In May, we said goodbye to Mary Weeks, LISW, who had been our executive director since 2010. Mary ably guided Walk-In’s small staff and hundreds of volunteers through a period of steadily narrowing options in Minnesota for people seeking mental health care. Services that closed included the Neighborhood Involvement Project, Crisis Connection and Rainbow Health. Agencies that cut back or eliminated sliding-fee-scale services included Family Partnership, Lutheran Social Service, Catholic Charities and Goodwill.
During Mary’s tenure, Walk-In opened two St. Paul clinic sites that stayed open for several years. Walk-In received several awards, including the Minnesota Psychological Association’s Trisha A. Stark Community Involvement Award in 2020 and Field Agency Award from St. Catherine University in 2021-22.
When the pandemic hit, Walk-In pivoted quickly to an all-virtual format, making counseling services available by phone and computer. In 2023, the Minneapolis site re-opened for in-person services three afternoons a week while all clinics stayed accessible by phone and computer. Through it all, Mary embodied Walk-In’s value of respect for every individual, enabling us to be welcoming to all and provide high-quality mental health services to each person who comes to us. To send your own words of appreciation to Mary, email donations@walkin.org and Heather will make sure Mary receives your message. Honorary donations are also welcome.
(PS: The search for Mary’s successor is moving forward apace. Stay tuned for updates.)