Who is the face of OCD? Everyone, says Cindy Tiffany-Frey, the president of OCD Wisconsin. Anyone you see might be dealing with the disorder, and its effects go beyond each particular person who has it. One in 100 people have OCD, Tiffany-Frey notes, and it also affects each person’s community, including co-workers, friends and family.
“Our mission statement is to bring awareness and education and offer it all with passion and support. OCD is so grossly misunderstood,” says Tiffany-Frey. “Just because your dresser drawers are neat as a pin does not mean you have OCD. OCD is consistent with two things – obsession and compulsion – and those two things together destroy lives.”
OCD Wisconsin was founded in 2014 to offer support for those with OCD and their families. In 2021, the organization amicably spun off from Rogers Behavioral Health after a seven-year partnership. It is now a nonprofit affiliate of the International OCD Foundation. With more and more people who need services, the organization is poised to grow. It remains volunteer-driven, with no paid positions, and is funded through financial donations.
“Weekly, we are getting phone calls from people in the state of Wisconsin that need help and can’t get the help,” says Tiffany-Frey, a retired special education teacher. “The upper areas in the state struggle with up to 1,000 people with mental health issues per one provider.”
Volunteers are needed to assist with event planning and accounting. OCD Wisconsin’s annual events include fundraising walks in Oconomowoc and Madison. Each year, a senior-year scholarship is awarded to an incoming college student to help with treatment and medications during this transition. OCD Wisconsin is also writing curriculum to help first responders identify symptoms, and not trigger or make a person’s OCD worse.
Other services are “Ask the Experts” simulcasts and monthly “Beyond Treatment Network” Zoom meetings. “We have more resources than we’ve ever had to help people,” says Tiffany-Frey. In 2024, the organization hopes to organize a 10-year-anniversary fundraising gala and create a camp for children affected by OCD. “I’ve taught students who have OCD and know how painful that is, not just for the child, but the family and the communities the child is in, which affects everything,” says Tiffany-Frey.
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What We Do
- OCD Wisconsin is a nonprofit that supports those with OCD and their families. It connects them with local resources and fosters a community where those with OCD and their caregivers can meet, interact and share their experiences. It also provides live Q&As with licensed professionals who offer OCD help, along with an annual scholarship for an incoming college student with OCD.
Where Your Money Goes
- OCD Wisconsin is a volunteer-run organization funded through donations. Donations are used for its year-round programming for those with OCD. It’s looking for volunteers, including people who can help with education, outreach, fundraising and programming.
OCD Wisconsin
P.O. BOX 623, OCONOMOWOC, WI 53066 | 833-623-9472
