11/20/2025
Below is a link, along with the text, of the article published in today's Warwick Beacon about our Clubhouse. We are grateful for reporter Greta Shuster's determination in getting the word out about all the great things Clubhouses have to offer!
Clubhouse International - ICCD Thrive Behavioral Health
https://warwickonline.com/stories/clubhouse-fosters-sense-of-belonging,319866
By GRETA SHUSTER Beacon Media Staff Writer
If you were to walk into Hillsgrove Clubhouse, you’d quickly realize that Dawn Anderson knows everyone. She greets each member by name with a smile.
Established in 1991, Hillsgrove Clubhouse is a restorative community for adults living with mental illness. Anderson works as the membership unit coordinator and is always excited to tell prospective members about the community.
“There is a lot of opportunity for members to get involved in the club, and it’s a great way to avoid social isolation, which is detrimental to anybody’s mental health,” said Anderson, who gives tours to prospective members alongside current members.
The clubhouse’s parent agency, Thrive Behavioral Health, is the designated community mental health organization for Kent County. Hillsgrove receives, through Thrive, federal Medicaid funding that is funneled through their overseeing authority, the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) and federal funding from the Office of Rehabilitation Services.
“That relationship is really tremendous because all the members can take advantage of all of the services that Thrive has,” said Mark Maragnano, clubhouse director. He said Hillsgrove is the second-largest such clubhouse in New England and has grown 60% since the pandemic. There are more than 300 clubhouses nationwide.
At the clubhouse, members take part in the work-ordered day model, which promotes the growth of interpersonal and job skills. Members work alongside staff as a part of different teams, including administration, employment, maintenance, kitchen, garden and more.
Dawn Allen, CEO of Thrive, said the clubhouse is “meeting the needs of community members and offering people a safe place to go with people who have similar experiences.”
Valerie and Darlene, two clubhouse members, work mostly in the business unit on the administrative team. Both women said they have built meaningful connections with other members and developed a stronger sense of independence and autonomy.
Both women were particularly excited about the clubhouse’s “news at noon” tradition, where members can sign up to share fun facts, news headlines and jokes that get printed on a flyer that is distributed at lunchtime. Darlene said it helps spark conversations during members’ meals.
Members can also partake in a variety of social activities, both within the building and on excursions. Anderson said the clubhouse holds about four socials a month. In October, a group of members traveled together to Mystic Seaport, a highly anticipated social.
One member, Mike, said he has visited the clubhouse “off and on” for 15 years. He said the community and work model have helped him and many others to build job skills.
“I’ve seen a lot of good come out of this place,” he said. “This place is what you make of it.”
Hillsgrove supports three kinds of employment: transitional, supported and independent. It partners with local businesses so members can work with the support of the clubhouse and its resources. Transitional employment, the most supportive type, means that Hillsgrove has reserved the job for members, and if one member cannot work a shift, another member will pick it up. It is a mutually beneficial agreement because the role will always be covered but allows flexibility for individuals who are just rejoining the workforce.
In addition to facilitating connections with employers, Hillsgrove helps members prepare for work by reviewing their resume, practicing mock interviews and other simple career services. There is plenty of work to be done within the clubhouse as well, particularly in the kitchen.
In the kitchen, you can find unit coordinator Rosaria Pellegrino leading her team to make nutritious lunches every weekday. “There’s a lot that goes into this unit besides cooking,” she said. “It’s food prep, menu planning two weeks in advance, weekly shopping, inventory, mopping, sweeping and sanitizing.”
Hillsgrove’s main fundraising campaign is annual event is Clubhouse Giving Day (national event) in June, where it holds an open house. In 2025, it raised just over $6,000. As a nonprofit, the clubhouse relies on donations and government funding to operate.
“I’m really proud of that effort and the support we have in the community,” said Maragnano.
The annual harvest dinner for members, staff and their families is a space for the community to reflect in gratitude. This year it will be held Nov. 20.
Members must be referred by their mental-health professional or doctor and meet the diagnosis criteria. Hillsgrove Clubhouse does not offer clinical therapies or treatment-oriented programs. It is at 70 Minnesota Ave. in Warwick. For more information, visit the clubhouse website, www.hillsgroveclubhouseri.org
If you were to walk into Hillsgrove Clubhouse, you’d quickly realize that Dawn Anderson knows everyone. She greets each member by name with a smile. Established in 1991, Hillsgrove …
