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May 21, 2012

Recovery advocates to be honored by FAVOR at national event

Faces & Voices of Recovery (FAVOR), the nation’s leading addiction recovery advocacy organization, has announced it will honor four activists and one grassroots community organization for their contributions advocating for the rights of people and their families in or seeking recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

The recovery advocates will be honored at the America Honors Recovery Awards Program and Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at Carnegie Institute for Science, 1530 P St. NW, Washington, D.C.

Award recipients were selected from nominees submitted by organizations and advocates from across the U.S. The recipients will be featured at an awards benefit that will feature members of Congress, federal officials and leaders of the nation’s addiction recovery advocacy movement. The awards ceremony fosters excellence in advocacy related to recovery from addiction and honors the legacies of three addiction recovery trailblazers who dedicated their lives to removing barriers for individuals and families affected by addiction: Johnson Institute founder, Dr. Vernon E. Johnson and recovery advocates, Joel Hernandez and Lisa Mojer-Torres.

Those being honored include the following:

Vernon Johnson award

Rev. Dr. Robert Gilmore, Sr., Real Urban Ministry, Houston, Texas

Rev. Gilmore founded Real Urban Ministry, Inc. in 1989 to provide technical assistance, training and education to over 800 community and faith leaders in the Houston/Harris County, TX region. A Vietnam-era veteran, his book, “A True Story: Hope After Dope, From a Drug Addict to a Doctor,” puts a “face and voice” to offer hope and advocate for recovery to address addiction.

Walter Ginter, National Alliance for Medication-Assisted Recovery, New York, N.Y.

Walter is the Project Director of the Medication-Assisted Recovery Services (MARS) Project and the leading face and voice of medication-assisted treatment and recovery in the US. The MARS model is in the process of being replicated nationwide, integrating the use of peer-based recovery support services within methadone maintenance programs, a truly historic development.

Rosemary Tisch, Celebrating Families!™, Saratoga, Calif.

Rosemary has dedicated her life to breaking the cycle of addiction in families. Over the last eleven years, she has focused on the development and implementation of Celebrating Families!™ – an evidence-based, multi-family skill building curriculum focused on whole family recovery from the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.

Lisa Mojer-Torres award

Jeff Blodgett, St. Paul, Minn.

In celebration of Faces & Voices 10th anniversary, Jeff’s tireless work in planning the St. Paul Summit

Joel Hernandez award

Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR), Boston, Mass.

MOAR was founded in 1991 by Maryanne Frangules and a group of volunteers, inspired by Senator Harold Hughes, a former US Senator in recovery. MOAR works to 1). Organize people in recovery, families and friends 2). Educate policy makers and the general public and 3). Demonstrate that recovery is real and an asset to all communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The award recipients and Faces & Voices of Recovery-supported recovery community organizations nationwide have launched local and state campaigns to support people in or seeking recovery from addiction and their families. Their efforts seek to end discriminatory laws that keep recovering people from jobs, housing and other services. They develop and deliver innovative peer recovery support services including a growing network of recovery community centers. The advocates also educate the public and policymakers about the reality of recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

The event is co-hosted by the Hazelden Foundation’s Center for Public Advocacy.