In May 2006 DBSA was informed that the government will not fund DBSA’s Chapter Leadership Forum (CLF) scholarship program. DBSA has been left to scramble for funding as our conferences are scheduled for Sep 8th and Oct 20th! We are asking for your support and hope that you will contribute to the scholarship fund.

In the past, DBSA has received government funding and awarded Chapter Leaders with scholarships that enabled those facilitators (who otherwise would be unable) to attend CLF. These scholarships paid for their expenses to attend the conference – a life-changing experience to so many (see testimonials below).

Over 55,000 people attend DBSA support groups every year. For some of these people, support groups are the difference between being hospitalized or feeling well. They
are a vital part of the recovery process and help people adhere to their treatment plans. Having a trained Chapter Leader facilitate these meetings has been the key to their success.

The better educated our facilitators are, the more help they will provide. With this in mind, in 2001, DBSA began hosting the Chapter Leadership Forum (CLF) in conjunction with our Annual Conference. At CLF Chapter Leaders and other interested volunteers focus on training to become better facilitators. These meetings empower attendees to achieve positive change in their communities through advocacy, community outreach, education and support.

Sponsor a Chapter Leader today by making a contribution to our CLF Scholarship Fund.

• $36,000 Provides funding for the entire Chapter Leadership Forum.

• $500 Enables 1 Chapter Leader to attend, includes travel expenses.

• $100 Pays for 1 Chapter Leader’s CLF registration.

To learn more about how support groups work click here

Testimonials received from Chapter Leaders

“Thanks nat'l for doing 3 reg. conferences -- more can attend for less. Thanks for the CLF program -- it's the BEST!”

“I was sponsored to attend and I am so grateful for the entire experience.”
We came to the conference as strangers from Virginia, Oregon, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Chicago, and Minnesota. We knew each other only by our online names and the words we had typed. We had one commonality-we all live with a mood disorder. As we sat in the atrium of the Embassy Suites laughing and talking we realized that we weren't strangers at all.

Meeting each other at the conference allowed us to bridge some of the gaps in our support systems. We now have people we can call who understand where we have been,and encourage us to reach forward. We have people who can feed us hope when we feel lacking, and can help us maneuver through this world, which so often feels too big. The prevailing feeling we all left with is strength, and we found that in each other-there is nothing more powerful than that.
---Sarah

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to have a scholarship for this conference. I had no knowledge of DBSA and its functions. All I can say is WOW!!”