June Newsletter

Special Holidays 

Did you know that today, June 10th is Iced Tea Day? As the warmer weather hits, make sure you stay hydrated. Drink lots of water but don't be afraid to treat yourself with a nice glass of iced tea or lemonade every now and then!

Check out our monthly activity calendars for some other daily holidays!

Closed on June 18th

The Salem and Mac offices will be closed on June 18th for regular groups and other operations due to an out-of-town event. This closure does not apply to the ABLE House respite home.

Closed for Juneteenth 

The Salem and Mac offices will be closed on June 19th in honor of Juneteenth. This closure does not apply to the ABLE House respite home.

Book Club

Project ABLE has partnered with the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health to host a monthly Mental Fitness Book Club! It takes place the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30pm at The Book Bin in Salem. This month's meetings is on June 18th. We will be discussing Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price. Books can also be purchased at The Book Bin.

What's New

Get Moving is back in Salem! It meets Thursdays at 10am. Gather with your peers and decide how you want to move that day. Do you want to get some fresh air at Riverfront Park? Do you want to power walk at the downtown mall? Do you want to do gentle stretches in the group room? The group is flexible! Haha. Get it?    ;) 

Get Moving is also still going on in Mac Wednesdays from 11am to 12pm.  

Awareness this Month & Every Month

June is PTSD Awareness Month. Did you know that in the United States, an average of 8 million adults will have active PTSD in any given year? 

Work Anniversaries

June 25th-- Vicki Gorman-- 6 years

Knit for Mental Fitness Fundraiser 

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, filmed at the Oregon State Hospital, the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health is proud to announce Knit For Mental Fitness, a 2025 community initiative supporting mental fitness awareness and benefiting both the Museum and Project ABLE. The Museum, along with the Salem Millstream Knitting Guild, and Wild Knits invites the public to join in knitting iconic “watch cap” style hats, inspired by the ones worn by Jack Nicholson’s character, Randall P. McMurphy, in the film. Click here to learn more!

ABLE House

ABLE House: A Peer Respite Home opened on March 7, 2025. Since the opening, ABLE House has had approximately 7 guests—a great start to ABLE House! Our guests have let us know that Peer Respite DOES WORK. It does change lives and is breaking the mental health stigmas!

 The ABLE House is available to Oregon residents over 18 and experiencing mental health crisis or emotional distress. This could mean a first responder, a stay-at-home parent or working parent, a student, an executive, a person with a disability, an unemployed person—just to name a few. Plus, there are no costs to the individual!

What is ABLE House: A Peer Respite Home?

ABLE House is where you find refuge that strives to meet people in crisis where they are. ABLE House will provide you with a safe and comfortable place while experiencing mental health crisis or emotional distress for you to live your experience without judgment and with support from others (peer respite support specialists) who have been through similar situations.

ABLE House is a place where you have the freedom to take time away from your normal family/work/personal life – or where you can continue to participate in normal life but have a calming, supportive place to stay at night.

ABLE House is a place to determine what you would like to be your next step with peer staff to collaborate and strategize together when discussing what A Better Life Experience (ABLE) would look like for you.

How Does One Become a Guest at ABLE House?

Self-Referral: An individual in crisis or close to crisis can call ABLE House (541 764-1190) to speak with a Peer Respite Support Specialist (PRSS). The individual and the PRSS will come to a mutual determination if ABLE House is the right fit for them at that time.

ABLE House Staff: ABLE House has an amazing staff of peer respite support specialists with lived experience. Staff have been trained extensively on peer respite support services and peer support. The superstar staff consists of Will and David, our peer respite support specialist leads; our peer respite support specialists—Tabietha, Sam, April, Mari, Theresa, Trisha, Bobbie, Mel, and Troy; and our director, Rebecca, our assistant director, Michelle (aka Miller), and our mascot, Owyhee Blue—a French Bulldog pup.

Please email ABLE House at [email protected] for more information.

Look What's Coming Up

Our special event in July will be our volunteer appreciation picnic! This is tentatively set for July 11th from 12-3pm at Riverfront Park. Please pay attention to our social media pages or give us a call for further details as they are announced.

Upcoming Trainings

June Trainings:

• June 9th-13th from 9am-5pm in Salem
• June 23rd-27th from 9am-5pm Online

June CEUs:

• June 6th from 1-3pm in Salem and Zoom - Supporting the Unhoused
• June 20th from 1-3pm in Salem and Zoom - Sleep Hygiene 

July Trainings:

• TBD -- check our website by the end of the month  

July CEUs:

• July 18th from 1-3pm in Salem and Zoom - Cultural Humility 

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