The late Rita Gilleck had a vision in the early 1970s for people with mental health challenges in Athens. She envisioned a safe haven for people with mental health challenges to form a community in a community house. The goal for the house was to serve as a beacon of hope for people in the community with mental health challenges to socialize, hang out and learn how to live in the community, building trust amongst the two communities.
This was the start of the Gathering Place at 7 N. Congress St. in the city of Athens 50 years ago as of next year. Rita Gilleck was one of the founding members alongside Ann Stemple Edward Brown, James Burgess and Shirley Whan. Jim Burgess had the honor of naming it the Gathering Place. Rita was the first president of the Gathering Place. The only surviving member of the Gathering Place is Ed Brown. I have been a Gathering Place member 25 years as of this year. I've been clean and sober for 25 years as of 2025, and I've served 17 years on the Gathering Place board of directors 2005-2023.
David E. Hartinger
