Yes, just when you thought you were not going to be asked to vote on anything for a while, it is time to elect a new Board of Directors for our Omaha Chapter of DBSA. We are currently in the initial phase of the election, where each person that decides they want to run for one of the nine seats on our board submits a short paragraph about who they are and why they want to serve on the board for the next year. This phase will be open until May 27th, so if you are interested, take the five minutes to write up something and email it to newhope.dbsa@gmail.com. As we receive each person’s short paragraph, it will be posted here. Voting will open May 1st and remain open until May 10th. There will be a link provided here for you to vote. On May 11th, we will post the names of your new board right here on our website. The first meeting of the new board will be Saturday May 19th, 10am, on Zoom.

Nominations are now closed.

Voting is now closed. Results will be announce at the June 17th meeting!!

And the nominees are…..

Todd: Hello, I am Todd.  My wife and I first became involved in DBSA in 2009 when a family member suffered from substance induced BiPolar, depression and anxiety.  We felt clueless and appreciated the support and information we received at DBSA.  Since then, as a way of “paying back” I have been involved in the Board in various roles, and would like to continue to provide my support out of gratitude and admiration for the resiliency of those who journey with mood disorders.

Deb: DBSA was exactly the group we needed many years ago when we had someone close to us diagnosed with a mood disorder. I have served as Treasurer for many years and would like to continue on the Board as a way of “giving back” to the organization. I have had the opportunity to meet many people that I admire and challenge us each day to live our best!

Don: When we do our intros at the start of each meeting, I often say my diagnosis is “marriage”. Well, that is always good for a laugh, but there is a lot of truth hiding in there. My entire adult life I have lived with not only my own problems, but those of my wife and son as well. I try to bring not only my own experiences to our meetings, but those of a husband and father coping with a family full of ups and downs. The past several years I have served as a board member, facilitator, and your webmaster.

Miriam: I have been a member of DBSA since 2009, and a board member and facilitator for about 7 years. DBSA has helped me live with my mental health issues, which is why I stepped up into a leadership position, to help others as DBSA helped me.

Becki: DBSA is one of the communities in which I am building my full and meaningful life. By being a board member, I would hope to help others on their journey to do the same. I will maintain a nonjudgemental open mind and exhibit kindness and compassion with my peers. I will strengthen my own values by fully participating with board member duties. We reap what we sow; accepting a leadership role in this group is a purposeful, positive seed I can sow.

Carolyn: I want to be on the board because I want to see this group continue its good work. I’m not sure what I will be able to provide, but I will be able to help in different projects that are important to everyone.

Steve:  My name is Steve Burkland and I am very interested in running for the DBSA board.
I have truly enjoyed my tenure on the board during this past most unusual year. As I have enjoyed sharing my life’s journey and my many experiences with others, I feel that I have also grown even more by listening to others life stories along the way. I look forward to the upcoming year and sharing with others as we take our journey together through yet another amazing year.

Renne: My name is Renee Louise Brinkman. I am running for the DBSA Omaha board because I regularly attend meetings and care about the future of the meetings. I bring with me the unique experience of being a transgender woman. I hope I can bring to the table my understanding of the ways mental health conditions intersect with the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQTA+ community. As a member of the board, I hope to work with my fellow members to make improvements and ensure that our support group meetings are safe and welcoming for ALL who wish to attend including the demographics I represent.

Kirk: My name is Kirk McCormick. I wish to run on the board for DBSA in 2021. Big believer in group therapy. I’ve been fortuneate to have met some wonderful people at DBSA throughout the years. I like hearing uplifting stories from others and new insights on how to deal with day to day life. These groups matter and help change lives.

What is involved: Our board meets for about an hour each month. This past year it has met on Zoom. We hope to go back to live meetings for the board soon. Being a board member is different from being a facilitator that leads meetings. While many board members are both, you can do one or the other. We NEED both!!!!! Currently we have unfilled seats on our board and rarely do we have more people interested than the 9 available seats.