Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\nRight now in Davie, there is a place seen as a safe haven for people searching for a sense of place and purpose.<\/p>\n
If you look too fast, you may not see it. Sandwiched between a pre-school and a grocery store on University Drive, you will find Memorial Outpatient Behavioral Health\u2019s Rebel\u2019s Center. And to many, it may not look like much, but just beyond the doors is a home to a growing group of people who are finding their chosen family. <\/p>\n
Inside, you will find arts, crafts, music and games. But most importantly, it\u2019s a place for people who are battling isolation. It\u2019s a condition that Dr. Claudia Vicencio is seeing more of, especially during the holidays.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a pandemic of isolation in the United States. People are lonely — we don\u2019t connect like we used to,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Just ask Mike Schneider, who is a regular at the Rebel\u2019s Center. He knows what it\u2019s like to feel isolated. <\/p>\n
\u201cI suffer from depression, anxiety, I have claustrophobia,\u201d he said. \u201cIt got to a point when the pandemic hit \u2013 right before that, I just decided I didn\u2019t want to go out anymore. And I spent three years in my house. The only time I went out was to get groceries, and sometimes I wouldn\u2019t even do that, I would just order in.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then there is the story of Douglas Biggs, who battles with PTSD, anger issues and anxiety. Just like Schneider, he too fell victim to isolation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI isolated, was self-medicating and going down that isolated dark highway. And didn\u2019t even want to move or do anything, wasn\u2019t grooming, nothing,\u201d Biggs said. <\/p>\n
But despite what they\u2019re going through, the people who come to the Rebel\u2019s Center say they feel a real connection there.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind that community — maybe there is someone who is struggling with something similar to you and you can talk to them about it. Maybe you just need a place where you can hang out and be around other people. Rebel\u2019s represents that,\u201d Vicencio said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo I mustered up whatever courage I had and here I am, and I got lucky. I met a couple of people that I became very good friends with, and now I\u2019m at the point of if I don\u2019t see them, I get anxiety,\u201d Schneider said. <\/p>\n
\u201cFinally I got around to it and I came up here, and rejoined as a member and haven\u2019t looked back since,\u201d Biggs added. \u201cYou know, I went from one day not trusting anybody, to not knowing anybody, to now everybody knows me and I trust everybody — they trust me after a few years now. It\u2019s like family.\u201d <\/p>\n
Now, after coming to the Rebel\u2019s Center, both Schneider and Biggs, and many others, are using the resources available to improve their wellbeing. Schneider is showing off his art skills and love of his pets, with portraits of cats. And also being the \u201cDD\u201d for Rebel\u2019s, or the \u201cdesignated DJ,\u201d but most importantly, being someone to talk to.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we come, we sit, we talk. There are other people here \u2013 I know my own situation. There are a couple times that people have come in here and you can see they\u2019re having a hard time,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cSo I\u2019ve stepped in and said, \u2018Hey, wanna talk?\u2019 And my experience has helped them. But also what they\u2019re going through helps me. So we each get something out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for Biggs, palm trees hanging on the wall show his love for the beach, and now he\u2019s preparing to become a full-time volunteer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve dove all in on the paintings and the crafts and the jewelry-making,\u201d he said. \u201cNow I\u2019m the volunteer guitar teacher here.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Rebel\u2019s Center, people from all backgrounds are finding community in something very simple, yet so powerful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalking through the door is the hardest thing to do,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cSitting in the chair in the second thing. Going from there it\u2019s one step at a time and the employees will come out and say, \u2018Hey, what would you like to do today?\u2019 And there\u2019s the start.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rebel\u2019s Center is open from noon to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on the weekends it is open from noon to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
During the holidays, you will find family dinners there and it is free for everyone. <\/p>\n
Click here<\/a> for more information on the Rebel\u2019s Center. <\/p>\n\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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