Kelly Simpson

My journey with mental health care began at age nine, when I started receiving services at Beckman Mental Health for major depression.

Over the years, I received care off and on. Between 2012 and 2018, I went through some of the hardest years of my life. My mom died, my husband left, and my children moved out. I was receiving disability benefits and Medicaid, and I spent much of my time at home.

Support from Beckman and a steady church family helped me begin rebuilding my life. I returned to work in 2014, and since 2018, I have worked full time at GLEAMNS. In 2023, I also began working part time at Megiddo Dream Station.

There was a time when I was told I would never return to college or work. I was even told I could not work in mental health while taking medication for my own mental health condition.

Today, I bring my lived experience with mental health, disability, and recovery into the work I do to support others.

Seventeen Years of Purpose

In 2006, I began working toward a vision that would eventually become my nonprofit, Establish The Work Of Our Hands. We formally opened our doors in 2023, after a 17-year journey of persistence and purpose.

The name comes from Psalm 90:17, a scripture I held onto while praying for the opportunity to find a good job and asking God to establish the work of my hands.

Through my nonprofit, I write grant narratives, help people pursue employment, and provide mental health coaching. At GLEAMNS, I work as a caseworker helping families access no-cost preschool when they qualify. At Megiddo Dream Station, I serve as a program director, helping people build skills for employment, financial independence, and personal growth.

I have also served as a volunteer community liaison since 2014. In 2026, I earned my Certified Master of Mental Health Coaching credential and became Care Pastor for i3 Ministry at Grace Community Hub.

I remember what it was like to live on disability benefits and hope for an opportunity to work. Today, I support myself through employment and no longer receive disability benefits or Medicaid.

I have built a support network of family, friends, church members, and work partners. I have learned coping skills, and Christian counseling remains an important part of my life.

Seeing Possibilities in My Daughter

I am also the mother of a daughter who has Down syndrome.

When she was born, a doctor told me she would never walk or talk, would need a feeding tube, and would use a wheelchair. He told me to place her in an institution.

I would have loved her regardless of what support she needed. But they did not know everything she would do.

So, of course, I got a new doctor!

During her senior year of high school, she volunteered at a day care, helping teach children colors, numbers, days of the week, and months of the year. In 2024 and 2025, she earned first-place blue ribbons and belt buckles through equestrian therapy.

Her life has reminded me that other people do not get to decide what is possible for someone.

Keeping Hope Alive

My faith is at the heart of my story. I am bragging on God and sharing what He has done in my life.

I also know the value of lived experience. I know what it is like to need support, to depend on disability benefits, to be told what I would never be able to do, and to work toward a different future.

My story has not been about doing everything on my own. Support, treatment, faith, family, community, and opportunity have all been part of my journey.

Today, I use what I have lived through to help other people see possibilities for their own lives.