Make a Difference While You Shop at McClendon Center’s Spring Client Craft Show

McClendon Center Spring Client Craft Show
Tuesday, May 21 | 11 am – 1 pm
1313 New York Avenue NW, 5th Floor
Cash only!

Come give and receive some healing energy at our Day Program’s Spring Craft Show!

From mosaics and jewelry to paintings (and more), our clients have been hard at work creating meaningful works of art to showcase and sell to the public. Please note that this event will be cash only.

100% of proceeds from the Craft Show go directly to serving DC’s most vulnerable residents–people who are economically disadvantaged and struggling with mental health issues. 

Don’t miss it!

We’re On the Move!


McClendon Center will usher in a new era in its work as it consolidates its operations at North Capitol and Dupont Circle and moves into a newly acquired space, located at 1629 K Street NW, in April 2024.

The new location will house the Center’s Core Services Agency (CSA), which has been located at its North Capitol Street location since 2007. At the CSA, McClendon Center provides six core services:

  • Intake Assessment
  • Medication Management
  • Community Support
  • Clinical Care Coordination
  • Crisis and Emergency Services
  • Counseling

“We are very excited and look forward to welcoming clients and visitors to our new home,” said Sheandinita Dyson, McClendon Center’s President and CEO. “The consolidation of these two offices will create new efficiencies and, together with our Day Program, will help bring our presence downtown to new heights.”

Effective this April, McClendon Center’s operations will span two locations:

McClendon Center
Core Services Agency
1629 K Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20006

Day Program and Administrative Offices
1313 New York Avenue, NW, Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 20005

A Celebration of Life


At the McClendon Center’s Day Program, it is always important for us to celebrate the lives of our community members. Remembering them is important, but it’s also important for our clients to know that should they pass on, they will be remembered.

Most of our clients will not have enough money for a funeral and do not have family members in their lives who will organize and pay for it. Lives lost and not remembered in any special way can be a normal occurrence for them. 

Earlier this month, we celebrated the lives of three clients, Linda Thorton, Brenda Williams, and Joseph Hewitt, and our front desk receptionist of many years, Mary Newman. The clients decided to do a “Second Line” Dance, a New Orleans tradition in their honor.

It truly was a celebration of life. 

 

McClendon is What I Need, It’s What I Was Missing

In a recent feature for Youth Cast Media Group, Ivan Taylor spoke about how McClendon Center President Sheandinita Dyson got through to him during his darkest days.

Despite the strong stigma attached to mental illness in Ivan’s community, he was drawn to McClendon Center’s open arms.

It was the only place he could go to comfortably express his needs and receive help for the complex issues in his life. Even while in prison, he received regular check-in calls from McClendon Center staff, letting him know that he had not been forgotten.

Watch Ivan’s Testimonial


‘Tis the season for giving back!

Join Us at the Art of Transformation on November 2

September is National Recovery Month

September is National Recovery Month.

Do you know someone struggling with substance use?

It’s not easy, but with the right treatment, support, and resources, recovery is possible for everyone. 

If you or someone you know is suffering with substance use, help is available–no matter where you are or who you are, you are never alone. Because recovery requires a holistic approach, families, friends, and caregivers play a critical role in the healing journey. You’ve heard the phrase “it takes a village?” Well, when it comes to substance use and mental health, truer words were never spoken.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to substance use or mental health struggles, which means everyone’s healing journey looks different.

At McClendon Center, we’re here to support each and every individual as they navigate the journey to becoming their best selves, but we can’t do it without you. 

You’re part of the village, whether you recognize it or not.


Celebrating a Pioneer of Equitable Mental Health

When 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in 1955, it sent shockwaves through the entire African American community. Over 75 years later, the events of that day still gnaw at our nation’s conscience, especially in the face of continued police brutality against unarmed Black civilians like George Floyd. For generations, racially-based trauma has been passed down and through ethnic communities in which mental illness is still taboo.

That’s why Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month exists–because minority groups have never been given the space to properly process their trauma. They’ve been expected to repress it and move on, which is the opposite of healing.

Thanks to mental health champions like Bebe Moore Campbell, minority mental health is finally part of the public discourse.

Bebe’s writing was some of the first to shed light on the generational toll of racial trauma. Her 1992 book, Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine, based on the lynching of a fictional stand-in for Emmett Till, explores the ripple effect of his murder on subsequent generations of his family. Her 2003 Children’s book, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, looks at the life of a young girl whose mother struggles with a mental illness.

We hope that Bebe’s legacy will inspire you to use your voice, ignite your passion for change and help shape a world where everyone’s mental health matters.

To learn more about Bebe Moore Campbell, check out this article article her life and lasting impact.


©2023 McClendon Center, Inc., a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy