Journey to Mobile Mental Health; Peer Style Part 2
Catch up at: Journey to Mobile Mental Health; Peer Style Part 1
Not sponsored, companies, merchants etc with links are simply part of the experience.
The idea to take Rhy’s Above on the road and meet people where they are, literally – really resonated. An evolutionary step in our journey as that’s what we are already doing. Attending events, marching for mental health, visiting schools, dropping off mento boxes, running onsite workshops. A mobile pop up would further enable us to move fluidly and remove obstacles to access and awareness. A physical location could come later.
The hunt began, there’s a lot to learn in the Peer Support Popup (PSP) zone along with all there is to learn about the ways in which to transport said situation. In the meantime, we kept learning and delivering. We also had some misses; like the multiple attempts to launch the podcast we had been recording slowly over the last year at my house, which will pickup again, and kept moving forward. Paths unfold as you walk them. Volunteers scoured the internet looking for vehicle options. We hunted down every lead for an affordable option, toured several, rejected more.
After another successful round of fundraising we were able to move forward with phase one of our goal – securing a vehicle. It needed to sustainably carry our PSP complete with mento box kits, podcast studio, and outdoor lounge. We need living quarters for volunteers on longer trips where they may need to spend the night with our therapy dog and dogs in training. To be able to spread the message that mental health IS health as we move about the community… helps us all flourish.
Finding the right combination of elements proved challenging. Until we found what we believed to be a diamond in the rough. A used Mercedes Sprinter van, fully outfitted by a photographer who lived in it and spent a few years on the road, with low miles and a price we could afford. A van that, from the pictures, conversations, and advertisement looked to be exactly what we needed. Except, it was in Missouri.
After a quick discussion among our leadership, we agreed it was worth a road trip out because even if it was a dud – we were following a spark, a glimmer if you will. I called our volunteer mechanic, contractor, and all-around lead handyman Jesse to see if he was available to take a drive out to Missouri with me. If there were any problems driving a new to me vehicle home that far – I wanted a rescue driver by my side. Luckily it fit and we set out for Missouri after one of the many graduation parties we were fortunate enough to attend this year.
Arriving in Springfield, MO the next day, we met the seller at the dealership. After a walkthrough, test drive, and follow up in the parking lot we were saddened that the van was vastly overpriced. A rudimentary home build left the van with exposed wires well hidden in marketing photos, a shower leaking under the floors, rickety creaking cabinets, and a slide out sofa that didn’t exactly slide, a nest in the engine… just to name a few challenges. There wasn’t anything to salvage at this lot.
Disheartened, but not ready to give up, we decided to regroup over lunch and plan our next move. Some delicious local nosh down later, we pulled up Facebook Marketplace and started searching every single option between us and Downingtown. Years of watching Vice Grip Garage taught us that when one vehicle door slams shut, another one has just opened. Go find it.
Hours of searching while making headway on the road later, we had messaged more than a dozen options, ruled out dozens more, and kept hunting. We got smarter in our line of questioning, faster at figuring out what would and wouldn’t fit, and opened our search up to a broader range of options within the class that would best suit our needs.
And then, a van listed 19 hours previous by a dealership in Indiana hit all our key points. Professional build. Low mileage. Maintainable by a non-specialist mechanic such as Ford or Ram and so on. We kept driving and I messaged the dealership, left a voicemail, and waited. A short time later a nice gentleman by the name of Jordan called me back and explained that even though the website said they were open, they’re a new dealership and still learning how to manage holiday hours and given it’s Father’s Day – he’s on the golf course. In our singular mission of finding the right fit I had forgotten it was Father’s Day! After apologizing, we organized a time to meet the next day.
Continue to the final installment, Journey to Mobile Mental Health; Peer Style Part 3!