Mat-Su Opioid Task Force develops initial plans for new annual recovery event

WASILLA— Mat-Su Opioid Task Force members and several active members in the recovery community discussed initial ideas and logistics for a new recovery event scheduled for the end of August that coincides with International Overdose Day (Aug. 31) and National Recovery Day (Sept.1st) during a planning meeting Thursday, June 24 at MyHouse Homeless Youth Center.

John Green is a founding member of the Task Force and hosts an annual candlelight vigil honoring the lives of those lost to addiction with help from several local organizations in and around the recovery community. Green facilitated the planning meeting, joined by Task Force founder Michael Carson, Set Free Alaska Development Director Jason Manalli, Task Force Co-Chair James Savage, and MyHouse outreach coordinator Jay Dagenhart.

“The main thing here is to get people well,” Green said.

Green originally opted to host two events in conjunction with International Overdose Day and National Recovery Day in light of the annual vigil being canceled due to COVID-19, but by the end of the meeting, the planning committee agreed to combine the two events into one event that will stand on its own and continue every summer, complementing the vigil held every winter.

The vigil is normally held in January at Nunley Park with coffee afterward at the Gathering Grounds Cafe. Green said that establishing a new annual event instead of an alternative to the vigil will ultimately help them raise additional awareness throughout the year.

“We need to keep talking. We need to keep the conversation going and don’t forget that this is going on,” Green said.

January the same month Green found out his daughter Kellsie Green died in prison due to health complications from heroin detox.

Green has dedicated countless hours volunteering, advocating, coordinating, and actively playing roles in the recovery community since Kellsie’s death in 2016. He established Kellsie’s Key, a community group dedicated to raising awareness, offering support, and destigmatizing the struggles of those battling addiction.

“My takeaway is just hope. Obviously, there’s hope in recovery… I’ve been asked how can I have hope when my daughter’s dead. What hope is there? But, because of Kellsie, because of the things that have happened since she died and the people I’ve come in contact with, I get to see hope in every person that gets into recovery. That’s what hope means to me… I think every parent that’s lost somebody can still have hope in that.”

Similar to the January vigil, a list of names of those lost to addiction will be read at the new event this summer with a large arrangement of white crosses standing in the background. There will also be an opportunity for family members, friends, and those in recovery to share their stories.

According to Carson, Task Force meetings have been held virtually throughout the pandemic. He said they haven’t hosted any public gatherings since 2020 and they’re all looking forward to reconnecting with the community, helping everyone keep “fighting the good fight.”

“This will be the first opportunity to do something in person,” Carson said. “We’re gonna be able to see each other again.

While the new event has no name yet, Savage suggested using something like “Recovery Fair” to encompass the theme and scale of what they’re going for.

“I think this is a new, stand-alone thing we get to do. I think it’s the first annual ‘Recovery Fair,’” Savage said.

The next planning meeting for the upcoming recovery event is scheduled for July 15 at 4 p.m. at MyHouse. They are still actively seeking those who might be interested in helping put the event together or participate with a vendor booth. For more information, email KellsiesKey@yahoo.com.

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