story didn’t begin at the exhibition. It began at the end of a Richmind WA program, a moment she describes as being happy about the progress she’d made, but terrified of what came next.

She had scraped together some other services in time. But the fear of the future was real, and she felt it acutely. Then, a chance meeting at a Richmind WA end-of-year event. They had a great conversation. An art class followed. And with it came something she hadn’t expected, a new title, Volunteer Artist in Residence, and entry into the HeART & Soul program.

A lifeline, she called it.

Standing at that exhibition, surrounded by her classmates and their work, she described what the program had given her and the people around her:

“Not only are we learning and growing our art skills. We are making real friends, sharing our experiences, offering support and advice, laughing and having a good time. It gives our lives purpose and meaning, building our self-confidence. It provides us with a short break from our adversities and allows our hearts and souls to sparkle for a bit.”

She closed by thanking her classmates. “You are awesome,” she told them.

She had arrived terrified of the future. She left as someone who stands up in front of a room and speaks.

This EOFY, your donation helps Richmind WA continue delivering programs like HeART & Soul, creating spaces where people experiencing mental health challenges can reconnect with creativity, community, confidence and hope.

Because recovery doesn’t always begin with a breakthrough.

Sometimes it begins with a conversation at a party.

An art class.

A room full of people who understand.