Helping to build roads to recovery
Recording session a success
The Friday recording session for the band went great. We gained some ideas on how to improve our sound from Dilan Wade, engineer/owner Tapwater Studios. It is unbelievable how many doors have opened for us in the short amount of time we have been members of the Russell Center community. It is exciting when I think of all the opportunities will become available to consumers in recovery.
“Indi Edibles” sponsored the recording session and in exchanged the Recovery Band will play for their events. They are a group of folks that do urban farming and are willing to show consumers how to feed themselves from their own gardens. The exciting thing is that there are many more visual artists and organizations in the complex showing interest in our mission of providing an environment where growth to potential will be the norm.
Arts & Recovery
I consider myself lucky for having had leaders in my life that supported me in pursuit of my dreams. I also feel that I would be selfish if I did not pass this support on to others. Looking for a way I could share my good fortune, I organized The Recovery Band. The band is based upon and practices the Appalachian model of Peer Support. It has worked extremely well for us and other consumers who have worked with us. We needed a program designed by consumers based on the peer support principals of caring, integrity, honor, and recovery. Thus CHARGE was born.
The relation between the arts and is quite old. I remember when I was hospitalized years ago, being given crafts to occupy my time. When consumers work with the band our primary concern is his/her self-esteem. So we empower them by having them tell us what they want to do. That sense of empowerment shows through in their music. Sans this feeling of empowerment, the best outcome is someone who knows more about their particular art, but they’ve made little progress in recovery. CHARGE is not an arts program, but we use the arts as tools in the recovery process.
Being a part of the Community
The Russell Industrial Center & Bazaar community is devoted to the betterment of the City of Detroit through the arts. By being a part of this community CHARGE is demonstrating how folks in recovery are capable of participating in and contributing to society. More than the business’ are the people like Amy P. Amy is a professional writer who is also working towards her Masters in Social Work. Amy’s dream is to work with creative adults and children, fulfilling their emotional needs, and enhancing unique talents and abilities.
To keep up on such things as guitar strings and cords, the band is always looking for deals. On a visit to a music store that was having a closeout sale, we met Linda. Years ago, Linda was a Psychiatric nurse who was in the minority because she believed that treatment should be delivered with compassion. She left the field and opened a music store and studio for piano and accordion. After 30 some years, Linda is closing the shop and is willing to share her talents and experiences with us.
Leaders in our lives
As we charge forward into this new era of treatment and recovery, we must be sure to thank those who made it possible. We dedicate this year’s Empowerment Day to those who have heard our pleas and opened new doors to recovery. True compassion contributes greatly to recovery, but caring cannot be mandated. We wish to honor those who provide the right mixture of leadership and compassion. The best way to honor and thank them is for us to work harder on our recovery. We must work closely with therapists, participating in our healing. Dare to dream again, and seek out those who wish to make it a reality. A person
Must have faith in his or her self, and his/her abilities to be able to effectively participate in their own healing and recovery. We must take charge of our lives and leadership of our recovery.
Finally, over the past 2 years the Recovery Band has done many events for little or no compensation. We are dedicated to spreading the message “Recovery is possible”. We used our pocket money to pay rent and security at the Russell Bazaar and are now in need of help to continue. If you can help us please send help to (P.O. Box 7458, Detroit Mi. 48207).
Gerald Butler
Certified Peer Specialist
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