Community rallies together for two-day recovery event

WASILLA — People from across the Valley cycled through the first annual Remembrance and Recovery via Prevention event at Wasilla Lake Tuesday, Aug. 31, and Wednesday, Sept. 1.

This new two-day recovery event coincides with National Overdose Day (Aug. 31) and National Recovery Day (Sept.1). It’s designed to be an all-in-one community gathering that remembers those lost to addiction with tributes and public ceremonies and promotes local recovery efforts and resources.

National Recovery Month is a time dedicated to showing that recovery is possible by promoting the societal benefits of prevention, treatment, and recovery for mental and substance use disorders, celebrating those in recovery, and recognizing the efforts of treatment and service providers.

“Our community needs it,” Cook Inlet Tribal Council peer services supervisor James Savage said.

Savage was one of several speakers that read the names of local lives lost to addiction during a public reading on the first day of the event. He said that despite the turnout being lower than everyone expected, it was exciting to see this event unfold with so much support behind it. He said it was a positive step forward to the overall cause.

“I think we’re making a dent and that’s what matters,” Savage said.

The Remembrance and Recovery event was made possible thanks to the continued coalition of community-minded groups and individuals. John Green of Kellsie’s Key and the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force was one of the main event organizers.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church pastor, Rick Cavens credited Green for his tireless efforts in the recovery community years after his daughter Kellsie Green died in prison due to health complications from heroin detox.

Cavens said that Green’s work bringing this new event to light after several years hosting the annual candle-lit vigil in honor of Kellsie and countless others who lost their lives during their battles with addiction has helped so many people.

“Mr. Green turned his sorrow into a productive direction,” Cavens said. “Talking and sharing with others, it takes some of the stings away. It’s a blessing for people who’ve lost... It means a lot to them, and it shows the power of people.”

Cavens has been involved with the candle-lit vigils since the first event, taking part in the name reading ceremony and offering up public prayers each year. He did the same thing during the first day of the Remembrance and Recovery event. He said there’s a lot of good momentum going for the Task Force and the culmination of this new community event showed how much they’ve grown over the years.

“It’s amazing how it’s evolved,” Cavens said.

Hundreds of white crosses were seen in the background of the event. They were provided by the David Dylan Foundation. Founder, Karen Malcolm-Smith said that all the materials were donated by local businesses.

“It’s about stopping the stigma and honoring the people we’ve lost to addiction,” Malcolm-Smith said. “It’s everywhere. It’s just time for us to start stepping up and talking about it.”

The second day of the event featured a Recover Fair with vendors, food trucks, vendors, games, door prizes, and a variety of groups and specialists in the recovery community onsite throughout the day.

Alaska Dream Center Program director Mark Weaver was involved with both days of the event. He’s spent many years working in the recovery community and witnessed the collaborative growth continue to strengthen. He said events like these help raise awareness for their overall cause, which gives him a lot of hope, especially as someone who’s gone through the highs and lows of recovery himself.

“I think it’s cool. The core of this group right here... brought many changes in our community. It was the next right move to do this now,” Weaver said. “Every time good hearts meet good minds, Good things happen in this community. So many people feel alone in this… Any time we get to gather and network, more solutions come. If that wasn’t the case I wouldn’t be here, right?”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com