Academy History
Rockhill Academy for Independent Living was established by Owen Gahagan, Jr., as a non-profit in 1995 to provide support, education, transitional living, and community involvement for adults who have been diagnosed with a chronic mental illness. The organization exclusively services residents of Rockhill Manor.
The Academy experience was designed to help people recover their self-esteem, and to lead more self-sufficient, independent, and productive lives. It was referred to as a “bridge” program, linking residents to the community.
Classes were formed to provide individualized support in all facets of the whole person, such as cooking, cleaning, hygiene, budgeting, banking, shopping, and medication management.
As the Academy evolved, core classes in basic reading, math, English, and history were added. Esteem-building, goal setting, personal-responsibility development, and giving back continue to be themes that are present throughout the experience, where Academy students have been encouraged to share their knowledge in the classroom and to help other students as peer life-skills coaches. Our purposeful instruction “bridges” our adult students with the community.
“All successful people are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.”
“The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.”
“Most successful people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.”
“What we think, we become.”
“People create their own success by learning what they need to learn and then by practicing it until they become proficient at it.”
“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.
“Success is not for the timid. It is for those who seek guidance, make decisions, and take decisive action.”
“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.”
“Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you.”
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
“If you do the right job then money will come to you. Because people who need you will request, will ask for you, will attract you, and will be willing to pay you for your services.”
“You are much grander than you think you are.”
“It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.”
“We all have gifts: powers to varying degrees – and everyone has at least one gift – that is your particular piece of power. Acknowledging that you do have power is a major energy of change.”
“A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe.”
“The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear.”
“Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.”
“If you want to reach a goal, you must “see the reaching” in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.”
“The more we give love, the greater our capacity to do so.”
“You’ve got to fix the people first. Insiders and new people. Everything else flows from that. And in today’s complex world, nobody does anything successful alone – it’s all about teamwork.”
“Hire great people and give them the freedom to be awesome.”