PAR Newsletter Archives

Happy Pride month! We are so thrilled to continue and create spaces for those from ALL walks of life to share their lived experience in meaningful ways. This is especially vital in recent years. Please be sure to join organizations like the ACLU and the Fairness Campaign at the Pride Rally on June 17th! June started off with a lot of great networking opportunities for PAR. We were able to meet folks from around the country at the FAVOR Recovery Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. Our team was in Pittsburg, PA hanging out with the Community Liver Alliance to further learn and support Harm Reduction in the commonwealth. Finally, we are in the midst of becoming a certified Fair Chance Employer by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. (Sheeeew! That was a lot!) June is only half way finished, and we have much more on the horizon! As we start into the second half of the year, we are looking for your input and support. We are sharing a survey that will help us to learn from YOU! We want to know what challenges you are facing. Whether as an individual in recovery, allies, or an organization! We want to know what we can do to advocate for YOU in January of 2024! That means, we NEED your voice. At the end of this newsletter is a link to our Legislative Priorities Questionnaire. Please take 15-30 minutes and fill this out to the best of your ability. This is how we ensure that Recovery has a voice in Frankfort, and it's YOUR voice! Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

Happy May! It has been a whirlwind of a month! April was filled with conferences, financial literacy workshops, and new funding announcements. We are so excited to share that the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission announced their first round of funding to incredible organizations. Those community partners will be able to provide services to communities that have been detrimentally impacted by the opioid crisis. If you had submitted an application, please know that there will be more opportunities to work on getting these funds across the state. We encourage you to follow-up and reapply as necessary. May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We are constantly looking for opportunities to hold space for our friends from other walks of life. Please make sure to recognize our friends and learn more about the roots of this movement, here. You can find local events happening around the commonwealth to celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage. Additionally, we are teeing up to a busy summer! It was announced that MOBILIZE RECOVERY will be in our city hosting an event! This national recovery advocacy movement continues to be a beacon of awareness. We are so grateful to be working alongside them to bring more opportunities of conversations. The more we can show that recovery is happening around the country, the more we can change the narrative of what recovery looks like. We are excited to work alongside you as we grow into the next chapter of our organization. Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

Happy April leaders and supporters! With the rainy weeks of April on the horizon, what better time to dive into some personal and professional development opportunities? April is Financial Literacy month at PAR and we will be sharing events and content that you can utilize for you, your staff, and those you serve. March was an especially busy month at PAR. We ended the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly session with some great wins this year. We were able to work collaboratively with those from the Kentucky League of Cities, Kentucky Recovery Housing Network’s Advisory Board, and the treatment industry to put forward a robust piece of legislation, HB 248 that will regulate Recovery Residence’s in the commonwealth. The Governor, Andy Beshear signed this bill into law on March 24th. The great part – we are already doing this!! If you have volunteered to be a certified Recovery Residence through the Kentucky Recovery Housing Network (KRHN), you have already done the work! More details over the next few months on those who will need to be certified which will be shared by KRHN and/or the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Additionally, we supported HB 353, which decriminalizes testing strips (like fentanyl test strips) in the commonwealth. The great point behind this is it will allow for more access to harm reduction tools that will save lives. On the last day of the 2023 General Assembly session, the Senate and House held a conference to come to a compromise for the bill. It was signed into law by the Governor on March 31st. There was a few other bills that PAR supported that will impact our community, like HB 21 which allows for unhoused individuals to gain access to obtaining an ID without a permanent address (shout out to the incredible work of the Coalition for the Homeless!). Still, more work is to be done. Some bills that we supported did not make it through and others made it through that will detrimentally impact the health, mental health, and safety of our young people. PAR is committed to holding safe spaces for all people from all walks of life and identities. Know that with us at, PAR, YOU are safe and welcome. We are excited for the work ahead! We have some incredible opportunities to get involved and learn more about leadership and advocacy. We have opened up applications for the Michael E. Townsend Leadership Academy. This is a 12-month commitment with a total of three retreats, a three-day workshop series and two single day retreats. Please email us for more details. We have also started our Rally for Recovery committee! We meet every other week. There are a lot of opportunities to get involved and learn from incredible leaders in the Recovery space. We look forward to seeing you and supporting you into the Spring! Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

It is Women’s history month! We could not be more excited to participate in this months activities, specifically because we are now a women’s led organization. It is vital to lift up recovery voices, especially women’s voices in this movement. This month we are partnering with several organizations to do just that! There are several networking events, appreciation lunches, and more. Make sure that you, your company or organization are holding space for the women in your community! Now more than ever it is important to lift up those voices from our community, not only when its the month to do so – but every month! For those of you who are looking to create spaces for women, we stand with you and encourage you to work along side us to make women’s voices heard in the recovery movement and everywhere! We look forward to working along side you to create more spaces to uplift voices that have been historically disenfranchised. Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

Happy Black History month, PAR leaders and supporters! Throughout this month we are highlighting voices from the Black and Brown communities that are working to bring more awareness and support. We are thrilled to have so many leaders and members from all journeys of recovery, allies, genders, and cultures. We are holding space for YOU and we appreciate all you do for us, in the recovery community. This month we also celebrated our first ever, inaugural Recovery Advocacy Day! People from across Kentucky came to Frankfort to celebrate recovery and show up for recovery supportive policies. Governor Andy Beshear presented a proclamation to commemorate the day. We are humbled to announce that we had over 250 people in attendance at the advocacy day AND the rally! We have some exciting developments on our social media and branding. We would like to announce that we have adapted a slightly new logo! We are paying homage to our historical feat by showcasing the helping hands in our new design. What we believe to be paramount in this next chapter of our organization is helping one another to elevate the recovery experience. We are committed to community and being a catalyst for diverse voices. We believe our new brand reflects inclusivity AND disrupts the narrative to share our truth. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks! We are so thrilled to be working along side you and our partners! Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

Happy New Year! Dear members, leaders and supporters: We are so excited to be starting the new year with YOU as our supporter! We want to first thank you for everything you have done to support us and our work in 2022! We would not have been able to do this work if it were not for your leadership in your own networks and support. In 2022, we were able to distribute over 2,275 Narcan kits across the commonwealth! We have established a network of Volunteer Narcan Distributors that are working to ensure every Kentuckian has access to an overdose reverse agent. Looking to 2023, we hope to have expanded our reach and continue to be the voice of Recovery at every event. Most importantly, we need you to do that. Please consider registering and attending our event, the Recovery Advocacy Day in Frankfort at the Rotunda. This will be a celebration of recovery and a call to action for everyone who has been impact by substance use disorder. We look forward to seeing you! Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

Happy Holiday season!! Dear members, leaders and supporters: We could not be more excited to celebrate this season with you! The holidays can be a mixture of emotions for all of us, so make sure to stay plugged into your networks. Whether you are someone who is in recovery or those that are serving those in recovery, this season is about gratitude, hope and love. Remember that as you embark on your festivities, where ever they may take you! Here at PAR, we have been working diligently to gear up for the Kentucky General Assembly session, but also – building capacity! We are so excited to announce our newest member of the team, Melissa Allgeier. We are certainly lucky to have her as we prepare for the new year. We will have some other exciting announcements as we head into the new year, stay tuned!! Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

Hello members and supporters, We are well into the month of November and there is a lot to be grateful for! Across the Commonwealth organizations and agencies are coming together to create innovative solutions to the opioid crisis. If you are not aware, the Opioid Abatement Commission's application portal went live last month. This portal allows for non-profits to apply for funds that were awarded to Kentucky as a part of the pharmaceutical lawsuit. We can not be more excited for organizations to apply for funds that will help save lives across the Commonwealth. Additionally, PAR has been actively participating in the commission meetings to discuss possible policy and regulatory changes. We know how vital it is to have Recovery at the table and not just on the menu! We are continuing to fight for more resources in areas that have been detrimentally impacted by the opioid crisis and exacerbated by COVID restrictions. I am pleased to announce the Kentucky Addiction Policy Advocacy Council (KyAPAC) has released the legislative priorities for the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly session. We hope that partners and stakeholders will use this as a roadmap to Recovery supportive policy initiatives that will create recovery equity across all sectors. We look forward to celebrating this holiday season with more opportunities to share about Recovery and how it is thriving in Kentucky! Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

What an incredible RECOVERY month! I hope that you had the opportunity to attend one of the amazing events that happened around Kentucky in celebration of recovery month. People Advocating Recovery was present at events across the state. We had the honor of participating on a panel with Governor Andy Beshear in Paducah, speaking at a Rally Celebration with GITT Apparel in London, and celebrating our own Rally for Recovery in Louisville. We will continue to support organizations and partners to host events in September and we hope to see more events in 2023. How can we capitalize on recovery month? Now is the time that we come together and prepare for the upcoming general assembly session as well as team up with our communities to support one another. The holidays are upon us and what better way to collaborate then to ensure and open line of communication and a welcoming hand to support. Now more than ever our communities need us to come together to ensure there are no gaps in services. As we embark into this season of change and transformation, I hope you remember to collaborate across agencies to increase recovery capital in all sectors of our economy and work spaces. Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

It is RECOVERY month! I hope you have taken some time to check out local events near you that are bringing an awareness to recovery and recovery support services. Now is the most important time to discuss and elevate the recovery experience. PAR is hosting our 17th annual Rally for Recovery this month. If you are in the area, please make sure to stop by. We have been hard at work to find ways to share all of the incredible events that are happening across the commonwealth. Please be sure to check the events section and find an event near you. We have some very exciting happenings occurring in Paducah, Louisville, London and other locations. Now more than ever, we need your voice. This September we are making it a priority to showcase that recovery is thriving in our communities. We look forward to working with you to highlight stories of resilience, recovery and hope! Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.

Hello PAR members & supporters, I am so honored to be named the incoming CEO of People Advocating Recovery. For those of you who do not know me, I have been working in the SUD/Recovery field for just over ten years. I have partnered with my predecessor, Mike Barry on a variety of projects. I know the incredible work that he has done over the years and my plan is to continue that work and carry on the mission and vision our members emphasized as the highest importance, removing barriers to treatment and recovery services. I would like to invite all of you to a lunch meet and greet with me and check out our new office space. I would like to hear what I can do to support the work you are doing in the community. To also learn what I can do to support creating a recovery ecosystem in Kentucky. We have to work together to make this a priority. I hope we look to continued partnerships and collaborations as we begin the work ahead. I look forward to visiting with you soon. Click on the link above to view the entire newsletter.