Rick Brunner and Steven Mitchell work on wooden cars at Rick's Toybox. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The first week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week, a time to raise awareness, fight discrimination and provide support for those dealing with mental health issues. A Brown County man has found a creative outlet to help him deal with his mental health disorders.
It’s been 57 days since Steven Mitchell has been hospitalized for mental health issues, and just as long since he’s attempted any type of self harm. Diagnosed with multiple mental health disorders like bipolar, OCD and PTSD, Mitchell has suffered for years, attempting suicide dozens of times — his first at just 6 years old.
“When I lived in Minnesota, almost exactly a year ago in May, I was in the hospital so much just because I was so depressed. They were like we can’t let you go back to your apartment you have to live with somebody, you’re not mentally stable enough we won’t let you live alone. So, I moved in with my mom and I just never left the house,” said Steven Mitchell.
Mitchell’s mom started dropping him off at HopeChats and he’d spend his days there with peers who were battling some of the same mental health issues, but a chance encounter with Rick Brunner, from Rick’s Toybox, located next door, proved to be a turning point.
“Kind of teaming up with him, I said why don’t you come in and he was sitting here a couple of times and I finally just put him to work,” said Rick Brunner of Rick’s Toybox.
Two to three days a week, Mitchell is at Rick’s sanding, helping the non-profit organization make its wooden cars that are donated to various entities like hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and others that deal with children. And while Mitchell enjoys the work, that’s a benefit to Rick’s Toybox too, it’s time he spends in the shop that means so much more.
According to Mitchell, “I feel I’m contributing to the world. Where a lot of times I get really depressed and sad and I don’t want to get out of bed because I feel like what’s the point, but this gives me a real good reason.”
Over time, Mitchell has opened up to Rick Brunner not only about his struggles, but also his artistic side. Brunner said, “I started handing him scraps of wood and little jars of paint and before you know it, it just expanded from one project to another project and his skill level just basically took off and I really think he can go places and Steven can, he’s just in a blossoming stage right now.”
Hearing that is encouraging for Mitchell, who’s selling his paintings out of Rick’s Toybox, with plans to donate the profits to a charity to help others.
“I’m not in my head so much and it’s something I get excited to do and it’s something I look forward to and I just really enjoy it. I love to be creative so it’s awesome,” added Mitchell.
And it keeps not only Mitchell safe, but it means the world to Rick Brunner too. He said, “It even changes my outlook. Makes me feel good inside.”
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