PRO-ACT RECOVERY WALKS! 2014 - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

23,000 closed the streets of Philadelphia in support of RECOVERY!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped to make PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2014 a great success on September 20, including 300+ volunteers, sponsors, VIPs, donors, supporters, individuals, families, teams, staff members, entertainers and recovery professionals.

The Honor Guard

The Honor Guard represented 3,700 YEARS of Recovery! Yes, Recovery is not only possible, it's happening NOW, today, in communities all over the country. 207 Honor Guard members, every one of whom has 10+ years of continuous recovery, led the Walk and then stepped back to cheer and support everyone else along the historic route. Thank you for providing hope.

PRO-ACT Public Policy Advocacy Awards; Jail does not work for the addict; treatment does

PRO-ACT made several Public Policy Committee awards. Among them, Judge Steven T. O'Neill, President of the Pennsylvania Association of Drug Court Professionals, was honored with Ambassador for Recovery Award for his dedicated work in helping people to stay in recovery in his capacity on the Montgomery Drug Court. "Jail does not work for the addict, treatment does. If it didn't, we would not all be here. There are over 2,600 treatment courts in the country as more and more people are learning that reality," the Judge said to great applause.

Senator Dominic Pileggi and Representative Gene DiGirolamo were also honored with Ambassador for Recovery Awards for their work on Senate Bill 1164, which addresses the Opioid Overdose Epidemic in Pennsylvania by enacting a Good Samaritan law with expanded distribution of Naloxone. This bill saves lives.

The Advocacy Vanguard awards were given to Jake Bowling, MSW, and Eric Stoltz, MSPH, who were honored for their advocacy on Healthcare Reform and for enrolling 318,000 people in the Affordable Care Marketplace.

Speakers and Proclamations

We're most grateful to Roland Lamb, Director of the Office of Addiction Services for Philadelphia's DBHIDS, who did an artful job of keeping our very full and varied program moving.

Among our speakers were: David Mineta, Deputy Director, Office of Demand Reduction, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Dr. Arthur Evans, Commissioner of Philadelphia's DBHIDS; Debra Browning, Training Coordinator for Pennsylvania's DDAP; Frances M. Harding, Director of SAMHSA's CSAP; Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, Deputy Director of SAMHSA's CSAT; and Ivette Torres, Associate Director for Consumer Affairs of SAMHSA's CSAT.

Proclamations in support of Recovery Month and PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2014 were presented from: Governor Tom Corbett, State of Pennsylvania; Mayor Michael Nutter, City of Philadelphia; Bucks County Commissioners; Montgomery County Commissioners; Chester County Board of Commissioners; and the Northampton County Council.2

Teams and Their Captains

We're extremely grateful to the 227 teams and their Captains who have spent weeks raising donations so that PRO-ACT and The Council can continue to provide recovery support services and advocacy efforts for the rights of the recovery community and their families. Two Team Captains were presented with gifts—the first for the most donations raised and the second for the largest registered team.

The first prize of the honor of throwing out the first pitch at the 2015 National Recovery Month Baseball Game (along with tickets and other benefits) went to Amber Baughman of the MINIONS OF CHAOS Team. But Honorable mention goes to Eagleville Hospital and the Lehigh Valley CARON Parent Support Group. Thanks to all of you.

The second prize of a $100 Gift Card went to Team Captain Tyrone Frazier of the PARKSIDE RECOVERY Team that had the most registered team members. Congratulations and thanks to all the teams for their dedicated and hard work.

Philadelphia's Recovery Idol

Having gone through several rounds of auditions beginning in February 2014, the two Recovery Idol finalists were enthusiastically applauded for their final performances. This unique singing competition is open only to those in recovery and puts a positive face on drug and alcohol recovery.

GINA ALBATER and BILL PRESLEY sang their hearts out! Unfortunately, however, only one person could win the contest and, with the help of the huge audience, the judges declared GINA ALBATER as Philadelphia's 2014 RECOVERY IDOL. Well done GINA and the best of luck with your studio recording session and further appearances.

Entertainment

To the delight of everyone, we had no shortage of fun, lots of music, great costumes, and other entertainment.

The Rockers In Recovery All-Star Band kept us rockin' at various times throughout the event; a group of colorful Mummers played ahead of the Walk Banner the whole distance of the Walk (carrying their instruments!), and a number of our volunteer Mascots never tired of dancing and providing photo-ops for the thousands of young children at the Walk with their families.

We must, of course, acknowledge the many among our 23,000 supporters who, while not professional entertainers, showed us that LIFE IN RECOVERY IS FUN!

Many thanks to ALL of our Walk Sponsors!

Sponsor booths were distributed throughout the Great Plaza, providing one-on-one recovery and related information to thousands of people. For a complete list of our sponsors, please click Sponsors at the top of this page.

ProAct What is PRO-ACT? Pennsylvania Recovery Organization—Achieving Community Together is a well-respected, highly visible, and vibrant grassroots organization for people affected by substance use disorders and their families. PRO-ACT works throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania to promote recovery through community programs and activities, shape public policy at all levels, and reduce the stigma of addiction. It is a program of The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. (www.councilsepa.org/programs/pro-act).

What is The Council? The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc., provides a wide range of services to families, schools, businesses, individuals and the community at large, regardless of ability to pay, ethnicity, race, gender, age and/or sexual orientation. It supports all pathways to recovery. The primary purpose of The Council is to provide resources and opportunities to reduce the impact of addiction, trauma, and other related health issues. We accomplish this through prevention, consultation, education, advocacy, assessment, intervention, and recovery support services. (www.councilsepa.org)