After witnessing her child’s life-changing progress during their time as a Spurwink client, Cathy Breen grew to appreciate the importance of our mission—to respond to community needs by providing behavioral health care, substance use disorder services, and support services for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
In 2008, one of Cathy’s children started attending Glickman Academy. “We did an intake interview with the Glickman education director after several very challenging years,” she recalls. “When we described our child’s rather unique needs and difficulties, he said simply, ‘We’ll do whatever is necessary to make it work.’ And that’s exactly what happened. Working with the staff at Glickman taught me the meaning of ‘unconditional positive regard.’”
Cathy understands the necessity of an organization like Spurwink because of her own experience with mental health challenges. “All of us have benefitted from the right kind of support at certain times in our lives, and I believe every human being deserves that support,” she says. “Spurwink does an amazing job of serving thousands of Maine people and families every year.”
Giving Back
In 2013, she started giving to Spurwink and joined the Board of Directors so she could use her voice to advocate for those with behavioral health needs. The next year, she took her advocacy a step further by becoming a Maine State Senator. Cathy brings her knowledge of state government processes to help guide Spurwink’s advocacy efforts within our state.
During her time on the Board, she’s helped support the establishment of Spurwink’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) for Cumberland County, a new initiative to ensure access to behavioral health care for anyone who needs it. In just the last fiscal year, this program provided rapid access to more than 400 individuals with complex needs, including comprehensive screenings and next steps on their health journeys.
As an active member of the initial CCBHC Consumer Advisory Group, Cathy raised important questions and provided key insights. She even gave rides home to members at the end of each meeting to learn more about their experiences and better advocate for community needs as a Board member and legislator.
In 2024, as Tri-County Mental Health Services (TCMHS) joined with Spurwink, Cathy’s knowledge and guidance helped make the transition smooth, ensuring that more than 1,500 TCMHS clients were able to continue their treatment without interruption.
Learn How You Can Give
Cathy and her husband, Jay, have been long-standing supporters of Spurwink, investing both their time and financial resources into expanding access to behavioral health care. One of the ways they have given to Spurwink is through a gift of stock. To learn more about how you can donate stock and other ways to give, visit spurwink.org/donate#waystogive.
