The community is invited to come enjoy a day of hope, healing and connection.Submitted
The community is invited to come enjoy a day of hope,
healing and connection. Come break the silence and beat the stigma associated
with recovery on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Coshocton
Community Center, 201 Browns Lane, Coshocton.
The day will kick off with cardio drumming with Ashley Klier
from 9-11 a.m., yoga and storytelling with Chris Campbell from 10-11:30 a.m., a
free lunch from noon to 1 p.m., paint class with Three Sister’s Studio from 1-2
p.m., and Slater Family Farm Outreach will be on-site from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We toured different recovery community organizations to get
a good understanding of how they operated, what they do for the community and
to figure out what we are missing,” said Eva Moon from Blue Sky Voice and Opportunity,
which is hosting the event. “Our biggest obstacle is the stigma around recovery
and mental health.”
Moon is the executive director of Blue Sky, and Ray Hardesty
is the program director. Their hope for the event is it will get
people talking and open their eyes to resources.
“When we started working with families of addicts, we
realized it’s not just the addicts who need help,” Moon said. “Their friends
and families need help too. There are a lot of barriers to recovery, and people
are afraid to talk and be judged. We want to normalize recovery and make it not
so hard to get help.”
In addition to the free scheduled activities, the day will
include access to hygiene items, harm-reduction tools, recovery resources and
Recovery Month T-shirts for those in attendance.
September is National Recovery Month, but Blue Sky Voice and
Opportunity plans to celebrate all year with its “Looks Like Me” campaign.
The goal is to share the message that addiction and recovery don’t have a look
— they have a story. The campaign aims to shift the way the community sees and
supports individuals and families affected by addiction, focusing on truth,
connection and breaking down stereotypes.
“We’re not just breaking stigma,” Moon said. “We’re building
a Coshocton where people are seen, heard and supported, no matter what their
story is. We want to change the way people talk about recovery and the
narrative around it.”
Blue Sky Voice and Opportunity is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization dedicated to peer support, recovery advocacy and community
education. Through outreach, harm reduction and stigma-busting initiatives,
Blue Sky empowers individuals and families to build healthier lives and
stronger communities.
For more information call Moon at 234-354-9089 or Hardesty at
740-502-8452 or stop by the free Sept. 13 event.
“I really want people to be able to understand we can all
come together and do normal activities,” Moon said. “Everyone there will be
from all walks of life.”
