Recovery for Shore and Mariah’s Mission Fund Organizers Pleased with Large Turnout
On a cool and cloudy Saturday evening at Easton’s Idlewild Park, more than 230 people of all ages and walks of life turned out for the Walk of Hope sponsored by Recovery for Shore and Mariah’s Mission Fund. Walkers included individuals proud to be in recovery (many accompanied by family and friends), alcohol and drug addiction treatment providers, recovery advocates, community members, and families remembering loved ones lost to addiction and mental illness.
“We want everyone in our communities to know that people with these medical conditions are not alone in their problem or in their treatment,” says Sharon Dundon, program specialist, Shore Behavioral Health’s Substance Disorders Program and one of the organizers of the ad hoc group, Recovery for Shore. “Those of us involved with Recovery for Shore and Mariah’s Mission Fund worked hard to get the word out about the Walk of Hope and we are just thrilled at the large number of supporters who turned out to be part of it. There was so much warmth and excitement and enthusiasm in the crowd – you’d never know it was a gray, damp evening!”
Departing from the Idlewild Park Pavilion at dusk with police cruisers as safety escorts, participants carried banners and signs as they walked up Harrison Street and crossed over to Washington Street just north of the hospital. They paused in front of the Talbot County Courthouse before turning on to Goldsborough and then trekking back down Harrison Street to the Park. The event concluded at the Park’s Children’s Garden, with a gathering that included a moment of silence, prayers and remarks by Walk of Hope organizers. Dozens of votives were arranged around the garden to commemorate those who lost their lives to addiction and mental illness, and to illuminate the hope of recovery for those still struggling against it.
“We all walked for our loved ones affected by substance abuse, recovered or not, with us or not with us, knowing that bringing awareness to this issue is the only way to reach others who are lost or suffering in silence,” says Valerie Albee, founder of Mariah’s Mission Fund. “We want the community to know there is hope in recovery and it’s happening on the Shore.”
Among a number of initiatives to support recovery, Mariah’s Mission Fund has established support groups: Together – Positive Approaches, a peer support group for family members currently struggling with a loved one with substance use disorder, which meets in St. Michaels; and Together- Silent No More, a grief support group for those who have lost a loved one due to substance use disorder and addiction, which meets in Easton (in cooperation with Talbot Hospice Foundation) and in Pasadena (in cooperation with Chesapeake Life Center).
Says Dundon, “People suffering from substance use disorders need treatment and support, so our purpose was to create awareness that yes, recovery happens for millions of people every day. We want to encourage others to seek help if needed and not be ashamed of a very real illness.”
Recovery for Shore meets monthly at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, and the group is now planning projects to celebrate September as National Recovery Month. Community members are welcome to offer suggestions and become involved. Recovery for Shore can be found on Facebook (where more than 160 pictures taken at the Walk have been posted), and Mariah’s Mission Fund is on the web at https://www.mariahsmissionfund.org/. For more information, email recoveryforshore@gmail.com.
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