Liberation Programs, a leading behavioral health organization specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders in our area, will host the 12th Annual Spirit of Hope Gala on June 6th at Woodway Country Club, and will honor some of the nation's leading addiction experts.
According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, there were 1,017 overdose deaths in Connecticut in 2018, and the Connecticut State Department of Health estimates that Connecticut’s suspected opioid overdose emergency room visit rate was about 1.7 times higher than the national rate between the third and fourth quarters of 2018. Each of the evening’s honorees has worked tirelessly to reverse this alarming trend.
Gary Mendell, Founder and CEO of Shatterproof, will be honored with a Spirit of Hope Award for his leadership in reversing the course of the opioid epidemic. His organization’s focus on changing pubic policy at the state and national level, its development of a science-based addiction treatment system with buy-in from many of our nation’s largest insurers, and the firm’s ability to rate treatment programs throughout the country, demonstrates Mendell’s dedication to ending the devastation that addiction causes families.
The Lighthouse Sober Living and The Lighthouse Recovery Coaching 365 Program will also be honored. Trey Laird, CEO and Founder, will accept the award. Recognizing a largely unmet need in sober living environments, Laird created upscale, supportive home environments for discerning professionals in recovery. Available in Darien and New Canaan, The Lighthouse homes are for men leaving treatment and transitioning into a life of recovery, allowing them to go to work during the day and come back at night. The organization also provides a Lighthouse Recovery Coaching 365 Program, which serves men and women throughout the tri-state area.
Maggie Young, MSW, LADC, Liberation Programs Chief Recovery Officer, will also be honored with a Spirit of Hope Award for over 25 years of work in addiction prevention and treatment. In addition to Young’s local and state work, she spearheads the organization’s Families in Recovery Program (FIRP), manages eighteen supportive housing units, and runs a prevention and education service which supports middle and high school-aged students and their families.
Tickets are on sale now for the 12th Annual Spirit of Hope Gala – the principal fundraiser for the Liberation Programs organization. The event, which takes place on Thursday, June 6, 2019 at Woodway Country Club in Darien, will raise critical funds for the life-saving treatment the organization provides for recoverees, and the outreach work it does to prevent substance use disorders in our community. Visit https://www.spiritofhope2019.com/ to purchase tickets.
Liberation Programs is grateful to co-chairs John Bassler, Debra Hertz, PhD and Cynthia J. Shaw, as well as committee members Meg Bradt, Elmerina Brooks, Roberta Cohen, Steve Fogarty, Icy Frantz, Mort Lowenthal, Allison Milne, Sallyan Pelletier, Sara Tucker and Brigitte Van Den Houte.
To purchase tickets visit https://www.spiritofhope2019.com/or call 203-851-2077. Tickets are $250 and a variety of high visibility sponsorship packages are available. Woodway Country Club is located at 540 Hoyt Street in Darien, CT.
Liberation Programs would like to thank its generous corporate sponsors to date: Atlantic Diagnostic Laboratories, First County Bank, KPMG, The Lighthouse / Recovery 365, Mountainside Treatment Center, Pitney Bowes, Stamford Health, and Yale-New Haven Health.