The women wanted to sponsor a goodwill project and one of them, Maria Anderson, suggested they adopt the residents at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute. Her mother worked at the facility for decades before retiring. I remember when I was a little girl my mom would bring my old dolls to some of the patients and cases of chocolate covered cherries that she bought herself. They were delighted. It made a big impression on me, something I never forgot.
People forget about the mentally ill.
They aren t remembered, said Anderson, who used to work for the legislature but now is employed by the Public Defender s Conference. That s right, Barnes said. Everyone thinks of the people in nursing homes, but nobody thinks of the people here. At least I didn t until we started doing this. Margie Yearwood, director of support services at the mental facility, beamed a bright smile as the women told their story.