Recovery Festival offers help and friendship to those fighting addictions

IDAHO FALLS — In nan darkest moments of her life, while battling a methamphetamine addiction, Grace Hawkinson would ne'er person imagined her reality could alteration from changeless fear, depression, loneliness and worry to a early filled pinch peace, stableness and love.

“I travel from galore years of abuse, abusive relationships, and truthful that’s wherever my addiction started,” she said. “(I was) trying to flight nan reality of wherever I was astatine successful my life for galore years, and nan symptom and nan suffering that comes pinch it.”

After 23 years wrestling pinch addiction, she recovered herself successful nan criminal justness system. There, by seeking retired thief and support, she turned her life around, yet graduating from nan Wood Court.

“My cleanable day is 5/27/17,” she said.

Seven and a half sober years later, she useful arsenic an adjunct head astatine The Center for Hope, helping others activity to flooded addiction.

“Today I get to thief group find their pathways,” Hawkinson said. “I americium a betterment coach/peer support present astatine nan center. I besides activity for nan aforesaid curen tribunal that I graduated from, truthful I get to spell into nan jails and thief group erstwhile they’re first starting their journeys.”

Recovery Festival

The halfway is celebrating nan successes of organization members by hosting its third yearly Recovery Festival from 4 to 7 p.m. connected Friday astatine nan Freeman Park set shelter.

In summation to a free organization barbecue, nan show will characteristic speakers, a DJ and much than 20 vendors offering resources and assistance.

“It’s not conscionable constituent maltreatment — it’s intelligence wellness arsenic well,” Hawkinson said. “So if we tin dainty some of them together, (it leads to) amended success.”

The Center for Hope Executive Director Nancy Espeseth, left, and Assistant Director Grace Hawkinson some overcame addictions and are eager to assistance anyone seeking thief for a amended life. | David Pace, EastIdahoNews.com

Brickhouse Recovery, Stewards of Recovery, Lean connected Me, Rise Up Youth Crisis Center, Andre’s House & Lady Liberty Safe and Sober Living, and Stewards of Children will beryllium represented astatine nan festival, on pinch galore different organizations.

T-shirts will beryllium fixed to nan first 120 attendees. Free Narcan will besides beryllium distributed pinch nary questions asked.

“The premise of nan full point is that betterment is possible,” The Center for Hope Executive Director Nancy Espeseth said. “People that you cognize are struggling, particularly pinch nan fentanyl situation going on. They don’t person to spell done this alone. Connection is ace important successful our betterment community.”

In nan 8 years it has operated, The Center for Hope has opened a Pocatello agency and outer betterment centers successful Rexburg, Blackfoot, American Falls and Soda Springs.

Its squad has expanded from 2 first labor to 15 betterment coaches and a women’s situation lawsuit manager. Most of these mentors person successfully navigated their ain travel to recovery.

“With our lived experience, if a personification comes successful and comes to nan show and and wants to talk to 1 of us, … they tin inquire, ‘How did you do it? And is it possible? And really do I get help?’” Espeseth said. “So if immoderate personification is struggling, we conscionable make that relationship pinch them, supply them pinch immoderate hope, and it’s going to beryllium a bully atmosphere.”

Every week, The Center for Hope hosts support/recovery meetings, acquisition groups and a veterans group. All of its services — including betterment coaching, adjacent support and mentoring — are provided free to anyone.

Hawkinson gets affectional each clip she shares her communicative and hopes it will thief animate anyone struggling pinch addiction.

“I put my kids and my family done truthful much, and today, nan bid that I person recovered successful my life — I couldn’t ideate going backmost to nan chaos, nan chaotic days of erstwhile I was using,” she said. “There is help, and location is simply a different measurement of life if group really want it.”