DAVIE, Fla. — For most people, the holidays mean time with family and loved ones, but every year, the number of people spending this special time alone is growing.
Right now in Davie, there is a place seen as a safe haven for people searching for a sense of place and purpose.
If you look too fast, you may not see it. Sandwiched between a pre-school and a grocery store on University Drive, you will find Memorial Outpatient Behavioral Health’s Rebel’s Center. And to many, it may not look like much, but just beyond the doors is a home to a growing group of people who are finding their chosen family.
Inside, you will find arts, crafts, music and games. But most importantly, it’s a place for people who are battling isolation. It’s a condition that Dr. Claudia Vicencio is seeing more of, especially during the holidays.
“There is a pandemic of isolation in the United States. People are lonely -- we don’t connect like we used to,” she said.
Just ask Mike Schneider, who is a regular at the Rebel’s Center. He knows what it’s like to feel isolated.
“I suffer from depression, anxiety, I have claustrophobia,” he said. “It got to a point when the pandemic hit – right before that, I just decided I didn’t want to go out anymore. And I spent three years in my house. The only time I went out was to get groceries, and sometimes I wouldn’t even do that, I would just order in.”
And then there is the story of Douglas Biggs, who battles with PTSD, anger issues and anxiety. Just like Schneider, he too fell victim to isolation.
“I isolated, was self-medicating and going down that isolated dark highway. And didn’t even want to move or do anything, wasn’t grooming, nothing,” Biggs said.
But despite what they’re going through, the people who come to the Rebel’s Center say they feel a real connection there.
“Find that community -- maybe there is someone who is struggling with something similar to you and you can talk to them about it. Maybe you just need a place where you can hang out and be around other people. Rebel’s represents that,” Vicencio said.
“So I mustered up whatever courage I had and here I am, and I got lucky. I met a couple of people that I became very good friends with, and now I’m at the point of if I don’t see them, I get anxiety,” Schneider said.
“Finally I got around to it and I came up here, and rejoined as a member and haven’t looked back since,” Biggs added. “You know, I went from one day not trusting anybody, to not knowing anybody, to now everybody knows me and I trust everybody -- they trust me after a few years now. It’s like family.”
Now, after coming to the Rebel’s Center, both Schneider and Biggs, and many others, are using the resources available to improve their wellbeing. Schneider is showing off his art skills and love of his pets, with portraits of cats. And also being the “DD” for Rebel’s, or the “designated DJ,” but most importantly, being someone to talk to.
“So we come, we sit, we talk. There are other people here – I know my own situation. There are a couple times that people have come in here and you can see they’re having a hard time,” Schneider said. “So I’ve stepped in and said, ‘Hey, wanna talk?’ And my experience has helped them. But also what they’re going through helps me. So we each get something out of it.”
And for Biggs, palm trees hanging on the wall show his love for the beach, and now he’s preparing to become a full-time volunteer.
“I’ve dove all in on the paintings and the crafts and the jewelry-making,” he said. “Now I’m the volunteer guitar teacher here.”
At the Rebel’s Center, people from all backgrounds are finding community in something very simple, yet so powerful.
“Walking through the door is the hardest thing to do,” Schneider said. “Sitting in the chair in the second thing. Going from there it’s one step at a time and the employees will come out and say, ‘Hey, what would you like to do today?’ And there’s the start.”
The Rebel’s Center is open from noon to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on the weekends it is open from noon to 5 p.m.
During the holidays, you will find family dinners there and it is free for everyone.
Click here for more information on the Rebel’s Center.
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