Meet Alumna Nicole Tabbachino, Co-Founder of the Orenda Center of Wellness

Pictured above, from left: Orenda Center co-founders Kelsea Kephart, Darian Harwood and Nicole Tabbachino

Nicole Tabbachino, a 2013 graduate of Hood College, has a passion for helping the community. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work with a minor in criminology and delinquency. This passion motivated her to co-found the Orenda Center of Wellness, which supports residents in Frederick who are experiencing substance abuse.

The word “Orenda” is an Iroquoian word defined as the power in each person to create change within themselves. The Center offers many services, including counseling and trauma-informed yoga to help people get on the path to recovery.

“Working in this field, you are constantly met with people who are experiencing a very vulnerable and difficult time in their lives,” said Tabbachino. “At the same time, you also see the things that keep them motivated, the things that bring them joy, and the things that make them feel loved. The responsibility to make a difference feels overwhelming and you must ask yourself, what can I do? Social work put me in the position to see the need and want to fill it.”

When referring to social work, Tabbachino refers to a quote by author and social change campaigner, Andrew Boyd. It states:

“Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.”

This quote holds true, as Tabbachino is carrying the weight of the Center on her shoulders. At least she is not doing it alone. The two other founders are Kelsea Kephart and Darian Harwood, who she worked previously with at Excel Youth.

“The three of us really share the same vision for treatment and recovery, which has allowed us to effectively work together to bring Orenda to life. We each have different backgrounds and passions, so it helps us challenge each other to think outside the box,” said Tabbachino. She states the Center is a force that empowers people to create change within themselves and their surroundings.

“By helping others feel empowered to make change, we are supporting them as they make changes,” she said.

Their two locations support residents in Frederick County. The inpatient facility, located in Sabillasville, Maryland, allows women to attend 30 clinical sessions a week, attend trauma-informed yoga, and have access to a nurse and a psychiatrist. These are just a few services provided that people can receive in a peaceful and supportive environment. The outpatient clinic on West Patrick Street in Frederick is a full mental health clinic that offers counseling with therapists and psychiatrists and is available for men, women and adolescents. The outpatient facility also offers substance abuse treatment through partial hospitalization (six hours a day, five days a week), intensive outpatient treatment (three hours a day, three days a week), medication-assisted treatment, and outpatient counseling.

This center perfectly correlates with the “Frederick Goes Purple” initiative.

“We are in alignment with Frederick Goes Purple for a variety of reasons,” said Tabbachino. “Orenda is a substance abuse and mental health treatment center, so we are directly serving the population that Frederick Goes Purple is advocating for and are a resource for those seeking treatment. We also work closely with many other programs and facilities in the area so that we always have resources to refer our clients to.”

Hood Students (particularly social work, sociology or psychology majors) who are interested in volunteering, looking for an internship or seeking employment can look into what the Orenda Center has to offer.

“We do offer entry level jobs at our 24/7 inpatient facility, super part-time positions or people who fill in when staff are called out in the community or need a shift change,” said Tabbachino. “Students who are interested in one of those options or who are interested in receiving treatment for substance abuse or mental health can reach out to us via our website if interested or e-mail me at nicole@theorendacenter.com and I'd be happy to help!”