Chrysalis, Inc. will offer community members a platform to share personal stories of resilience and connection at the 4th annual Shared Threads: Stories That Weave Us Together on Tuesday, March 3, 5:30-7 p.m., at the Goodman Community Center’s Brassworks Building. The storytelling event and fundraiser will take place in person and virtually around the theme of “Home,” and promises to be an inspirational evening of connection and collective healing.
“We see people kind of opening up at this event, and I think the more that people get used to telling their story in a way that feels good for them, the more we can boost that anti-stigma message,” Imani Jackson, the director of development for Chrysalis, tells Madison365 in an interview on the fourth floor of the Black Business Hub. “A big piece of mental health is people feeling isolated and feeling like they are the only one. And that is just not the case.”
Rooted in the values of accessibility, belonging, connection, collaboration, diversity, and equity, “Shared Threads: Stories that Weave Us Together” will “explore what home means to each of us, how we find it, build it, and carry it within ourselves and our communities,” according to a press release from Chrysalis, Inc., a Madison organization that promotes mental health and substance use recovery in the community by supporting work opportunities that encourage hope, healing, and wellness.
“This event is the same day as the Community Shares of Wisconsin Big Share Day and we are members of the Community Shares of Wisconsin. This is the fourth year for the event, which started in-house as a dream, and has really grown,” Jackson says. “Last year was our first year out in the community. We hosted it at Garver Feed Mill, and it was really beautiful.
“We decided this year to move it to the Goodman Community Center … with that space, it’s just gonna maybe feel a little more intimate. This event has a really intimate, communal kind of feel,” Jackson adds. “It is our only public-facing event of the year currently. We will be bringing in a couple of professional storytellers to workshop with the storytellers in the weeks before the event.”
Jen Rubin and Takeyla Benton, the creators of the Inside Stories podcast, are the professional storytellers who facilitate two of the workshops leading up to the event.
(Photo by Van Boxtel Photography.)
“We hired them to come in for two weeks and teach people about doing an intro to storytelling, and get their mind wrapped around the theme of the year, which is ‘Home.’ And in the second workshop, they do a peer review in small groups, and the folks write their stories in between the workshops,” Jackson says.
“Then the third workshop is with me and my [Chrysalis] coworker, Jessica Perez, helping people rehearse their story and get prepared for the live event the following week. Jess and I are both certified peer specialists. While I’m doing more of the coordination as the development director, she is offering peer support to our storytellers throughout the experience,” Jackson continues. “So if they have emotions that come up while they’re writing their story, or they have trouble writing their story, or need someone to sit alongside them while they’re writing, she’s there to do that kind of thing.”
Since 1980, Chrysalis Inc. has provided supported employment programs and peer advocacy services for people living with mental health and substance use challenges. Its programs help individuals find and maintain competitive, community-based employment, a proven driver of recovery and wellness. The organization’s impact through its Chrysalis programs includes increased self-esteem, stronger social networks, and improved quality of life for participants.
(Photo supplied.)
The annual Shared Threads event has become one of the organization’s signature events, and this year Chrysalis is encouraging donations to support its mission and participation in Community Shares of Wisconsin’s Big Share Day, also held on March 3rd. Jackson notes that there is a free option for people to make the event more accessible.
Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., and the event will begin at 5:30 p.m. Seating is available in person and virtually. In-person guests will enjoy light refreshments and Chrysalis Pops. Through live, personal stories, Shared Threads will challenge stigma and foster empathy, helping the community see one another with greater compassion.
“This event is what some people know us by. We’ve had participants start working with us because they came to this event. We’ve built partnerships from this event,” Jackson says. “So it’s really important for our community, and I think it gives people a taste of the work that we do and our culture, which is not just helping people with mental health and substance use challenges get into work or school, but building community and support they need to do those things, reach those goals and maintain employment, or reach that finish line and get their diploma.”
Back in May of 2025, Jackson became Chrysalis’s first development director. She says that she has been planning the event since July and gathering together sponsors that help make the event possible including UW Health, Dean SSM Health, GHC-SCW, Dane Arts, Summit Credit Union, Park Bank, Recovery.com, SASY Neighborhood Association, Marquette Neighborhood Association, Quest Counseling & Consultation Center, Numbers 4 Nonprofits, Wegner CPA, Isthmus Vet, YWCA, Van Boxtel Photography, K&A Greenhouse, Wisconsin Milkweed Alliance (WIMA), and Life Echo Media.
For the storytellers, there is an application process, and it’s not very rigorous, Jackson says, and they usually select 14-18 people out of the pool of applicants. This year, however, they accepted everybody.
“People kind of dwindle out as the weeks go by. There are people who are unsure if they want to share their stories live. They don’t know if they are ready. I had someone call me a couple of weeks before the workshop and said, like, ‘I’m going through something in my life right now that feels too close to this topic. I don’t know if I can tell my story.’ I definitely let them know that that’s OK,” Jackson says. “I wouldn’t want someone to go on stage and not feel good about it, not go through the process and feel like they’re ready to share their story, which is really important to me as a peer specialist.
“I think that this event really offers that opportunity for people to not only hear people’s stories, but also hear about mental health awareness and substance use awareness and to learn about our services and who we are,” she adds.
Folks are able to donate to Chrysalis or reserve seats for the Shared Threads event here.
“Last year, we were expecting 150 people, and at least 200 people showed up. People were standing in the back like we didn’t have enough seats, didn’t have enough food,” Jackson says. “So we decided that we want to make sure we can accommodate everybody and plan for that this year.”
Shared Threads is Chrysalis’ largest fundraising event of the year, coinciding with the organization’s participation in Community Shares of Wisconsin’s Big Share Day. Jackson says she hopes the event leaves people inspired and deeply connected with one another.
“This is an important fundraiser for us but also a chance to raise awareness about mental health, stigma-busting, and community healing,” Jackson says. “I think this event gives people a taste of the work that we do and our culture. It’s an important event.”
