Recent News

‘A Community of Total Honesty and Trust’ Clubhouse member and rapper Danny Evans sings the praises of Vail Place Danny Evans admits he was reluctant about joining the Hopkins Clubhouse. However, since becoming a member in April 2017, his life has been transformed in many ways. Danny, who...

Twenty years ago, Vail Place member Fiona K. could barely will herself to leave the front steps of her home, much less socialize or talk in front of a group of people. That was before she found Vail Place. According to Fiona, Clubhouse has transformed...

Suzanne’s successful career as a magician is no illusion After starting her career as a computer programmer, a performing artist known professionally as Suzanne the Magician, transformed her life…with magic. Suzanne recently celebrated 33 years as a professional magician, and now says she realizes that “if there is a destiny, I was destined to do this.” It was puzzles and not magic tricks, which first attracted Suzanne’s attention. “I always loved solving puzzles when I was a kid. I’d get those Mensa books and spend time trying to figure out the puzzles,” she said. In college, Suzanne was drawn to computer programming (“That’s a puzzle, too, isn’t it?”) but in the mid-1980s, she took an informal magic class for a few months from a local magician. In 1985, her then-boyfriend (now husband) was playing in a band on the weekends, so Suzanne started working magic gigs at two Ground Round restaurants in the Twin Cities. “I would perform for four hours on Friday night at one location, and four hours on Saturday night at the other,” she said. “Eight hours a week of practice for a magician is a lot, especially for someone just starting out.” Still working as a computer programmer, Suzanne expanded her schedule to include regular appearances at the American Café, now The Metropolitan. In just a matter of a couple of years, she was in high demand with corporate clients and had accumulated enough regular gigs to quit her day job and do magic fulltime. Brush with Fame

Vail Place members and staff will be at the Minnesota State Fair this year for Mental Health Awareness Day. There will be speakers, entertainment and 34 exhibitors focusing not just on mental illness, but also mental wellness. WHERE: Dan Patch Park at the Minnesota State Fair WHEN:...

This weekend, August 17-18, Vail Place will participate in the 13th annual Great River Ragnar Relay race. A team of our members and staff will be at the event to raise awareness for mental health and to fundraise for our community programs. Ragnar Relays are overnight...

‘I Didn’t Find Vail Place - Vail Place Found Me’ Board member Char Chmielewski talks about the organization’s impact

When Char Chmielewski first became involved with Vail Place seven years ago, she anticipated coming at the experience solely from a business perspective. What she didn’t expect was how deeply her heart would be touched by the courage and resilience of Vail Place members, or the huge impact the organization would have on her personally. “I have so much compassion for the members at Vail Place,” Char says “Although it’s heartbreaking how hard it can be for them sometimes just to live life on a daily basis, at the same time I feel so proud that they are taking their lives back, diving into the programs and just doing the work. Plus their attitudes are incredible. They are so grateful for the community they’ve found at Vail Place.”

Total Care Collaborative - Accountable Communities for Health The Accountable Community for Health (ACH) project between Vail Place and North Memorial Health is building a system of care for adults experiencing behavioral health disorders and co-occurring physical health diseases. The ACH reaches out to patients based...

Nothing beats a phone call for reaching out to friends and family, but if you need more ideas here are some great ways to get more pledges for Tour de Vail! 1.    Make a Facebook Live video asking for pledges. 2.  Tell everyone their money will be...

We are honored to have been recently awarded a $15,000 grant from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. The Schulze Family Foundation supports organizations that work in human and social services, education, health and entrepreneurship. We will use the grant to help meet an increasing...

We're celebrating a very happy birthday - and significant milestone - for Vail Uptown in Minneapolis. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Vail Uptown Clubhouse  opening. The building, which resides at 1412 West 36th Street in Minneapolis, was purchased in 1987 and we've been in...

June 1st - June 7th is Clubhouse Movement Celebration Week! It's a time to celebrate the impact of the Clubhouse model has had for those with mental illness around the world. The uniquely effective Clubhouse Model was, and remains, the foundation of our work. This year marks the 5th...

We are excited to open the doors of our Hopkins and Uptown (Minneapolis) Clubhouses, as well as Vail House, to members of the community for Open House events. At our Open House events you will be able to tour our facilities, learn about our history, our services...