Recovery Festival offers help and friendship to those fighting addictions
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IDAHO FALLS — In the darkest moments of her life, while battling a methamphetamine addiction, Grace Hawkinson would never have imagined her reality could change from constant fear, depression, loneliness and anxiety to a future filled with peace, stability and love.
“I come from many years of abuse, abusive relationships, and so that’s where my addiction started,” she said. “(I was) trying to escape the reality of where I was at in my life for many years, and the pain and the suffering that comes with it.”
After 23 years wrestling with addiction, she found herself in the criminal justice system. There, by seeking out help and support, she turned her life around, ultimately graduating from the Wood Court.
“My clean date is 5/27/17,” she said.
Seven and a half sober years later, she works as an assistant director at The Center for Hope, helping others work to overcome addiction.
“Today I get to help people find their pathways,” Hawkinson said. “I am a recovery coach/peer support here at the center. I also work for the same treatment court that I graduated from, so I get to go into the jails and help people when they’re first starting their journeys.”
Recovery Festival
The center is celebrating the successes of community members by hosting its third annual Recovery Festival from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the Freeman Park band shelter.
In addition to a free community barbecue, the festival will feature speakers, a DJ and more than 20 vendors offering resources and assistance.
“It’s not just substance abuse — it’s mental health as well,” Hawkinson said. “So if we can treat both of them together, (it leads to) better success.”
Brickhouse Recovery, Stewards of Recovery, Lean on Me, Rise Up Youth Crisis Center, Andre’s House & Lady Liberty Safe and Sober Living, and Stewards of Children will be represented at the festival, along with numerous other organizations.
T-shirts will be given to the first 120 attendees. Free Narcan will also be distributed with no questions asked.
“The premise of the whole thing is that recovery is possible,” The Center for Hope Executive Director Nancy Espeseth said. “People that you know are struggling, especially with the fentanyl crisis going on. They don’t have to go through this alone. Connection is super important in our recovery community.”
In the eight years it has operated, The Center for Hope has opened a Pocatello office and satellite recovery centers in Rexburg, Blackfoot, American Falls and Soda Springs.
Its team has expanded from two initial employees to 15 recovery coaches and a women’s prison case manager. Most of these mentors have successfully navigated their own journey to recovery.
“With our lived experience, if a person comes in and comes to the festival and and wants to talk to one of us, … they can inquire, ‘How did you do it? And is it possible? And how do I get help?’” Espeseth said. “So if some somebody is struggling, we just make that connection with them, provide them with some hope, and it’s going to be a good atmosphere.”
Every week, The Center for Hope hosts support/recovery meetings, educational groups and a veterans group. All of its services — including recovery coaching, peer support and mentoring — are provided free to anyone.
Hawkinson gets emotional each time she shares her story and hopes it will help inspire anyone struggling with addiction.
“I put my kids and my family through so much, and today, the peace that I have found in my life — I couldn’t imagine going back to the chaos, the chaotic days of when I was using,” she said. “There is help, and there is a different way of life if people really want it.”
