"Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. If you're impacted, know that recovery is possible and there are people ready and willing to help you on your journey."

"INSTILLING HOPE: Stories of Recovery" (Edition 02), brings hope. The magazine is a nothing less than work of art. Stories of recovery, as told by those living with mental illness, bring to life the recovery process and illustrates the power of resiliency. "INSTILLING HOPE: Stories of Recovery" reminds us that each story is unique, that recovery is not linear and that sharing stories of recovery is powerful. 

It takes bravery to share recovery stories, advocacy to support those telling their stories, and education to help the community embrace those sharing their journey. We hope you will take time out of your day to read the recovery stories of Maurice West, Billee Jo Schmidt, Arthur Timberlake, Julie Cavallaro, Becky DiDomenico-Richter, Paige Hessong, and Jonathon Bauer.

The creation of "INSTILLING HOPE: Stories of Recovery" project was driven by Stars of Light and their leaders, Mary Gubbe Lee and Stephen Vrtol III.

Funding for this project was provided by Smith Charitable Foundation. Thank you, Joanna Shilling Photography; and Danielle Angileri for bringing this project to fruition.

Stars of Light, NAMI Northern Illinois, Stepping Stones of Rockford invite you to learn more about their part of the recovery process:
To learn more about Stars of Light, click HERE.
To learn more about NAMI Northern Illinois, click HERE.
To learn more about Stepping Stones of Rockford, click HERE.

The PDF posted here has been compressed. If you would like a higher quality version, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can email you a higher quality version. 

If you would like a hard copy of the magazine, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If hard copies are still available, we will send you a copy of the magazine. Thanks!