Day clubhouse program:
A place to come to:
Participating in a full week of work builds stamina, structure and confidence. As self esteem and ability grow, members are empowered to venture into more challenges including gainful employment, academic studies and independent living.
Work Units that run the day-to-day operation of the clubhouse include:
The Culinary Unit:
With an average of 75 members a day, the culinary unit stays very busy with lots of opportunities for hands-on experience and creativity. In the morning from 8:00am to 9:00am, we make coffee for sale (.25 a cup) and offer a free continental breakfast that includes bagels, toast and pastries from Starbucks and Panera Bread. After the community morning meeting at 9:15am, the culinary unit goes to work cleaning up after breakfast, making lunch and other goodies such as sandwiches and pizza for sale in the snack bar upstairs. There are always two menu items to choose from at lunch. Daily jobs to be done include:
  • Breakfast and coffee set up
  • Coffee sales
  • Dining room clean-up after breakfast
  • Food Shopping
  • Menu planning
  • Sysco food ordering
  • Silverware wrapping
  • Table setting
  • Food preparation
  • Baking, sautéing, grilling and boiling
  • Creation of snack bar cookies, brownies, sub sandwiches, pizzas and "Elm Brook
  • McMuffins".
  • Dish and pan washing and sanitizing
  • Food serving
  • Wait staff to serve each table
  • Dining room cleaning
Special projects include annual holiday bake sale fundraiser and monthly birthday cake creation and decoration.
**Sense of humor required! Come join us - we need you!
Membership Services
Membership services is responsible for:
  • The daily news - we need people to type
  • The Elm Brook Courier (monthly newsletter publication) - we need artwork, articles, typists, photocopying, sorting by zip code, collators, staplers, and postage handlers
  • Outreach - we need people to make birthday, congratulations, get well and other cards for members in the community.
  • Database updates and edits in MS Access
  • Employment board updates and job search
  • Housing board apartment search and updates
  • Weekly recording of Elm Brook information line (lunch menus and upcoming events)
  • Political advocacy to protect important program funding, human rights and dignity of people with mental illness - includes phone calls, petitions, mailing campaigns andstate house visits to legislators and other key decision and policy-makers.
  • Creation of sign-up sheets for all events
  • Cleaning of 2nd floor bathrooms
  • Reproduction of new member intake and orientation folders and contents
  • Program tours
  • Filing
  • First floor information board updates and posting
All are welcome to join us! What ever you don't know, we can teach you!
The Business Unit
We are the heart of Elm Brook Place! Opportunities for meaningful work are many and members are constantly encouraged to try new things and expand their skills and build their confidence. Experiences include:
  • Keeping daily and social attendance statistics
  • Entering attendance data into MS Excel
  • Monitoring and collecting data from sign-in book
  • Meal ticket sales and documentation
  • Snack bar sales, cashiering and operation
  • Front Desk reception and switchboard duties
  • Inventory control
  • Fax machine operation
  • Accounts receivable and accounts payable

Some quotes from our members about the business unit:
"I like the business unit because I like to fax copies of our menus to all the community residences"
     "There is always something to do"
"It prepares you to get a business job"
     "Because I can be creative on the computer and set up layouts"
"The snack bar pricing labels are fun to do"
If you are willing to learn, we are willing to train you! There is something for everyone - All are welcome - come and join us!