Friday night in Penticton, the lights were on and shining at Discovery House.
The addiction treatment program turned on their holiday decorations in their yearly tradition.
This year’s mood was more celebratory compared to 2020’s, when the program was dealing with the loss of eight alumni among the hundreds of overdose deaths that year.
Friday’s ceremony was not ignorant of the ongoing opioid epidemic, which claimed the lives of three alumni in 2021. A moment of silence marked the remembrance of those lost, both this year and in previous years.
Members of the Discovery House family, including both current and past clients as well as staff, shared some of their stories. All of them highlighted how important Discovery House has been and continues to be in saving lives.
In addition to those immediately connected to Discovery House, councillors James Miller and Judy Sentes, MLA Dan Ashton and MP Richard Cannings all took to the microphone to speak about the difference Discovery House makes in the community, and how it is and should be a model for programs across the province.
The light up is the climax, but not the completion of Discovery House’s annual Shed the Light on Addiction campaign, which has reached $120,000 of their $150,000 goal to establish their fourth building.
The campaign continues on until the end of the year, with the goal being to raise enough to start construction in 2022 to provide more of their independent living beds at their Parker Place location.
The easiest way for people to donate is through thehttps://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/penticton-recovery-resource-society/, but Discovery House will also accept E-Transfers to: prrs@shaw.ca or cheques mailed to Discovery House, 633 Winnipeg St., Penticton, B.C. V2A 5N1 You can also contact Jerome Abraham at 250-462-1388 for more information.
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