Reimaging Recovery

October 2025 Newsletter

When we talk about recovery, we often picture a deeply personal journey: someone battling addiction, attending treatment, and working to stay sober. But if we keep focusing only on the individual, we miss the bigger picture. Recovery is deeply rooted and thrives in community connection.

This is the theme of Strengthening Communities Podcast episode 7, the first in a two-part series called Reimagining Recovery. Over the years, public attitudes toward addiction have begun to shift. The opioid epidemic has forced many to realize that substance use disorder is a complex issue tied to a multitude of things such as trauma, genetics, and mental health. Yet stigma and shame still hold people back from asking for help, from offering support, and from seeing those struggling as full human beings.

As a panelist from St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, Ryan Schweiger shared giving back while also receiving mentorship was the key to rebuilding his life. “When you give back and also allow yourself to receive from others, it makes life bigger than you.” For Ivan Rosa, a Certified Recovery Specialist, recovery means showing up - for his kids, for neighbors, and for people he meets through his outreach work with the Montgomery County Overdose Response Team (MCORT).

The lessons discussed in the podcast are not just for people in recovery. The principles at the heart of healing (hope, humility, compassion, resilience) are valuable for all of us. And the question as always is what can we do as a community? Recovery belongs to all of us, as families, as communities, and as neighbors. Listen to the full episode below!

Episode #7: Reimagining Recovery, Part 1 Addiction & Community

Resources mentioned in the episode:

St. Luke’s Penn Foundation: https://www.pennfoundation.org/

MCORT: https://www.accessservices.org/services/mobile-crisis/#mcort

MontCo Department of Public Safety: https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/132/Public-Safety

♥ Give a little love this holiday season! ♥

It's officially Sponsor A Star season!

Individuals across our programs would greatly appreciate your support this holiday season. From now until December 8th, you can donate to our programs either through monetary donations or through an Amazon gift list.

Our participating programs include: Homeless Street Outreach, Lifesharing, Community Homes (CLA), Day Programs, In-Home Supports, Justice Related Services, the Peer Support Talk Line, and Starting Point.

Click below to learn how you can support your community!

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