TandC Associates, LLC

The TCA partners have known Kathleen Rhoads Merriam since 1994, when she came to work at Fountain House as International Training Coordinator. Since her move to Hawai’i in 2003, Kathleen has advocated for development and expansion of the clubhouse model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation through her office in the Hawai’i Adult Mental Health Division – Department of Health. Through her strong ties to the Honolulu business community, Kathleen has been elected 2013-2014 President of the Honolulu Rotary. TCA contacted Kathleen last summer to offer our consultation services as we have heard that the clubhouse movement is alive and well there, and we were eager to offer any additional support needed. The timing could not have been better, Kathleen assured us: The Hawaiian Department of Mental Health had recently undergone a major reorganization, and the clubhouses attached to Community Mental Health Centers could benefit from hearing the clubhouse mission and model from the TCA partners.

Saturday, September 7th and Sunday, September 8th

Met by our hosts, Kathleen and Mark Merriam, and driven through Honolulu to the Eastern side of Oahu, to their home, where we spent the weekend getting caught up and reviewing Kathleen’s very intense schedule for the coming week.  Time for photographing their view of the mountain and the side of their property abutting the Ho’Omaluhia Botanical Gardens

View of Mountains on Eastern Side of Oahu

as well as driving around the island and stopping at four of the loveliest beaches imaginable, except for Diamond Head (to be seen later, we were promised).  We are trying not to sound like travel guides here, but the water was clear as aquamarine, with deep azure blue shades where the shelf dropped off steeply under the ocean. Sand was such a clean white, soft texture. The lack of air pollution made the sunshine radiate strongly against the sand and the blue sky, which could be cloudless one minute and full of puffy cumulous clouds the next. Not even the passing tropical showers dimmed the sky or lush flowers and vegetation for long.

(To be continued)