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Safe Harbor Fundraising Event A Great Success – August 7, 2017

Safe Harbor Fundraising Event A Great Success – August 7, 2017

On Monday August 7th over 400 people gathered for the second annual Hungry for Hope event, a benefit for Granite Pathways’ Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, NH. The event raised over $70,000 – more than double the amount raised at the first Hungry for Hope dinner last year.

Twenty local restaurants provided food, beer and wine to the guests, who mingled under tents at the harborside location, with sweeping views of the Piscataqua River. All of the food and beverages were donated, raising additional funds in addition to the ticket sales and spontaneous donations that were made throughout the evening. James Boyle, owner of Toyota of Portsmouth donated a minivan, for staff to use to provide transportation to individuals using Safe Harbor services.

The event was organized by two dedicated proponents of recovery and strong supporters of Safe Harbor, philanthropist and developer Renee Plummer and John Akar, co-owner of Cava Tapas and Wine Bar.

Safe Harbor, a peer-led recovery center, has received widespread support from all segments of the Portsmouth community since opening its doors last year. New Hampshire has the nation’s second highest per capita death rate from opioid overdose – a crisis that has touched almost everyone in the state.

Elizabeth Miller, Safe Harbor Director, said that the center has grown rapidly, training recovery coaches, implementing programs to support all pathways to recovery, and building bridges to local service providers including first responders, police, hospitals and the prison systems, as well as other recovery centers and support services. Safe Harbor staff are developing work readiness training programs, and reaching out to area businesses to provide job opportunities to people in recovery.

“It is amazing how this community has rallied and is so supportive of each other,” Elizabeth said. “It is overwhelming to see this level of caring and support.”

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Granite Pathways Solution Series: Addressing Employee Mental Health and Addiction – December 7, 2016

Granite Pathways Solution Series: Addressing Employee Mental Health and Addiction – December 7, 2016

On December 7th Granite Pathways hosted the first Solution Series outside of New York City. The event, Addressing Employee Mental Health and Addiction: Improving Your Business Bottom Line, had special importance for the near-capacity crowd at the Red River Theatre in Concord, New Hampshire, as the state is among the hardest hit by the national epidemic of opioid abuse. The mission of Granite Pathways, part of the Fedcap family of companies, is to support individuals with mental illness and addiction in building personal equity and achieve their life goals as valued members of their communities.

The Solution Series panelists – Chris Placy, Executive Vice President of Substance Free Workplace; Robert Roy, Environmental Health and Safety Manager of Newington’s TE Connectivity Subcom; and John Burns, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships for Public Health at Goodwin Community Health – are widely known and respected in New Hampshire for their efforts on behalf of individuals in recovery. They emphasized the need for a comprehensive strategy for businesses to address mental illness and substance abuse through a system geared toward prevention, intervention, and employee retention through long-term recovery support.

“Business has a tremendous role to play in long-term recovery,” said Chris Placy. “The workplace is the one place where people with mental health and substance issues intersect. The workplace can serve as a powerful catalyst for addressing these issues.”

Robert Roy emphasized the need for businesses to create a culture of caring and compassion so that individuals know where to go for help without fear of being stigmatized. He said that a culture of caring means educating employees about the benefits of an employee assistance program, making services accessible, and ensuring that supervisors know what to look for when they see a co-worker whose behavior could i9ndicate an issue with substance misuse.

When a member of John Burns’ family was struggling with serious mental health issues, he at first hid it from his employer, for fear of being stigmatized. When he finally did confide in his supervisor, he was met with compassion and support. Beyond the relief of being able to care for his family member, the supervisor’s response made Mr. Burns feel even more loyal to his employer.

The event was attended by business representatives from throughout New Hampshire, as well as advocates, community based providers, representatives from DHHS and consumers.

The Solution Series are designed to explore topics of critical importance to Fedcap’s business partners and extended community of stakeholders, including the individuals we serve. To date Fedcap has hosted thirteen Solution Series in New York City, and is pleased to extend these important events to New Hampshire.

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Safe Harbor Recovery Center Grand Opening – July 12, 2016

Safe Harbor Recovery Center Grand Opening – July 12, 2016

On July 12th, over 150 people joined in the celebration of the grand opening of Safe Harbor -a recovery center located at 865 Islington Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The effort – the culmination of the hard work and commitment of many community members and staff – was spearheaded by Sandi Coyle, who serves as Executive Director of Granite Pathways and the Director of Recovery Services for Fedcap.

“The opening of the center was a dream for this community, and it opened because of the contributions of so many people in this room today. We will honor the memories of those who left us too soon due to overdose, and we will work to be a supportive force for those who are in recovery,” said Sandi during her opening comments.

Representatives of New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, and U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, were on hand to read letters of congratulations, as was Portsmouth Mayor Jack Blalock and Police Commissioner Joe Plaia. Other guests included Bob Fawls, a member of the New England Committee of the Fedcap board, and colleagues from Health and Human Services, advocates, First Responders from the police and fire departments, community providers and donors. Other supporters of Safe Harbor who were in attendance included Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth, Rep. Tom Sherman, D-Rye, and Rep. Tim Horrigan, D-Durham.

Also in attendance were family members and a large number of individuals in recovery who will use the center as their “safe place.” Safe Harbor – the first and only provider of peer-driven recovery support services in the Seacoast area – provides a range of recovery-oriented activities that are grounded by recovery coaches, people with lived experience of addiction and recovery. They are helping individuals in recovery and family members to create a community of people working to reduce the stigma of addiction within the broader community. The center offers multiple pathways to recovery including Twelve Step Recovery support; meditation and yoga; onsite recovery coaches; support groups, SMART recovery, and family support meetings

The support of Fedcap, with an 80-year history of helping people overcome barriers, will provide additional benefits to the Safe Harbor Community. “Fedcap brings expertise in vocational training, professional development and resource referral to the center,” Sandi said. “The financial strength and diverse programming of Safe Harbor demonstrates to our community partners that Fedcap is an organization with substance, resiliency and innovation.”

There is still much work to be done. New Hampshire has the highest per capita death rate from drug overdose in the country, and many communities in the state still do how have adequate access to detox and treatment. This is starting to change – on July 13th, the Governor and Council of the State of New Hampshire approved a $1.2MM contract for Granite Pathways to establish Regional Access points throughout the state –helping individuals struggling with addiction find the resources and services they need.

John Burns, Director of Safe harbor Recovery Center, described in closing remarks how important the opening of the center is to New Hampshire’s Seacoast Community, and what it means for those seeking recovery services.

“Families and individuals in recovery feel safe and supported when they’re part of a like-minded community. They feel empowered to break silence of their own story.”