Marianne Kernan recently visited the Kiwanis Club of Seven Lakes to speak to the Kiwanians about the history of Linden Lodge.
Marianne Kernan is the Linden Lodge Foundation Chairman of the Board and Linden Lodge Executive Director. Linden Lodge Foundation, Inc. is an all volunteer organization dedicated to the recovery of men and women with a serious and persistent mental illness.
Kernan is past president, NAMI-Moore County; spouse of a retired U.S. army general; and a national advocate for the mentally ill. She, as most individuals, was forced to jump into the world of mental illness when her son, Keith, was diagnosed with the mental disorder schizophrenia.
The five major mental illnesses are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, post traumatic stress syndrome, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
It took Kernan four years to find land appropriate in Aberdeen for Linden Lodge which now serves six residents and one 24 hour staff member. Linden Lodge Foundation does not collect any state or federal dollars to operate or sustain Linden Lodge and relies solely on residents’ entitlements and on the generosity of private donations and fundraising efforts by the foundation.
Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is now provided by the sheriff’s department and is being used in some public schools. The CIT course trains individuals in the proper way to communicate with the mentally ill. Having the proper training when communicating with a mentally ill person can diffuse a volatile situation.
All Kiwanis members had the opportunity to ask questions and thanked Kernan for her informative presentation.
To find out more information on Linden Lodge or make a donation, please call 910-295-0600 or click here.
