About Breakthrough House
Here to
Help People
Who Live with
Mental Illness
Breakthrough House, Inc. is a nonprofit community agency established in 1978 to support the recovery of individuals with mental illness by providing services, supports, and opportunities to improve the quality of their lives. Through the efforts of staff and volunteers, interaction with peers, and community involvement, individual needs are met, social and vocational skills are restored, and self-esteem is strengthened, encouraging adult men and women who participate in our programs to contribute their talents and abilities to the benefit of themselves and others as they live, learn, work, and play.
Breakthrough House’s core belief of community guidance for reintegrating individuals on the Our Community, Our Mission podcast.
Click to listen.
Our History
A student at the University of Kansas, searching for a way to meet the internship requirement for her Master’s Degree in Social Work, decided to pursue starting a support group for persons in Topeka recovering from mental illness. She discussed her idea with the director of the local Mental Health Association and with others who shared her vision, and together they initiated weekly meetings at her house. What began as a small network for patients and former patients from Topeka State Hospital, the Menninger Clinic, and other therapeutic settings has grown to become a full-fledged community of mutual support.
Our Goal
Our goal is to empower individuals with mental illness to function more independently in their social, living, and working environments and to secure decent, safe, and affordable housing for them in Shawnee County. The people we serve are on a journey toward recovery from mental illness. Our philosophy is to meet them where they are, to accept them as they are, and to walk side-by-side with them on that journey—supporting them, empowering them, working in partnership with them to achieve their goals for independence and employment.
Leadership Staff
Brian E. Blevins, CEO
Theresa Douthart, COO
Gwen Hay, CFO
Curtis Martell, CIO
Amy Fultz, Director of Human Resources
Sehara Hays, Director of Residential Services
Molly Kemper, Director of Clubhouse
Payee Services Staff
Theresa Douthart, Interim Payee Director
Dana Parker – Payee Assistant
Kimberlee Jenkins – Payee Assistant
Residential Services Staff
Sehara Hays – Residential Services Director
Carrie Palmer – House Manager – Tyler
Waylon Kirby – House Manager – Golden
The Lotus House Staff
Molly Kemper, LMSW – Clubhouse Director
Laura Webber – Clubhouse Assistant Director
Michael Geary – Clubhouse Generalist
Kenneth Johnson – Clubhouse Generalist
Abby Kaberline – Clubhouse Generalist
William McSweeney – Clubhouse Generalist
Board of Directors
Robert Sanders, Board Chair
Tom Stringer, Board VP
Doug Ebert, Board Treasurer
Rebecca Phillips, Board Secretary
Patreece Morris, Board Member
Angela Gabel, Board Member
Nick Cassarona, Board Member
Shampayne Lloyd, Board Member
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