Rally 4 Recovery RI has partnered with WaterFire Providence to celebrate the 30th-Anniversary of National Recovery Month
Speeches, Film showings and other activities to bring awareness to the month will occur August 29th through the month of September at the WaterFire Arts Center
“Opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Rhode Island. Since 2013 there have been 1,737 accidental opioid overdoses in Rhode Island, making it a public health crisis. In 2014, approximately 20.2 million adults aged 18 or older had a past year substance use disorder with 7.5% of them receiving treatment. We can no longer turn our backs on this population. Substance use disorder affects every single family in Rhode Island, not only through opioid addiction but through other substances like alcohol as well. Join the voices for recovery: Together we are stronger.”
– Lindsay Carreiro, , LCDP, and Michelle Harter, VP of Rally 4 Recovery RI
For over 30 years September has been recognized as the national month for those in recovery from alcohol and other drugs. Every year Rally 4 Recovery RI puts on a celebration that honors people who have been in recovery for any amount of time and the ones that have died as a result of their addiction. The event is held in four different locations including Bristol, Warwick, Newport, and Providence. This year is the 30th anniversary, Rally 4 Recovery RI has partnered with WaterFire Providence to host an honorary WaterFire lighting on September 14th that will include a Rally held in the Turks Head Plaza of downtown Providence. The rally will start at 4:00 pm and will feature different food vendors, resource tents, and non-profits there to provide information on addiction and recovery. The rally will conclude at sunset with a procession to the river and the lighting of the fires. The resource fair and live music will continue throughout the night continuing to make it a destination for visitors. On the night of September 14th, WaterFire will not be serving alcohol because they are committed to standing behind those in recovery. WaterFire will also be hosting multiple events at the WaterFire Arts Center throughout the month of September featuring speakers in long-term recovery, films, and workshops.
Dates: August 29th-September 26th
Rally For Recovery RI will be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Recovery month at the WaterFire Arts Center.
- August 29th: 5:00 – 7:00 pm; Sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals will host An Evening of Recovery at the WaterFire Arts Center.
- September 12: 5:30 pm; Jamie Angel a local of Cranston and a person in long-term recovery will share her story and the film she has been working on called “From the Court to Recovery”.
- September 14th: 4:00 – 10:00 pm; Rally4Recovery and WaterFire Recovery lighting
- September 17th: 5:30 pm; In honor of National Recovery Month 2019, The Leadership Council is sponsoring the “Many Pathways to Recovery” training workshop on Tuesday, September 17th, 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Waterfire Arts Center on 475 Valley Street, Providence, RI. (Parking available.)
- The workshop will explore the many pathways to recovery which are unique to each individual based on their specific needs, goals, health attitudes, and behaviors and will describe the various elements involved in recovering from problems with alcohol and other drugs.
- The presenter for this training, Stephen Gumbley, has been in recovery for over 30 years during which time he has worked in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of substance use problems. He has been an advocate for recovery in RI, has served nationally as the chair of the board of directors for Faces & Voices of Recovery, and is a member of the board of RI Communities for Addiction Recovery Efforts (RICARES).
- A certificate for two Social Work and Chemical Dependency CEUS will be provided to each person attending.
- Please join us for this great event! Registration Fee: $10. To register please go to https://www.sumhlc.org/training/.
- September 19th: 4:30pm – 8:30 pm, Opioids in Our Community: Rhode Island PBS will offer a professional development teacher workshop from 4:30 – 6:00 pm, a reception at 6:15pm, and at 7:00 pm a screening of The Fix: Examining Rhode Island’s Opioid Epidemic, followed by a post-screening discussion. Sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
Register online for this event. - September 25th: 6:00 – 8:00 pm; All Roads Lead to Recovery. Panel and Mixer with members of AA, NA, SMART Recovery, and Collegiate Recovery
- September 26th: 5:30 pm; Jennifer Guerin will be sharing about “How to Create a Magical Friendship and why it matters.”
Rally4Recovery is Rhode Island’s largest celebration honoring National Recovery Month every September. Beginning in 2003 on the grounds of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals (BHDDH). To expanding in 2006 to a more public forum in Providence, and for the first time, was co-hosted by the newly formed Rhode Island Recovery month coalition a group from the state’s recovery community. Over the years Rally4Recovery RI has received many awards and achieved many first in the few years it has been around. The free, family-friendly festival has free food, live music, activities for children and adults, crafts, face painting, a reptile show and more. Each year the event ends with a small ceremony, commemorating the ones we have lost, and celebrating the reality that Recovery changes lives, it is possible, and it is happening! For more information about Rally4Recovery, please visit https://www.rally4recoveryri.com.
Featured image: The Starry, Starry Night installation. Photograph by Drew Christhilf.
About the author
I've worked at WaterFire Providence since 2003. For the first 9 years of my career, I worked in the Production Shop learning all of the details that go into the physical production of the event. In 2012 transitioned to the role of managing WaterFire's social media and web presence. I now head up WaterFire Providence's digital projects including, web, social, databases, and our physical IT infrastructure.
