by LaMara HunterKelly | Feb 19, 2020 | In The News
Participants in a Recovery Summit at Greenfield Community College discuss sober events in and around Greenfield.By ZACK DeLUCA
Staff Writer
Published: 2/19/2020 10:02:53 PM
GREENFIELD — Members of Greenfield Community College (GCC) and the surrounding community discussed the possibility of hosting more frequent recovery events and increasing access to affordable transportation during Wednesday’s GCC Recovery Summit…
Citizens asked about community access to, and awareness of, community recovery resources or events. According to Trust, GCC holds two recovery meetings a week for the public. “All Recovery Meetings” are held Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. Meetings for the RECOVER Project are held Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m.
Steven “Skip” Sommer, a local recovery activist who is recovering from addiction himself, said transportation is a key point of interest. While the community college hosts events and meetings, he said it can be difficult for people to afford a bus ticket or rely on public transit.
“They don’t want to walk the whole way out here,” Sommer said.
“It’s a long walk, I can attest to that,” agreed Zack Desjardins, a peer volunteer with The RECOVER Project who is recovering from addiction.
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by LaMara HunterKelly | Feb 14, 2020 | In The News
Athol Daily News – Staff Report
Published: 2/13/2020 10:04:13 PM
ATHOL — The Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, in collaboration with the North Quabbin Recovery Center, the North Quabbin Community Coalition and the RECOVER Project, is hosting Loving Your Recovery — a free, fun, and family-friendly event to celebrate the positive aspects of recovery — Saturday, Feb. 15.The event will be held 1-4 p.m. at the Athol Town Hall, 584 Main St. A light buffet will be provided as well as crafts, and entertainment. Everyone is welcome, not just those directly impacted by addiction.
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by LaMara HunterKelly | Nov 1, 2019 | In The News
Amie Hyson listens during a rehearsal for “What Our Voices Carry”, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 at Shea Theater in Turners Falls.By LUIS FIELDMAN
Staff Writer
Published: 11/1/2019 10:01:42 PM
Through prose and poetry, women of the group Voices From Inside find a way to express experiences that are often too difficult to talk about, whether it’s life inside of a prison or recovering from drug addiction…
“We are putting these words together to create scenes that enable us to show what women go through who are incarcerated, who have been incarcerated, who are in recovery, who have experienced domestic violence or sexual trafficking,” said Amie Hyson, a Greenfield resident who discovered Voices From Inside in March 2017 and is an actress in the play.
While in long-term recovery from prescription pain medications at The RECOVER Project in Greenfield, Hyson formed bonds with other women in the Voices From Inside workshops where women could open up about painful experiences through their writing in an environment free from personal criticism…
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by LaMara HunterKelly | Sep 19, 2019 | In The News
The RECOVER Project in Greenfield. Staff Photo/PAUL FRANZBy MAUREEN O’REILLY
Staff Writer
Published: 9/19/2019 7:06:44 PM
Modified: 9/19/2019 7:06:32 PM
GREENFIELD — Steven “Skip” Sommer’s tour of The RECOVER Project’s building led through a kitchen, a meditation room, a colorful family playroom, a computer area and down a hallway to a large room with hardwood floors and stacks of red folding chairs along one wall…
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All are welcome to attend the meeting, Vezina said, noting that recovery has a different definition to each individual. It may mean recovery from a substance abuse, mental health issues, trauma, domestic violence or something else.
“People define recovery however they define it,” Vezina said. “It doesn’t matter (how you define recovery), everyone is welcome. It’s that connection and sharing that really works to support people.
“I think that addiction often comes out of disconnect,” Vezina continued. “The antidote to that is connection and strong community.”
by LaMara HunterKelly | Aug 29, 2019 | In The News
George Ballentine, left, and Larry Thomas, both former inmates, run support groups for people who have been incarcerated and provide one-on-one mentorship. STAFF PHOTO/ANDY CASTILLO
By GRACE BIRD
Staff Writer
Published: 8/29/2019 10:35:39 PM
GREENFIELD — After spending 18 years in and out of jail, Larry Thomas returned to the Franklin County House of Correction a couple of months ago.
This time, though, Thomas wasn’t an inmate. He was there to start a support group for incarcerated men awaiting their release.
“I know what it looks like to get released from jail,” Thomas said. “So we’re able to support others with the same type of stuff.”
In Thomas’ view, he can offer authentic advice to inmates as he knows how it feels to leave jail without much support. When he was released in the past, he did not have a home or a job, and often returned to “drugs and gangs,” — and would then go back to prison again.
Thomas was last released four years ago after a stint at Connecticut state prison. This became Thomas’ final sentence, he said, attributing the turning point to finding housing at the Beacon House and receiving peer support from The RECOVER Project. He hasn’t looked back, now living in a permanent apartment and working full-time at The RECOVER Project.
Thomas’ support group, overseen by the Western Mass. Recovery Learning Community, runs Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the jail.
Another group, facilitated by former inmate George Ballentine, is held outside the jail at the community center on Chapman Street in Greenfield. This group is attended by those who have already been released as well as current inmates who are transported from the jail to the center.
“Sometimes we talk about really hard life experiences, sometimes we just joke around and have fun,” Ballentine said. “It’s really nice to be in an environment where you know the individual across from you has experienced some of that same turmoil that you have.”
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