BHG Minneapolis Counselor Shares Black History Month Love
By Robyn Selthofner, LADC, Counselor Supervisor
For the last 10 years, Ann Linnere, LADC, counselor, covers our group room walls with a beautiful collage of iconic leaders and family members of staff and patients who’ve gone before us in the fight for civil rights. During the month of February, this room becomes a reminder of all things past and present, how far we’ve come yet how far we have to go. There’s a certain energy that overcomes you when you walk into this room. I think most staff and patients would agree that it’s almost impossible to not get emotional.
Ann puts her heart and soul into making this perfect every single year. The amount of love and pride that is put into this display is immense. When asked how and why she does it, she always says she is just compelled and states “God talks to me and tells me who and what needs to go up.”
Usually in mid-late January, she gathers the photos and adds to past collections and begins covering the walls. We estimate about 40 hours that Ann takes to build this masterpiece in between patient appointments and after hours. Counseling Supervisor Nancy Potempa helped her on a Saturday to finish this year’s memorial. It’s become a BHG family affair.
“Personally, I’ve taken a lot from the wall,” Nancy explained. “It’s given me much more knowledge about the African American population and what they’ve gone through and continue to go through. It’s given me a better understanding of generational trauma of my patients. I’m grateful for that.”
Ann Linnere has worked in the field of addiction for 31 years and was with Meridian Behavioral Health for 23 before BHG acquired the Minnesota centers last November.
“The wall is God-inspired. This year, He had me add photos of Jewish and Native Americans,” Ann proudly described. “When I first started doing this, I would lay in bed at night and hear voices say, ‘You forgot about me.’ Then I would Google their information and pictures and add them to the wall. I feel that I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors. To me, it’s very important. That’s why I put 100% into it.”
“I do this because it’s who I am, and I enjoy doing it. I love Black History Month. I appreciate my supervisor, Nancy, for letting me take the hours and hours of work to do this. I’m a perfectionist. I’ve gotten great support from everyone. They tell me, ‘Whatever you need, let us know.’”
Ann shared that she recently had a patient, an African American woman, who was visibly down and depressed, but the wall touched something insider of her.
“I said, ‘Let me show you something.’ I took her to the memorial wall and said, ‘This is who you are. This where you come from. I have faith that you can do what you need to do.’ She started crying and her whole posture changed. She was uplifted. It’s important that our patients, staff and community know that they are recognized,” said Ann.
“Doing this wall purely comes from the heart. I come from a family of ministers, singers, and deacons. What I figure is that this wall is my ministry. It’s like sitting down and sharing love with my patients. It’s important that we’re inclusive.”
When asked what she wants people to take away from this wall, she said, “That we’re but one race — the human race. That’s the bottom line. We will continue moving forward and get to where we need to be which is to be inclusive and love one another.”
Mt. Valhalla Melting Contest Makes for Minnesota Winter Fun
By Clyde Ketelsen, MIM, LADC
Five years ago, I thought it would be a fun morale-boosting activity for the BHG Woodbury center during this cold and frigid time to guess what day the growing mound of snow in our parking lot would melt. And by “melt,” I mean completely, when every last ounce of snow and ice at the base of the “mountain” is gone. It’s become quite the tradition in which many team members engage.
Entry submissions begin February 28 and close on March 4.
It can be tricky to accurately forecast the “mountain’s” demise because, after the contest starts, it could snow again, we could get above average temps for an extended period or experience some other fluke of nature.
We try to take a photo every week from the same place and on the same day to show continued growth or the start of the melt. And yes, there’s a prize for the winning entry and is usually a gift card to a local restaurant. We also have had some silly celebrations to recognize the winner. So far, all the winners have been female, and all names have started with J.
The earliest melt was March 29, and the latest was May 4. Stay tuned for the March newsletter to find out who’s still in the running to be this year’s king or queen of the “mountain.”
