How will the Somerset County Recovery Walk's first donation benefit the community?
Proceeds from the first fundraising walk in Somerset County for family, friends and individuals in recovery from substance abuse disorder were presented to Somerset Inc. for a future public mural project.
The inaugural Somerset County Recovery Walk was held Oct. 1 and was sponsored by Crossroads of Somerset, which provides medication-assisted treatment for individuals with substance abuse disorder.
Holiday service:How Somerset County residents honored veterans on National Wreaths Across America Day
Despite heavy rain and cold winds brought on by the post-tropical remnants of Hurricane Ian, about 40 people participated in the walk to honor and support those in recovery, said Venus Hall, a care manager at Crossroads. Live music, face painting and vendors were also part of the day’s activities.
Donations from the community brought in $800, and it was decided that those proceeds would be given to Somerset Inc., which plans a variety of free events, some of which are art-related, to the public throughout the year, Hall said.
“The purpose of the walk was to help Somerset County understand that people do recover,” she said.
“Giving back to the community would help with the stigma that’s out there, and to try to get people in recovery to get more involved with the community.”
'Addiction doesn't discriminate'
Art is one of the main ways, along with athletics and reading, that individuals in recovery use to maintain their sobriety, said Brian Nash, senior director of operations for Crossroads.
“Addiction doesn’t discriminate based on ZIP code, race (or) income. So that’s why it’s important we focus on the community as a whole,” he said.
“Art is an avenue for recovery for a lot of people. When (an individual) starts treatment, it’s 'OK, what am I going to do with my time?' That’s where art comes in, to positively reflect what they’re doing. It will take up time and have people focus on things they can be proud of.”
More than books:Why are Somerset County's public libraries hoping for a 'Secret Santa' gift this year?
Helping make the community beautiful
Regina Coughenour, executive director of Somerset Inc., said the Somerset County Recovery Walk donation would be used to produce another public mural in the area, with plans to try to include individuals in recovery in its creation.
“We do focus on public art and we work with Laurel Arts to do public art projects in the community,” she said. “Our role in art is to bring more visibility to the talent that is here, in partnership with art organizations here.
“Our intention is to partner with Laurel Arts on another public mural, and we’d love to incorporate the recovery community in the creation of that mural. It’s something we have discussed with Laurel Arts already, and we’ve been working to get our mural program off the ground. This will help move that (project) forward, because we want our community to be beautiful and we want everybody to be part of making it beautiful.”
Helping the helpers:Friedens needs to modify fire station to accommodate new fire truck in 2023
Coughenour said she is happy to learn that Somerset Inc.’s free, public events are helping to support individuals in the community through their recovery.
“It meant a lot to me that they were looking for outreach, and they’re reaching out (to the community),” she said. “We did talk about how we could use this money to work with people in recovery in the community. When someone is struggling with addiction, or they’re maybe shaky in their recovery, they need to be invited, to be included. They need to be welcomed.
“I hope that’s something we can continue with this donation, to spread the message that we’re here to be the town for the whole community.”
Hall said that Crossroads hopes to organize another Recovery Walk next year. For information or to participate, contact Hall at VHall@CTC.Care or call 412-851-3797.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset County Recovery Walk raises $800 for public mural project
