 The Recovery ConnectionVolume 2, Chapter 1 Rick’s CornerIn reviewing last year (2020) and our accomplishments, I am so proud of how our staff, participants in our Recovery Services, and our Recovery Housing residents performed in spite of Covid-19. We had 522 services provided between our Back 2 Work program, our Financial Assistance Support Services, and our education and training courses. In addition to our talented, awesome staff, 33 volunteers worked 1,873 hours to make this happen. About 600 men and women resided at the Fellowship Recovery Community Organization Residences. Over 100 (18%) stayed more than 6 months, 200 (32%) stayed more than 3 months. When we share the battles we fight in the recovery, dealing with frustration is often part of the process. In helping lead the way in the recovery movement here in South Florida, I too encounter frustration at times. Despite the heightened attention to substance use disorders from the alarming increases in overdose and relapse cases occurring during the pandemic, we are still dealing with a largely uniformed general public. Integrated recovery care is not well understood. Peer Recovery Support Services even less so. Yet we are the pioneers driving the strongest outcomes in sustained recovery, which includes attainment of jobs, careers, and education credentials. I look forward to continuing to drive the conversation at the State and Federal level. Integrated recovery care means workforce development support, access to educational services, housing and transportation support; it includes all of the elements for someone with a substance use disorder to achieve and sustain a successful life in recovery. Ultimately, I look forward to more funding being directed to integrated recovery care. We continue to need your support to get us through these times of developmental change. Let us have a great 2021! Rick Riccardi  Help to continue our efforts to save lives!$20 buys toothbrushes and toiletries$100 helps supply food & Clothing for one incoming resident a month$150 Saves a Life by providing three nights at the Respite$200 provides workforce development support services for one resident$300 provides life skills and wellness support services for one resident$800 covers a month of life saving peer recovery support for one residentCommunity CenterStats and Recovery Services provided during Covid-19 March 03, 2020-December 31, 2020    Learn more about all of our peer-based recovery support servicesRecovery Community Center in ActionProgram Highlights from Sara Our mission and goal at Fellowship RCO is to provide those with substance use disorders in our community with the resources they need to succeed. We are so excited and proud to announce 2 new programs that we now offer: Dad’s Class and GED Prep Course. GED Prep Course We recently partnered with Atlantic Technical College (ATC) to offer GED Courses to our participants at no cost. ATC will provide the counseling and advisement to create an educational plan that works best for each individual. To earn a GED, you must test in 4 categories: English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Each participant can decide when they want to begin their studies and how quickly they finish based on their learning needs.  Due to Covid-19 all classes are currently on-line; we will provide classroom space and computers at our Recovery Community Center for those interested. Once the school reopens individuals will have the option to attend classes in person on campus or may continue with online courses. Passing the GED exam will earn you a state high school diploma and if you are hoping to get a better job or higher degree, the GED is recognized and accepted by nearly all U.S. colleges, employers, and universities. For more information about the GED program please contact Michelle at Michelle@fellowshiprco.org. Dad’s ClassWe have also formed a new partnership with Mental Health America (MHA) to provide a free Dad’s Class for fathers looking to learn different parenting styles and how to effectively communicate and interact with their children and/or significant others. This 8-week course is taught by two Certified Instructors from MHA and upon completion participants will receive a Fatherhood Course & Anger Management Certificate which is recognized by the courts. For more information about the Dad’s Class please contact Dean at dean.pasquale@yahoo.com We are so grateful for partnerships and connections at our Recovery Community Center especially with the obstacles that Covid-19 has brought to the recovery community. What makes these programs so exciting is that it shows how resilient we can be to find a way to stay vigilant in our recovery. Isolation and stagnancy can be detrimental to a person who is living with a substance use disorder and we learn in our 12 step programs that it will work if we work it. Being able to provide these services along with our Telephone Recovery Support Services while still honoring State and Federal Safety Guidelines for Covid-19 is something I am especially proud of. In November’s Newsletter I introduced our Telephone Recovery Support Program, and it continues to grow. Since November we have had 50 more people in the recovery community signup for the TRS Service. Keeping connections alive is a part of how we recover, hold ourselves accountable, and deal with life on life’s terms whether it be good or bad. Regardless of what the world or someone’s life looks like today does not mean it has to be the same tomorrow and we are here to support anyone who needs it. Stay safe and be good to yourself,Sara BarkleyDonate to keep our community thriving!Fellowship RCO’s RespiteServant LeadershipThe mission of our Respite program is to provide a safe and sober transition for individuals from crisis to the next chapter of their overall recovery The Respite offers a safe, temporary, and monitored living environment for individuals who have suffered a recurrence of use while awaiting transitional living, a court ordered program or in-patient treatment. We also provide a haven for individuals seeking help from their substance use disorders, but do not know how to get the help they need. There is staff on-site around the clock to ensure the clients are safe and they are always willing to assist during such a critical time of need.Although Respite is a non-medical facility, we have created partnerships with various agencies to ensure that our clients who require the attention of medical professionals still receive services. We provide linkage to peer specialist-based groups, referrals for testing of any underlying health conditions clients may be unaware of so our clients may have continuum of care upon leaving.  Save A Life. Donate Now!The Respite team illustrates what leaders in service looks like. We take it upon ourselves to really reach out to the clients with compassion and love, and time and time again I have witnessed the staff go above and beyond to ensure that no client feels like they must overcome that first step toward recovery alone. Since its inception in 2018, the Respite has served the recovery community and saved over 2,600 lives throughout South Florida and our mission continues.– Andrew GauharProgram Director of The Respitehttps://www.fellowshiprco.org/the-respite/*February 2021*People come through Fellowship Recovery Community Organization seeking guidance, support and hope. Often they begin our programs at our Community Center with a lost sense of self, struggles with trauma, and various experiences that make it very hard to live as active members of society. Through our Center and Housing we provide an entire community of residents who struggle from substance use disorders and create a culture where peers support one another through shared hope, strength and faith. There are residents within our community that strive to continue to give what was freely given to them and because we are so grateful to these people Fellowship RCO want to highlight one of our Heroes In Recovery each month. For the month of February, Fellowship RCO would like to recognize Deana Rash. Deana arrived at Women’s Fellowship in November of 2013 full of determination and the willingness to succeed in recovery. She began to work a 12-step program and take suggestions. She started setting smalls goals which she quickly achieved. In 2014, she was asked to be a housing manager at Women’s Fellowship, she became a role model and inspiration to the residents. Deana’s aspirations did not end there, she went back to school and received her CAP. In 2016, Deana moved out of Fellowship to pursue other opportunities. Although Deana moved out, she has stayed connected to the Fellowship Community, actively participating in outreach, recovery events, and continuing to share her story as a role model to our residents as a reminder of what they can achieve if they chase recovery. From the bottom of our hearts Deana, thank you for all you do for the recovery community and all your continued support of Fellowship. Here is Deana’s story in her own words, she is a living embodiment of the hope and positivity that can lead to a beautiful life in recovery. Congratulations To Our Recovery Hero of the Month!Deana RashI began experimenting with drugs and alcohol when I was in high school, around 16 years old. I was always an overachiever in every sense of the word, straight A’s, and an athlete. However, I remember feeling like I never fit in, that there was something wrong with me, and no one liked me. When I started using substances, the insecurities I once felt dissipated, and I thought I had found the answer to my problems. Little did I know that substances would be the problem for the next 20 years, which began the downward spiral known as my life.  I couldn’t get enough substances to escape the pain, and I continued to do more things to cause more guilt and shame. My parents intervened and sent me to South Florida for rehab, but I wasn’t ready. I proceeded to find ways and means of using drugs to continue escaping the pain of my life.My substance use landed me in jail numerous times, strained all my relationships, and prevented me from doing anything productive with my life. I was not able to have a job, a home, or any responsibilities. In 2008 while in jail after being arrested for the 20 something time, I found out I was pregnant. I was in acute withdrawal from Heroin, and the last thing I wanted to hear was that I was having a baby. I couldn’t even take care of myself; how would I take care of a baby. I had lost my parental rights to my first daughter because I couldn’t stop using drugs. The guilt and shame of that fueled my drug use. Now all those feelings were flooding back to me. I was scared and alone. The judge wanted to help me, so he put me in a drug court program, which is the only reason why I didn’t continue to use drugs during my pregnancy. I was miserable the whole time.  Unfortunately, after having my daughter Mia I didn’t stay clean. I found it necessary to subject myself to more emotional pain. But then, one day, the pain had gotten great enough. The fear of staying the same, a hopeless junkie, became greater than the fear of taking action to change. I landed in jail for the last time on 8/8/2013, which is the beginning of the rest of my life. My recovery journey had begun.I had been court-ordered to the county treatment center, and it was there that my case manager suggested I go to a halfway house. I didn’t know much about halfway houses or what to expect, but I knew I had to do things differently. It was then I was connected to Fellowship Recovery Community Organization. I had a friend who I knew during my active addiction that was now in recovery and the manager at Fellowship. When I arrived, I was welcomed by a group of women with open arms. They put me in a room with a bed, clean sheets, and towels. I felt like a real human being for the first time in years. I was ready to do whatever it took to stay clean and change my life. I took all the suggestions and followed all the rules at Fellowship. I started going to 12 step recovery group meetings, got a sponsor, and started working the steps. I got a small job, which enabled me to start paying my own rent. This was a pivotal moment in my recovery. This simple act of getting a job and paying my own rent was so empowering. I began to believe in myself. After achieving one year clean, I was offered the job as house manager at Fellowship, at which time I was provided an apartment that had room for my daughter, Mia, to move in. How amazing!! I was so afraid to be a Mom. I was scared of all responsibilities. However, being able to live life on life’s terms while still being supported by the community at Fellowship RCO gave me the confidence I needed. I was able to make amends with my family and rebuild those relationships. I was also given the opportunity to go to school, which enabled me to get my Certified Addictions Professional Certification through the Florida Certification Board. This opened doors for me, and the opportunities presented. I lived at Fellowship from November 28, 2013, until I moved out in November 2016. I was so scared to leave because I felt so safe there, but I knew that I had to fly for me to continue to grow.  Since moving out of Fellowship, all areas of my life continue to improve when I choose recovery. I went back to school and got my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. It was through my pain I found my purpose. I want to help people like myself who struggle with mental health and substance use issues. I bought my own home for my daughter and me. I continue to get better jobs and more financial security for my family. I stayed out of relationships during the early years of my recovery and focused on finding ways and means of improving our lives. I recently got engaged to the love of my life, and we are now planning a wedding. Today, I continue to do what I did to get clean to stay clean. I work a recovery program, which includes going to meetings, working with my sponsor, doing service, and no matter what, I don’t use drugs. I had a brown paper bag with a pair of flip flops, shorts, and a T-shirt when I arrived at Fellowships doors. Today, I own a home filled with love, happy memories, and plans for the future. I am a mother, fiancé, soon to be wife, a daughter, sister, and a friend.Rick and Susan Riccardi are like my family down here in South Florida. I will forever be grateful for their love and support. Still to this day, almost eight years later, they celebrate with me and encourage me. My clean date is August 8, 2013. I have over seven and half years clean. I am currently just finishing the first year of my doctoral program. I am getting my Ph.D. in Counseling Education and Supervision. This degree will allow me to affect change in the recovery community on a larger platform. If you think you have messed up your life so bad, you will never be able to fix it…I will have to argue with you, and I will win. With some guidance, support, love, surrender, willingness, and self-honesty, the possibilities are endless.  Fellowship RCO Monthly ToursLast Thursday of the Monthat 1 P.MEmail For SchedulingMichelle@fellowshiprco.orgRecovery is Fun! |
