Fans cheering, children dancing, gong clanging. This last Sunday evening was quite an event for many of the Maddie’s Place community. Where were we, you might ask?
Maddie’s Place, meet the Spokane Chiefs Hockey Team.
It was a whirlwind of a night! Our community occupied a part of the crease, right by all the action. Northbridge Recovery, a group committed to encouraging others and celebrating milestones in recovery, rented the crease and allowed our group to join.
Many parents from Maddie’s Place choose to attend this recovery group. So, when some of our former parents heard that Northbridge would be at Sunday’s hockey game, they reached out to Katie Bunch-Smith, who is the peer support at Maddie’s and a member of the recovery group.
When Katie saw that it would be of interest to the Maddie’s community, she jumped on the opportunity to bring our people together.
She ended up ordering 37 tickets for our crew! Better yet, thanks to our growing Moms Program, Maddie’s Place could pay for our former and present parents to enjoy the night of fun.
In a conversation with Katie this week, she explained how important that element of fun is for recovering addicts, but that most of them cannot afford enjoyable nights out like a Chiefs game.
This is why our Moms Program is so important. Made possible by our contract with the county and the donations of so many in the community, it provides the opportunity for parents in recovery to find enjoyment on their difficult paths to a healthy lifestyle.
“Getting sober is different than living a life in recovery! Recovery is learning a new way to live! Having fun in recovery is so important because cleaning up the messes we have made in our addiction is hard work! Life is beautiful and fun!!!” – Katie Bunch-Smith
The cherry on top is when existing staff members join in on the fun as well. Events like these provide the perfect opportunity for our team to reconnect with alumni parents and see how they are doing in their journeys.
And what a support that is to the parents, to see that so many individuals are rooting for them! You know what they say– recovery takes a village.
One of our former dads and his sweet baby girl even got to be on the big screen, which Katie told me was a dream come true for him.
That smile says it all. We are ever grateful to have the means and support to help those dreams and ambitions come to fruition in recovery.
Questions? Suggestions? Email me at emma.jones@maddiesplace.org
This blog was posted on February 9, 2024.