It started with a mother's love of and concern for her son. Erik suffered from bipolar disorder, and when his life was cut short, his mother, Karen Fallahi, went into action.

She was instrumental in starting the Colorado Springs chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (then known as the Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association) in 1994. At present this all-volunteer, non-profit organization sponsors free self-help support groups for people suffering from depression and bipolar disorder, their family and friends, operates a resource center and lending library, publishes a quarterly newsletter, and serves as a clearinghouse for information and referral.

Along with growth and interest in its activities has come the need to recruit more volunteers to do the work of operating the library, producing the newsletter, and facilitating at support group meetings. Teamwork is essential and greatly appreciated in an operation like this - if one person is unavailable or not well, another has to be ready to take his or her place. In this manner DBSA builds up its people, gives them a sense of accomplishment, and offers them chances to exercise leadership among their peers without the fear of criticism or failure.
Revised: February 4, 2003

Erik Saiid Fallahi, 1967-1993


AT WANG CHANGLIN' S RETREAT

Here, beside a clear deep lake,
You live accompanied by clouds;
Or soft through the pine the moon arrives
To be your own pure-hearted friend.
You rest under thatch in the shadow of your flowers,
Your dewy herbs flourish in their bed of moss.
Let me leave the world. Let me alight, like you,
On your western mountain with phoenixes and cranes.

Chang Jian