September is Suicide Prevention and National Recovery Month, making it the perfect time to check in on loved ones.
Coinciding with these occasions, local nonprofit Positive Pathways, Inc. seeks to raise greater awareness and understanding for those struggling with mental health disorders and addiction through its Hope in the Mountains annual event.
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Held this year on Sept. 6, the event allowed for more visitors with its first setup at Meeks Park rather than the Positive Pathways parking lot. At least 125 guests attended to enjoy a day out with their community and see what opportunities were available for those struggling.
As a family-friendly event, Hope in the Mountains included activities for children, like face painting and a bouncy house. Thanks to the Vertical Church, The Table food truck was there to provide something to eat throughout the day.
Along with that, tables for various organizations and “allies” were present, such as UCCPAW, UCGA1R, MedLink, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, New Hope Counseling of Blairsville, Georgia Council for Recovery, AHWR and Isaiah 117 House.
“Today, we stand in the light of possibility,” stated Positive Pathways Executive Director Shawna Harkins in the opening speech. “We recognize that recovery is not limited to a certain group of people; it is for everyone.”
“Our theme says it best – recovery is for everyone,” Harkins continued. “Every person, every family, every community – that means there is no ‘them’ and ‘us.’ There is only us. We rise together, we grow together, and when one of us stumbles, the rest of us become the net that catches them.”
Part of that safety net includes peer support groups, which are present at Positive Pathways and have proven successful in helping folks recovering from battles with mental health and addiction. As the old saying goes, seeing is believing, and seeing that triumph is possible can help someone on their own path to healing.
Enter Ashley Martin. As of that Saturday, she had spent 1,287 days and eight hours sober. Describing herself as “a person in long-term recovery,” Martin shared her story so that she might inspire hope for others.
“In my own walk with sobriety, I have found much success in reminding myself of the importance of my choice to stay sober and what a strong cornerstone it is for my growth as a person,” Martin said.
She walked the audience through her journey to become the person standing before them. In the years following the start of that journey, Martin gave birth to her sons, stopped smoking cigarettes and, despite these great triumphs, lost her brother.
Martin would go on to walk away from a dangerous relationship, choosing the safety of herself and her boys “so loudly that it almost felt like we teleported from one reality to another.” Removing herself from a tumultuous environment allowed her to see just how far she’d come since first abstaining from substance abuse.
“Recovery has given me the chance to be a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend – trusted, loved and supported,” Martin said. “And to anyone who is still in the fight, or families fighting for your loved ones that are having setbacks of their own, don’t give up. If I can stand here today, so can you.”
Part of acknowledging stories of success is mourning the lives of those who fought long and hard battles. As a hobby, Harkins races, and she brought her custom car to Hope in the Mountains to show how she helps end the stigma surrounding addiction and mental health issues.
Emblazoned across the top of the car are a series of names, with some in purple and some in green. Those printed in purple are people who passed from overdosing, while the ones in green commemorate suicide deaths.
Some, Harkins knew personally, while others, she heard about through community involvement. No matter how she may or may not have met them, they ride with her on her racecar and in her heart.
There’s no way that every name of those touched by that sort of tragedy can fit on the car, but there was a makeshift solution presented that afternoon. Butterflies were released in memory of the departed, a poignant ceremony meant to evoke the symbolism of the beautiful insects as figures of hope and transformation.
Harkins instructed, “As the butterflies rise, let them carry our love, our prayers and our commitment to honor the past, embrace the present and believe in the hope of tomorrow.”
For more information on Positive Pathways and the services it provides, visit https://www.positiverecoverypathways.com/.
