FHR participates in local National Recovery Month event
Ninth annual Rally 4 Recovery marks largest Recovery Month event in Rhode Island
Contributed by: Erika Sloan, Public Relations/Web Content Coordinator
Fellowship House Interim Assistant Director Leah Babat and
FHR President/CEO Joe Dziobek, greet Rally attendees at the FHR table.
Providence, RI - September 12, 2011 - Fellowship Health Resources, Inc. (FHR) participated in the ninth annual Rally 4 Recovery on Saturday, September 10, at the Roger Williams National Memorial. An estimated 4,000 people attended this year's rally, making it the largest Recovery Month event in Rhode Island to date.
Rally 4 Recovery is co-sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) and the Rhode Island Recovery Month. BHDDH Director Craig Stenning (pictured right), served as the Master of Ceremonies, introducing keynote speakers, live bands, and performers throughout the day. The entire event aims to promote recovery services, educate the community, and celebrate individual stories of recovery.
“Rally 4 Recovery is an opportunity for local agencies to raise awareness about mental illness, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities. FHR is proud to be a part of this important community celebration,” said FHR President/CEO Joe Dziobek.
“It feels good to be around a lot of people,” said Leo, an FHR member from Rhode Island. “This program has done a lot for me and seeing everyone here means that you’re not alone.”
Director of the National Center for Mental Health Services, A. Kathryn Power, spoke at the event, along with Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “This day honors the ongoing, day-to-day courage of people in recovery who are fighting their way back to restore their lives,” said Senator Whitehouse.
The event concluded with a luminary procession to WaterFire Providence. Over 300 people carried hand-written dedications and luminarias to Waterplace Park. “It was my first time joining in the candlelit procession,” Dziobek said. “People stopped and asked who we were and what we were doing; it was a meaningful way for participants to share insight with those outside of the mental health community.
“Symbolically, Rally 4 Recovery is an important event for all of us,” said BHDDH Director Stenning. “Rhode Islanders are recently recovering from Hurricane Irene and we’re all reminded of how fragile life can be. From behavioral health and medical health perspectives, we know that having hope makes all the difference.”
For more information about National Recovery Month events, visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov/.