91��ɫ is proud to be recognized as a 2026 Silver recipient of the Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America — the nation’s leading recognition for employers committed to creating mentally healthy workplaces.

This marks another year that 91��ɫ has been honored with the Bell Seal, reflecting our continued investment in building a workplace culture where employees feel supported, valued, and able to thrive.

The Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health is a national certification awarded to organizations that demonstrate excellence in supporting employee mental health and well-being. Employers are evaluated on workplace policies, benefits, culture, and wellness initiatives. At 91��ɫ, this commitment is deeply connected to our mission. As one of Illinois’ largest providers of mental health and substance use recovery services, we know that creating a culture of wellness must begin within our own organization. Receiving the Bell Seal affirms our ongoing efforts to foster a workplace where employees feel respected, supported, and empowered to ask for help when they need it.

91��ɫ employs more than 1,400 staff across a wide range of roles, all united by a shared commitment to supporting recovery and resilience in our communities. We are proud to offer a workplace that prioritizes well-being through:

• Comprehensive benefits and generous paid time off
• Access to employee assistance programs
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Clinical supervision and career growth opportunities
• A culture that values lived experience and inclusion

These efforts help ensure that our staff are not only equipped to do their work—but supported as whole people.

As a Bell Seal recipient, 91��ɫ joins a select group of organizations across the country working to create psychologically safe, supportive environments for their teams. “Creating a culture of mental wellness starts from within,” said President and CEO Mark Ishaug. “We are honored to be recognized among national leaders in workplace mental health and proud to set an example for what a supportive, equitable workplace can be.”

While we are proud of this recognition, our work does not stop here. We remain committed to continuously strengthening our workplace culture, listening to our staff, and advancing practices that support mental health and well-being. Because when our employees are supported, they are better able to support the thousands of individuals and families who rely on 91��ɫ every day.

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There are some evenings that stay with you—and , was one of them.

More than 550 supporters came together in a powerful show of generosity and shared purpose, filling the room with energy, compassion, and a collective belief in what’s possible. It was a night to celebrate community—and to shine a light on the life-changing work happening every day across 91��ɫ.

At the heart of the evening was a tribute to our Crisis Response teams. These dedicated professionals provide immediate, compassionate care to individuals experiencing mental health emergencies—meeting people where they are, helping them stabilize, and connecting them to the support they need to move forward. Their work is urgent, human, and deeply impactful.

Together, we raised an incredible $1.27 million to advance 91��ɫ’ mission of delivering life-changing services for people living with mental health and substance use conditions. This support moves us closer to a future where care is more accessible, more equitable, and available when it’s needed most.

We are deeply grateful to our Presenting Sponsor, Fifth Third Bank, along with the many generous sponsors who made the evening possible. Our heartfelt thanks also go to our Gala Committee hosts and co-chairs, Frank Haywood and Sharon Neal, and committee members Judy Ashworth, Keith Douglas, Megan Greer, Johna Hedden, Sue Roberts, and Minal Varma. Their leadership and commitment helped bring this special evening to life.

A special thank you to our keynote speaker, Christine Yu Moutier, whose honesty and advocacy left a lasting impression. Her voice continues to shape the national conversation around mental health—and underscores the urgency of this work.

We were also proud to honor the remarkable contributions of the James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Sasha-Ann Simons, and Darrious Hilmon. Their leadership and generosity reflect the profound impact individuals and partners can make in advancing mental health and recovery.

What happened that night reaches far beyond a single room. It supports our clients, strengthens our staff, and builds a foundation for lasting hope in the communities we serve.

We are honored to continue this work—together.

Explore more from the evening:

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“I get more from 91��ɫ than I give to it. And I’ve been trying to close that gap ever since I joined the board.”

When my husband and I planned to move to the Midwest, I went online before we’d even arrived, searching for ways to connect, to find something meaningful where I could be of service. I’d spent years in medical research, working on substance use, trying to develop medications that could help people struggling with addiction. I knew the world of stigmatized, overlooked populations. I knew how hard it was to get people the help they needed. I just hadn’t found the right place to put that to work.

Then a neighbor, a 91��ɫ board member, found out what I did and thought I might belong at 91��ɫ.

He was right.

My understanding of 91��ɫ’ impact deepened when I joined two members of the Homeless Outreach Program for a ride along. We were moving between visits, helping find a family living in a bus, clients in tents, people in apartments barely holding on, when one of the outreach workers got a phone call. A member they had worked with had died of an overdose. Someone they had known, cared for; someone they thought had been doing okay.

Both of them were devastated. And within minutes, they were instructed to come straight back to headquarters. There was support waiting for them. People ready to sit with them, talk with them, help them carry that heaviness.

I thought:��this organization takes care of its own just as it takes care of those it serves. I want to advance its mission in any way I can.

Judy has given her expertise, her energy, and her heart. If her story moved you, consider giving what you can. Every dollar goes directly toward 91��ɫ’ mission: to help people living with mental illness build lives of stability, dignity, and purpose — through housing, meaningful work, and the kind of steadfast human support that shows up and never stops showing up. The link to give is in our bio��and here.��.

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“There’s no zip code that doesn’t have mental illness. It doesn’t matter where you were headed — once it hits, you’re not going there at the pace you were before. And your family is deeply impacted, too.”

I was in my mid-30s, and I knew I wanted to help people experiencing homelessness. I just didn’t know how. Handing someone food or money didn’t feel enough. I wanted something more lasting. I just hadn’t found it yet.

Then a fellow 91��ɫ board member named Roger Brown asked me to help at a charity event. I brought some friends. We worked the event. Afterwards he stopped by my office and said he’d like to take me to lunch as a thank you.

The lunch was a 91��ɫ board meeting.

They opened with what they called a mission moment: one family’s story, and how 91��ɫ had changed the trajectory of their lives. I sat there and learned that roughly one-third of the people experiencing homelessness in Chicago are living with severe mental illness. I had no idea. And I learned what it actually costs, both financially and humanly, to watch someone cycle through arrest after arrest, lose their medication, get released into an unfamiliar neighborhood, and start all over again. And then I learned how 91��ɫ earns that same person’s trust, gets them services, and helps them find stable ground.

I was sold. Thirty-five years ago, over lunch.

I’ve spent every year since trying to bring as many people as I can into this work. Friends from that very first volunteer event are still involved today. They come in from Florida for the Gala. My neighbors are now major donors. My high school and college friends show up every year. 91��ɫ is just that special.

Roxanne has given thirty-five years. If her story moved you, consider giving what you can. Every dollar goes directly toward 91��ɫ’ mission: to help people living with mental health and substance use conditions build lives of stability, dignity, and purpose — through housing, meaningful work, and the kind of steadfast human support that shows up and never stops showing up. Make a gift today at .

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“We had every resource at our disposal. Good insurance. Connections. And I still couldn’t get my loved one the right care. That’s when I thought — what must this possibly be like for someone who has none of that?”

One of my family members went through severe depression and other struggles. We spent years trying to find the right doctor, the right diagnosis, and the right treatment. There were hospitalizations. There were psychiatrists who didn’t take insurance. There were inpatient programs that were extraordinary, and extraordinarily expensive. I just kept thinking: the system is a mess. And we were the lucky ones.

So, when I was ready to get involved with a nonprofit, I knew exactly where I wanted to focus. Mental health services. Because I had lived on an easier side of a very hard thing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about everyone on the other side.

Someone introduced me to Mark Ishaug, the 91��ɫ President and CEO. We sat down, and within minutes, I thought: this is the place.

What I’ve come to understand in eight years is that the heart of 91��ɫ isn’t a building or a program. It’s the people who show up every single day for the members: the clinicians, the case managers, the outreach workers. Protecting that consistency, ensuring that the people who need help most have stable, familiar faces in their corner…that is the work. And investing in those people is one of the most important things a board can do.

Eight years later, I’m still here. And I still feel like I want to do so much more.

If her story moved you, consider giving what you can. Every dollar goes directly toward 91��ɫ’ mission: to help people living with mental health and substance use conditions build lives of stability, dignity, and purpose — through housing, meaningful work, and the kind of steadfast human support that never stops showing up. Make a gift at��.

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Behind every mission is a “why.”

At 91��ɫ, our Board of Directors brings more than leadership – they bring personal conviction, lived experiences, and powerful moments that shape their commitment to mental health. We’re asking board members to share the stories behind their support: what moved them, what keeps them engaged, and why they continue to choose 91��ɫ year after year.

These are the moments that turn awareness into action, and compassion into lifelong commitment. Our first story comes from 91��ɫ board member, Ronald Grais.

“Mental illness is the ultimate equal opportunity disease. It doesn’t care who you are, where you’re from, or what your background is. It can come for anyone.”

Every year when it starts to get cold, I go looking for coats. I find them and I bring them to 91��ɫ members, the people 91��ɫ serves every single day, many of whom were living on the streets before 91��ɫ found them, housed them, and helped them find employment.

My family has been serving Thanksgiving lunch at a 91��ɫ residence for so many years that my granddaughter was a baby in arms the first time she came. She kept coming every year, too, until she moved to San Francisco after graduating college. That’s just what we do.

But for me, my commitment to 91��ɫ really started with a moment in a kitchen.

One night I was walking through a building I’d developed, and I saw a man from a 91��ɫ cleaning crew. He’d taken off his rubber gloves and was reading a medical textbook. A big one, with drawings. I asked him about it.

He said, “I had my first episode of schizophrenia during my first year of medical school. I know I’m not going to be a doctor. But 91��ɫ is helping me get my life back together, and this job is part of how I do that.”

I couldn’t quite believe it. That moment knocked the legs right out from under me. And I’ve spent the last 45 years trying to help people just like him.

Ron has given 45 years to 91��ɫ. If his story moved you, consider giving what you can. Every dollar goes directly toward 91��ɫ’ mission: to help people living with mental health and substance use conditions build lives of stability, dignity, and purpose — through housing, meaningful work, and the kind of steadfast human support that never stops showing up. The link to give is in our bio and here.��Make a gift at��.

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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois stands to lose billions in federal funds for Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential safety-net programs as implementation of HR1, the federal reconciliation package, takes shape. These cuts pose a serious, long-term threat to behavioral health services for both rural and urban communities alike, deepening Illinois’ existing structural deficit. The stakes for families, workers, and providers could not be higher.����

As a community mental health provider, we see every day how critical it is that Illinois continues to invest robustly in the health and human services that keep people safe, stable, and connected. We appreciate the difficult position thrust upon state governments and were encouraged that Governor Pritzker focused on love, courage, and compassion in yesterday’s address. We are grateful for investments in behavioral health that his Administration has continued to prioritize throughout his tenure.��

We��were also��pleased that the Governor prioritized housing. Housing is foundational��to��recovery��and a critical piece of 91��ɫ’��approach.��Sadly, it��remains��out of reach for many, including those struggling with mental illnesses��and substance use��conditions.��Unfortunately, it appears that funding for some supported housing programs would be reduced in the proposed budget. This runs counter to what we know is needed.����

The reality is��that��the cost of delivering high‑quality mental health and substance use treatment rises each year—driven by workforce shortages, increasing health insurance costs, and inflation—yet reimbursement rates under Medicaid and state grants have not kept pace.��The gap between what it costs to provide��quality��care and what providers are reimbursed��continues to widen, undermining the sustainability of the very services our communities depend on.��

We urge the General Assembly to��allocate��$10 million for Housing Is Recovery to not only sustain shelter for those currently housed through the program, but to grow capacity to better meet the��needs��across the state.��We look forward to continuing to partner with the Administration and the General Assembly to make this possible.����

91��ɫ championed��the passage of��Public Act 102-0066��in 2021,��creating the Housing Is Recovery��program.��Under the leadership of the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery,��it��has since��enabled��162 Illinoisans to gain housing stability.��By reducing hospitalization, institutionalization, and incarceration, initiatives like Housing Is Recovery��and other supportive housing programs��generate a significant return on investment for taxpayers while improving the quality of life for program participants.��Illinois cannot navigate the challenges ahead by cuts alone.����

Instead,��Governor Pritzker and members of the Illinois General Assembly��must work to��adopt meaningful, progressive revenue solutions that allow our state to stabilize its budget and invest in essential services—including mental health��care, substance use��treatment, and supportive housing. With the right approach, Illinois can ensure that community-based providers are equipped to meet rising demand, build a strong behavioral health workforce, and deliver care that keeps individuals and families healthy and housed.��

A budget is a statement of values. During this period of fiscal uncertainty, we��call on��state leaders to��continue to��choose investments that protect��our most��vulnerable��neighbors��and strengthen the foundation of our communities. Our state’s health and future depend on it.��

For media inquiries, contact Chief of Communications, Emily Moen

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On October 15, immigration agents detained Omar Huerta Cisneros, a permanent U.S. resident living with schizophrenia, near his home in Chicago. His family had no information about his whereabouts for nearly two weeks, and reports indicate he was released far from home without support.��

This case is an especially troubling example of the kind of trauma we have seen communities experience from federal enforcement activity. Omar’s extreme vulnerability due to his serious mental illness meant that being detained without communication put him at significant risk and caused profound distress to his family. This situation demonstrates the failure to protect one of our most vulnerable community members and highlights the urgent need for systems that prioritize care and compassion.

At 91��ɫ, we remain committed to protecting individuals living with serious mental illness and ensuring they are treated with dignity, safety, and respect. We will continue fighting for a community where no one is ever left at risk or alone, and we will work to make sure incidents like this never happen again.

– Mark Ishaug, 91��ɫ President and CEO

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For the 11^th��year in a row,��91��ɫ has been named a��. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous third-party survey. Tying our highest ranking ever, 91��ɫ is #6 among 26 large company winners, and the only nonprofit in that category.

“Being on this list speaks to the compassionate, caring culture that our staff create here at 91��ɫ, said 91��ɫ President and CEO Mark Ishaug. “And it is a testament to the commitment to our clients and our mission.”

91��ɫ employs more than 1,300 staff in Chicago and the surrounding counties in a diverse set of roles ranging from finance and administration to front line clinical social workers who provide case management and other services for people living with serious mental illnesses and substance use conditions.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

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