Standing in the Gap is going virtual!
Standing in the Gap is going virtual! Please join us for a morning to learn about the healing work of Recovery Café. Let’s celebrate National Recovery Month in Seattle! What to expect? You will learn what we’re doing to serve our Members during the COVID-19 pandemic and how you can help. Standing in the Gap will occur online on Thursday, September 17, from 7:30-9:00 a.m..
Recovery Cafe Mission Statement
Recovery Cafe Mission Statement: We are a community of individuals who have been traumatized by homelessness, addiction, and other mental health challenges, coming to know we are loved and that we have gifts to share.
My experience with the Recovery Cafe
I discovered the Recovery Cafe six years ago at a philanthropic festival in downtown Seattle. One of the event sponsors selected them to participate. As the person who created the event concept, I wanted to introduce myself to each of the 40+ participating nonprofits personally.
This is how I met David Coffey, Executive Director of the Recovery Cafe and one of the nicest human beings I have ever encountered. It didn’t take long for us to schedule a lunch meeting. Over that hour, I learned about the amazing work being done at the cafe. Immediately, I knew I wanted to be of service. No job was too big or too small. Please put me in, coach! I’m ready to serve! A few months later, I was asked to join the board. Six years later, they still can’t get rid of me. I’m now the Chair of the Board.
Putting this post together today, I went to hunt down a good video that spoke to the heartfelt work of this organization. Much to my surprise, I found a video of myself from the 2016 Standing in the Gap breakfast that I had never seen before.
As I write this, it is Tuesday, September 1st, 2020. September is National Recovery Month. In years past, I have always shown my support in small ways. Donations here, volunteering there, but this year…well, it’s different. It’s personal. This is a challenging year, and I have tools to use for my recovery. My heart breaks for the ones that don’t. I can’t even fathom how many it’s going to be. This hit me back in May, and my heart aches daily.
In March of this year, everyday life changed over a few weeks. In the beginning, I just noticed the spike in alcohol mentions in my social media feeds. Everyone posted pictures of their happy hours drinking at home on Zoom, wearing funny hats.
Here are some stats
The impact of addiction on Americans is growing at an alarming rate in the face of COVID-19. Shut-downs have forced 12-step meetings online. Financial insecurity is running rampant. Overdose rates have spiked every month since the virus forced millions into isolation. This year means more to me than the past 14 years.
In 2018, the World Health Organization reported that 3.3 million people died due to alcohol globally. The current Covid-19 death count as of today is nearly 900K+, according to Worldometer. I wish people talked about addiction 50% as much as they spoke about Covid-19. That would be a game changer.
It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: “When we recover loudly, we keep others from dying silently.” A great article about this in HuffPost from 2017 discussed the importance of “Recovering Out Loud.”
“When we recover loudly, we keep others from dying silently” – unknown
Recover Out Loud
If you know me personally, you know I do one thing very well: I am loud. I mean, I’m really, really loud. It drives my son crazy, and my coworkers are likely enjoying the quietness of their current work-from-home situation.
Since I have the loud part down pat, I am doubling down on the recovery part. Will you join me? If you are in recovery, will you be loud about it? It doesn’t have to be on social media. You can find your way. You don’t even have to wear it on a sweatshirt.
Is someone you know in recovery and you want to be loud and raise awareness too? We will take all of the support we can get. It can be as simple as signing up to attend the virtual Standing in the Gap breakfast.
A Disco Ball is Hundreds of Pieces of Broken Glass, Put Together to Make a Magical Ball of Light. You are NOT Broken, Friend. You are a DISCO BALL!
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
