To our family, friends, and generous supporters,

After several months of consideration, we have made the difficult decision to dissolve our non-profit organization, “We All Move On” (WAMO) Inc. This 501(c)(3) was established in memory of our son and brother, Joshua Adonis Barber, who died by suicide in 2010. The mission of our organization was to raise awareness, decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness, and to help bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient services in mental healthcare.

In our time of operation we, thanks to the support of many, were able to:

• Meet with and advise senior management at Butler Hospital regarding the gap that exists after inpatient discharge from a patient’s perspective
• Provide funding for professionals at The Providence Center to attend suicide prevention training using the CASE methodology
• Provide funding for a mental health clinicians to “Ride Along” with Providence Police Department officers responding to mental health calls
• Provide funding towards the “Zero Suicide” initiative at Butler Hospital

With our decision to dissolve WAMO Inc, we have chosen to divide our remaining funds between two local foundations which align with our mission. Those two entities are Butler Hospital’s Transitional Outpatient Program (TOP) and the Chris Collins Foundation.

The Transitional Outpatient Program at Butler Hospital provides treatment services to those who have recently been discharged from the hospital. This team of professionals includes a psychologist, an advanced practice nurse, a licensed counselor, and case managers. The TOP team provides at-risk patients with individualized support during their post-hospital transition. They may help patients manage appointments, set them up with community resources, and offer short term therapy and medication management until their long term outpatient care is established. Butler management has indicated that they plan to use our donation to provide suicide prevention training to the TOP team. You can learn more about the Transitional Outpatient Program at https://www.butler.org/services/outpatient/transitional.

The Chris Collins Foundation was created by the Collins family of South Kingstown, in memory of their son and brother Chris. Chris battled depression and anxiety for three years before dying by suicide in 2018. The foundation’s mission is “to heighten awareness and advance education about mental illness, especially in schools, by developing and/or enhancing existing programs that will help promote early detection of mental illness and encourage help-seeking and support when needed.” They do this through funding a Peer-2-Peer Depression Awareness program in local schools. The Peer-2-Peer program was developed by the University of Michigan Depression Center in 2009. The approach is built on the premise that teens are more likely to listen to their friends than well-meaning adults. It is a student-led initiative where peer leaders serve as positive role models who help shape social attitudes regarding mental illness. In 2018 the Peer-2-Peer program began in South Kingstown and Narragansett high schools. In 2019, North Kingstown High School joined as well. This year the initiative has grown significantly, as they are adding four additional high schools and four middle schools in Rhode Island. Please visit www.chriscollinsfoundation.org to learn more about Chris, the foundation, and the Peer-2-Peer program.

As a family, we want to thank all of those who have supported us along this journey. Because of you all, we were able to help fund several local initiatives and improvements in mental healthcare in Josh’s memory. We are pleased to continue that support through these two final donations, as we all move on.

With love and gratitude,

Maggie, John, and Darla Barber

Darla and Maggie present a $15,000 donation to Dr. Brandon Guadiano, director of the Transitional Outpatient Program at Butler Hospital, on September 1, 2022.

Darla and Maggie present a $14,000 donation to Beth and Mark Collins, of the Chris Collins Foundation, on September 11, 2022.

August 31, 2017

Hey Everyone,

It’s that time of year.. And as many of you know, today is the 7th anniversary of Josh’s passing. Over the past few weeks, we have been considering the 2017 event (even though 2016 seems like yesterday). We’ve discussed and considered the time and effort our family, friends, and other supporters are required to gear up for, and conduct the event annually. Our thoughts of people having to travel long distances, musicians and others volunteering their time, and the burden of donating to WAMO yet again were not positive. As a result, we have decided to give it a break this year, with the plan to resume next. Thanks to you all for your support over the years and we hope to see you next year!

We held our 5th benefit event on Saturday, November 12th, 2016 at the Narragansett Cafe in Jamestown, and it was one of our most successful to date!

For those of you that weren’t able to attend, we have some important updates for you.

It had been two years since our last benefit, and we have been able to make significant contributions to two very worthy causes at The Providence Center, all thanks to your generous donations over the years.

First, we are proud to say that in October of 2015, WAMO fully funded an all day suicide assessment training at the Providence Center. The training was provided by internationally acclaimed workshop leader and educational innovator in the field of suicide prevention and clinical interviewing, Dr. Shawn Christopher Shea. Through our gift, over 50 mental health clinicians from The Providence Center, Continuum Behavioral Health, and Butler Hospital were trained in a new and innovative way of assessing individuals for suicidal risk. And since then, a Providence Center clinician and trainer has implemented a series of several mini-workshops with additional Providence Center employees, creating a true ripple effect, increasing the impact exponentially. We are so proud of this contribution, and without your donations, it wouldn’t have been possible.

That was in 2015. This year, we were able to make another large contribution to a groundbreaking program at The Providence Center. It’s a partnership with the Providence and Warwick Police Departments, where a mental health clinician is able to ride alongside police officers when responding to calls where mental illness may be a factor. The program is designed to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and instead direct them to appropriate mental healthcare services.

We cannot thank you all enough, for your continued support – YOU are making positive changes in mental healthcare with your generosity every year. Special thanks to John Recca and Cathy Squires at The Narragansett Cafe, Kerry Sheehan at Rum Runner Silk Screen & Embroidery, Neal and the Vipers with Dave Howard, Mike Law, Greg Sherrod, and the original members of Smokestack (Chad Souza, Dick Souza, and Mark Taber).

Make sure you follow us on Facebook for the most up to date information! Thank you all so much for your support.

~The Barbers

“Becoming The Blues: A Family Memoir” – OFFICIALLY RELEASED!

Visit www.BecomingTheBlues.com to learn more about the book or to purchase it online.