Now as an adult, Rollins and her husband Ron, both former Dayton Daily News editors, make their home in Kettering and have for the past 38 years. They moved here from Texas after Ron got his first job at the Dayton Daily News.
Rollins is one of the co-founders of Miracle Clubhouse, a program of Goodwill Easterseals of the Miami Valley (GWESMV). The Miracle Clubhouse is a community of adults living with mental illness and was founded on the belief that meaningful work with others is rehabilitative.
Nominated as a Dayton Daily News Community Gem by her former coworker, Mary Cook, Rollins said she doesn’t really like the spotlight but also knows how important it is to spread the world about mental illness.
“Our son Lee had a mental health crisis when he was in high school,” Rollins said. “It was then that I saw firsthand how difficult emergency behavioral healthcare was to get in the Dayton market.”
Though Rollins’ son recovered and today is married and doing well, Rollins will never forget it.
“Amy invited me to an event at the Miracle Clubhouse where she was serving on the Advisory Council,” Cook said. “After Lee’s crisis, she decided to help others who needed support.”
While her son was struggling, Rollins met a group of parents struggling through similar circumstances. The group took a class together through the National Alliance of Mental Illness and that’s where they learned about Clubhouse International.
After traveling to Cleveland to visit the Magnolia Clubhouse, Rollins and the other co-founders were impressed.
“We thought it was so cool that everyone had a place to go and build meaningful relationships and get support,” Rollins said.
The cofounders formed an LLC and officially became a nonprofit, though they had virtually no money to build a program. The Miracle Clubhouse was open for business in 2012.
“We were advised to go to Goodwill, because at the time they were looking to expand their behavioral health programs,” Rollins said. “We got the green light to become a program of GWESMV.”
Joining GWES meant the Miracle Clubhouse would get a brand-new building, which opened on Warren Street in Dayton in 2014. The building has a dining room, commercial kitchen, main conference room, education room, a soundproof studio, a lobby and a snack area.
“Our son never got an opportunity to go to a place like Clubhouse for support,” Rollins said. “I feel fortunate that he has recovered but I see a lot of folks still living with persistent mental illness. The worst thing for them is to be alone with no purpose in life.”
Cook said that Rollins inspires her because of the time and energy she has devoted to helping people in Dayton.
“Not only does Amy do much for Clubhouse, but she also supports her husband Ron who volunteers on several boards himself. Amy is the type of person who sees a problem and does something about it,” Cook said.
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