The opposite of addiction is connection, they say, and for more than 50 years, Harmony Foundation has helped people with addiction reconnect, promoting their physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Our alumni program plays an important role in that endeavor. Harmony doesn’t just keep in touch with its alumni, we also like to integrate with a wider community of like-minded organizations.
“Harmony continually reaches out to the recovery community in Colorado and beyond,” says Michael Maassel, Harmony’s director of alumni services and co-president of Treatment Professionals in Alumni Services (TPAS).
At a recent TPAS event, she shared with fellow alumni services how to work with local organizations in order to stimulate creative ideas for more effective programming, service work, and engaging with the larger community.
Back home in Colorado, Michael is doing just that. “For example, we’re collaborating with Colorado Artists in Recovery,” she explains. CAiR offers a variety of workshops to fuel the creative spirit. It utilizes recovery-oriented principles to provide a safe, encouraging, and inclusive environment for people affected by substance misuse and mental health issues.
“We’re also working with the children’s program of the Hazelden Betty Ford Center,” says Michael. In a recent webinar for Harmony Foundation, Lindsey Chadwick, the program’s manager, explained how addiction affects the children in the family of the addicted person and what therapists can do to help children heal from the trauma of addiction.
“Generally, we’re connecting our alumni with other recovery-focused groups and organizations,” says Michael. “We really want to diversify their recovery, engage their own, individual personality, and give them as many tools as possible to be successful.”
At the moment, Harmony is working with three recovery residences in Colorado to help them with their missions. One is Purpose House Sober Living in Fort Collins where Harmony operates a recovery center. Purpose House offers men in early recovery a safe and supportive living environment to increase their chances of creating a life of happiness and purpose in long-term sobriety.
Amethyst House in Loveland which is part of Recovered Humans provides a safe and sober environment for women in Colorado. Route2Recovery provides sober living accommodations, recovery peer coaching, and family coaching.
As a special gift for the holiday season, Michael asked all three to create Amazon registries for things they need for their sober living facilities. “The holidays can be tough for people in recovery,” she says, “and we wanted to make this time of the year a little easier for them.”
She chose this online method to enable more alumni to participate in this service project. “This way, it’s not just people in Denver or Colorado who can be part of it,” says Michael.
The registry links are:
“The great thing about this is they get supplies sent to their doorsteps for a whole month, it’s like getting little surprise gifts day after day, making it easier for new arrivals who may not have shampoo or razors, or laundry detergent. And it’s a great way to say thank you to sober living homes who were an important part of the recovery of many of our alumni.”
Reconnecting to a life of purpose in recovery is a life-long journey. If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, do not delay getting treatment because of the holidays. Call us today at (970) 432-8075 to get the help needed as soon as possible. Our experienced staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.