"Being a new Mom changed my life completely."
Those words hung on a gallery wall recently alongside the artwork of a mother participating in We Care Arts through the H.E.A.R. Her initiative. Her piece, New Life, tells the story visually.
I stood there looking at those words and kept coming back to one question :. . .
Isn't this what recovery is ultimately about? Not simply surviving. Building a life.
For years, our community has worked incredibly hard to respond to substance use disorders. We have learned that recovery can begin in many places. With a dose of Narcan. A meal. Safe housing. Treatment. Medication. Counseling. All of those interventions matter.
But what happens on day 31? Day 61? Day 91?
Art gave these women a way to tell their stories. A gallery gave the community a place to hear them. And the people who attended helped carry those stories beyond its walls.
That is community. And that is part of recovery, too.
Treatment can begin recovery. Community helps sustain it.
No single organization can provide everything someone needs throughout a recovery journey.
A treatment provider does not have to become an art organization. We Care Arts does not need to become a housing provider. A food pantry doesn't need to provide clinical treatment.
We need each other.
When organizations work in partnership, one intervention can become a bridge to another. Treatment can connect to housing. Housing can connect to employment. Clinical support can connect to community. And community can create opportunities for belonging, purpose, expression and relationships that continue long after an initial crisis has passed.
That is why We Care Arts believes so deeply in collaboration.
And you have a role in that continuum, too.
Maybe you work for an organization serving people on their recovery journey. Ask yourself: What happens next for the people we serve? Who else in our community could help extend our impact?
Maybe you're a community member. Attend the exhibit. Look at the artwork. Read the artists' stories. Then tell someone else about what you saw.
Maybe you're a donor. Invest not only in helping someone through a crisis, but in the organizations and partnerships that help people build what comes afterward.
And all of us can do one more thing.
Look beyond the diagnosis.
See the mother. See the artist. See the neighbor.
See the person imagining her future in bright yellow sunshine and writing the words
family, dreams, love, stability, hope and confidence beside it.
Because recovery isn't one and done.
It's a journey. And building a community where people can continue that journey belongs to all of us.
Grateful to have you walking beside us on this journey. Thank you for your past and ongoing support as an advocate, donor, artist, community partner, and friend. Together, we are helping make the 91st day, and every day that follows, one filled with community, belonging, purpose, and possibility.
Katie Neubert
Executive Director
