A Clubhouse Sustained by Community: The Philosophy Behind 1000Tens

A mental health clubhouse is more than a building or a collection of programs. It is a community.

Robbie’s House exists because people need a place where they are known, expected, and valued. In our Laramie Clubhouse, members and staff work side by side. We prepare and share meals, create art, write, tend our greenhouse, pursue employment and education, maintain our space, and build relationships that push back against isolation.

This is not care delivered to passive recipients. It is a community built with the talents, work, courage, and presence of everyone who walks through the door.

We believe the way Robbie’s House is funded should reflect the same philosophy.

That is the idea behind 1000Tens: a mental health clubhouse created for the community and sustained through the collective effort of the community we serve—along with people anywhere in the world who believe in our mission from afar.

COMMUNITY IS THE MODEL

The Clubhouse model begins with belonging. People living with mental health challenges are not defined by a diagnosis or reduced to a list of needs. They are members with strengths, ideas, responsibilities, and something important to contribute.

At Robbie’s House, community is not an extra feature. It is the foundation of the work.

A meal is not simply food. It is something members plan, prepare, serve, and enjoy together. An art project is not simply recreation. It can become meaningful work, shared expression, and a way to preserve or communicate Clubhouse history. Employment support is not just about finding a job. It is about confidence, independence, and knowing that other people believe in what you can do.

Again and again, ordinary acts of participation become protection against isolation. A place to go becomes a reason to get up. A task becomes a source of purpose. A familiar face becomes a reminder that someone noticed you arrived—and would notice if you did not.

Robbie’s House is strongest when many people bring what they can. We believe its financial foundation should work the same way.

WHAT 1000TENS REALLY MEANS

The goal of 1000Tens is $10,000 in dependable monthly support—the equivalent of 1,000 people giving $10 each month.

The word “equivalent” matters because $10 is an invitation, not a ceiling.

Ten dollars offers an accessible way for many people to take part. Someone able to give $20 each month carries the equivalent of two “Tens.” A donor giving $50 provides the equivalent of five. A $100 monthly supporter carries the equivalent of ten.

People should give at the level that is right for them. Every recurring gift becomes part of the same shared commitment: keeping a dependable place of belonging available to people living with mental health challenges.

1000Tens is not built around the idea that one wealthy donor should rescue Robbie’s House. It is built around collective ownership. It asks many people to stand behind a community resource they believe should exist.

FUNDED BY THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE

Robbie’s House is rooted in Laramie and Albany County. We want our local community to see the Clubhouse as its own: a place created by neighbors, strengthened by neighbors, and sustained by neighbors.

That community includes our members and their families. It includes local businesses, students, educators, healthcare workers, artists, veterans, faith communities, civic leaders, and residents who understand that mental health affects every neighborhood and every kind of family.

A broad foundation of local support says something powerful to our members: you matter here, and your community is invested in your future.

It also makes Robbie’s House more resilient. When support comes from many people, the organization is less vulnerable to the loss of one grant or one large donor. Dependable monthly giving allows us to plan responsibly, maintain consistent hours, purchase ingredients for nutritious meals, support creative and employment programs, care for our space, and respond when connection is needed before a difficult day becomes a crisis.

SUPPORTED BY BELIEVERS FROM AFAR

Community is not limited by geography.

Some people discover Robbie’s House because they once lived in Wyoming. Some love a person affected by serious mental illness. Some believe deeply in the Clubhouse model. Others see our stories, videos, meals, pottery, writing, employment successes, or everyday moments of connection and recognize something universal.

They understand that nobody should have to face mental health challenges alone.

Our supporters from afar may never sit at the lunch table in Laramie, but they can still belong to the community surrounding that table. Their monthly gifts help make the welcome possible. Their sharing helps more people discover an approach grounded in dignity, participation, and purpose. Their belief reminds our local community that the work happening here matters far beyond our city limits.

That is why original stories and videos are central to 1000Tens. We want people to see the life of the Clubhouse—not as a distant charity, but as a living community they can know, support, and help sustain.

A THOUSAND ACTS OF BELIEF

No single $10 gift is expected to keep Robbie’s House open. Its power comes from joining with hundreds of other gifts.

Together, those commitments become meals, warmth, creative work, opportunities, relationships, and consistent hours. They become a door that opens when it is supposed to. They become a place that can make promises—and keep them.

Those who can give more help us reach the goal faster. Those who give $10 show that meaningful generosity does not have to begin with wealth. Every donor becomes one part of a larger statement:

We believe people living with mental health challenges deserve community.

We believe belonging and purpose can change lives.

We believe Laramie should have a strong, welcoming mental health clubhouse.

We believe the responsibility for sustaining it can be shared.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY BEHIND ROBBIE’S HOUSE

Our goal is not simply to collect 1,000 donations. It is to build a community of people who believe Robbie’s House should be here—month after month—for anyone who needs a place to belong.

If $10 a month is right for you, it matters. If you are willing and able to give $20, $50, $100, or more, your generosity carries us toward the $10,000 monthly goal even faster.

Whether you live down the street or thousands of miles away, you can become part of the collective effort sustaining this community.

Robbie’s House is a Clubhouse for the community. Through 1000Tens, it can be a Clubhouse funded by community, too.

Learn about our programs: https://www.robbieshouselaramie.org/our-programs

Join 1000Tens: https://www.robbieshouselaramie.org/support-robbies-house