Recovery Celebration

On Sunday September 21, the Chemical Health Initiative of Goodhue County (CHI) sponsored a Recovery Celebration at East Park in Zumbrota. The celebration was held to honor individuals and families who are working on recovery from addiction. The event also highlighted the many organizations and agencies that provide recovery services in Goodhue County.

The CHI Celebrate Recovery Picnic was planned as part of National Recovery Month, and to coincide with special events held throughout the month of September across the country. Working with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the Goodhue County Recovery Celebration event focused on the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment and promoted the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible. The theme of the Celebrate Recovery picnic was Join the Voices for Recovery: Real People, Real Recovery. The program included personal stories told by three Goodhue County residents who are now in recovery from serious drug and alcohol addiction.

The celebration was planned as a family picnic and included informational booths with treatment and recovery services materials. Hot dogs, cookies and beverages were donated by ALCO and Hub Foods, Connecting Connections of Red Wing served the food at the event. The children who attended the event were entertained by clowns,face painting,and Howie the CHI Mascot who lets kids know “It’s Fun to be Alcohol Free.”
Children’s books donated by the Goodhue County Early Childhood Family Education Program were awarded to families as door prizes during the event.
Dennis Nelson, Chemical Dependency Counselor from the Prairie Island Indian Community opened the event with the serenity Prayer. Carol Falkowski, Director of Chemical Health, Minnesota Department of Human Resources spoke about the powerful role that community leaders can play in educating the public that recovery from addiction is real and treatment truly does save lives.

CHI Super Star Awards were presented at the picnic to honor and thank individuals and organizations in Goodhue County that were demonstrating special dedication to the cause of promoting recovery for all persons suffering with substance use disorders. The Super Star Awards were given to; Linda Flanders of Taproot, Inc of Red Wing, Breanna Mundt-Devetter of Cannon Falls, the Lions Club of Goodhue, and Zumbrota Police Department. Attendees received door prizes donated by Bridget’s Café and Jimmy’s Pizza of Zumbrota, Country Station of Goodhue, Greg’s Meats and Write On of Cannon Falls. The event concluded with a performance from Andrew Hoffpauir, a Red Wing High School student, singing his own rap song about the pain and suffering of addiction and the importance of keeping our world healthy and safe for all human beings. Check out Andrew's video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01tU8cxX248.