A sea of bright, neon-colored helmets, Nike T-shirts and biker shorts filled First Magnitude Brewing Co. Saturday for the Gainesville Opportunity Center’s annual Bike Day.
The Gainesville Opportunity Center’s mission and the event’s goal are the same: to get those struggling with mental health issues the help they need to be successful. The way to do that Saturday was through a more than 40-mile-long bike ride through Hawthorne Trail. The event also featured tabling, a live band and a raffle. It’s the fundraiser's fifth year.
Florida ranks No. 1 in the nation for adults with any mental illness (AMI), according to the Florida Hospital Association. But while nearly 3 million adults in the state experience some sort of mental illness, Florida ranks 46th in terms of access to mental health care. The Gainesville Opportunity Center aims to fix that statistic.
A handful of guest speakers started off the event, receiving applause and laughter from attendees with their lighthearted takes on the important work they do regarding mental health. After that, the cyclists took off toward the trail.
Cristina Quiroga, a generalist at the Gainesville Opportunity Center’s clubhouse, has been doing work for the organization for eight years. She’s struggled with mental illness herself. She said the Gainesville Opportunity Center helps to bridge the gap between receiving a mental health diagnosis and gaining the confidence to get back into the workforce.
“Things like social skills, making friends with people, keeping in touch with people, that all kind of goes to the side,” she said.
She said the group doesn’t even talk about what mental illness everyone has. The only goal is to get people better. She can point to one member in the clubhouse, in particular, whose life has been changed thanks to the organization.
“He would never want to do anything,” she said. “Two weeks ago, he’s like, I wanna do reception.”
Now, he’s onto completing other tasks, engaging with the community and finally gaining the confidence to break his silence. She said people just need the time and patience to grow. By working at the clubhouse, people are able to develop better self-esteem and independence to achieve whatever their goals are.
“It really does take people and bring them out of that shell that they go into when they’re afflicted with mental illness,” she said.
Wendie Selene, a member of the Gainesville Opportunity Center, is currently struggling with a mental health illness. It’s her second year participating in the event. She said the Gainesville Opportunity Center has helped her get work and housing. She was on the last day of her voucher, on the brink of being homeless, when the Gainesville Opportunity Center stepped in with assistance.
“I am indebted to the GOC for the help that they’ve given me,” she said.
The Gainesville Opportunity Center has helped calm her anxieties about paying bills and getting to doctors’ appointments. She said the most common misconception people have about mental illness is fear.
“Not everyone is violent, and not everyone is not taking their meds,” Selene said.
While she knows people who are agitated because of their mental illness, she also knows people “just like you and me.”
“You’re missing out on making some good friends if you judge,” she said.
Selene said she wishes more people knew how to properly care for those with mental health illnesses. A lot of people with mental illness become incarcerated instead of getting the treatment they need.
In fact, it’s estimated that 70,000 people with mental illness requiring immediate attention are arrested in the state annually, according to the Supreme Court of Florida. With proper education, the correct course of action could be taken to get mentally ill people the help they need.
She said that without the Gainesville Opportunity Center, she wouldn’t be getting out of her house to build the community and relationships she has now.
“We’re really good people,” Selene said.
Take it from Quiroga, who has overcome the setback her mental illness gave her and is now able to work a full-time job, all with a smile on her face.
“Recovery is totally possible,” she said.