People to be thankful for: Kelly Collins

Kelly Collins insists that her efforts to raise awareness about mental illness are just part of her job, but people around her know better.

As director of care and connection at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles, Collins, who lives in North Aurora, spearheaded monthly discussion groups among church members who deal with mental illness in their daily lives. In the past four years, that has expanded to include presentations by mental health educators, getting involved with the National Alliance on Mental Illness' annual 5K in Batavia, and volunteering for Ecker Center for Mental Health in Elgin.

Collins is a rare kind of volunteer, said Kay Catlin, events manager for Ecker Center, which selected Collins to be honored among local "unsung heroes" during the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Thanksgiving luncheon.

"In my mind, there is a difference between professing your faith and living it. Kelly lives it," Catlin said. "You not only feel that she's listening and empathizing with the needs of others, but that she's going to do something to lessen the load of those in need. And she does."

Collins has a master's degree in social work and worked in hospitals and with families of special needs children before becoming a full-time staff member at Bethlehem Lutheran about 13 years ago.

The church's outreach ministry supports other nonprofit agencies, including The Salvation Army, Lazarus House in St. Charles and Hesed House in Aurora.

Mental health carries an especially burdensome stigma, Collins said.

"It's an isolating and lonely, difficult journey when you are living with mental illness yourself or you are caring for somebody or loving someone with mental illness," she said. "So we've been working to reduce the stigma and promote awareness and wellness."

Deann Miller of St. Charles was among the first to share with the church group her experiences with a family member who suffers from schizophrenia. And it was incredibly beneficial, she said.

"It's really isolating. There's not very many places to talk about it. My friends didn't want to hear about it anymore, I could only talk to (another relative) about it," she said. "It wasn't just about spilling my guts and doing the 'oh poor me' thing. It was a refuge. It was a safe place for me to go."

Collins is, well, awesome, Miller said.

"She's a godsend to me," she said. "She'd probably cringe if you say too many things about her because she says it's just a job, but it's really nice to have someone in your corner. That's who Kelly is - someone in your corner."