McAlister Institute will hold its second annual 5K Walk for Sobriety (www.walkforsobriety.com) on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at NTC Park at Liberty Station, emceed by Tommy Sablan, producer of the Jeff & Jer radio program on KyXy. Proceeds from the event benefit McAlister Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the compassionate care and treatment of individuals and families suffering from addiction, mental illness, and homelessness.
The Walk for Sobriety celebrates a clean and sober lifestyle and honors McAlister Institute’s 36 years in the community. “We’re excited to invite the San Diego community to join us in a celebration of hope and recovery,” said Jeanne McAlister, founder and CEO of McAlister Institute and San Diego’s Mental Health Person of the Year for 2010. “Often, the conversation about addiction, whether it’s substance abuse, gambling, overeating, and/or other addictive illnesses, generates negative and dismissive commentary. We
are working on re-shaping the conversation to that of sympathy and understanding. We want to focus on solutions.”
“Since 1977,” said McAlister, “hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from addiction have passed through the doors of McAlister Institute, and not one of them – not one – has chosen to become an addict, any more than a person chooses to contract cancer or heart disease. In the same way, treatment solutions shouldn’t discriminate who gets help. That’s why we keep our doors open to everyone.”
McAlister noted that the Walk for Sobriety is a positive way to increase awareness and support the power of recovery. “People need to know there are solutions. Each of us at McAlister Institute is dedicated to helping individuals regain their lives by supporting the recovery process. Our belief is that recovery is a life-long process requiring a continuum of community support, and that those who are successfully navigating recovery provide the strongest models for hope and change. Each success story begins with a single day of sobriety, and this walk is an opportunity to celebrate that journey.”
Walkers, runners, and online supporters will help us send this powerful message on the day of the walk by wearing the number of days they—or their loved ones—have clean and sober and what it means to them. Last year’s messages included “305 days of being a mom,” “305 days of having my mom back,” and “1,595 of good living.”
To join the celebration, please visit www.walkforsobriety.com. The walk will be a “fundraise-to-enter” event, so all participants are asked to raise at least $35 per adult and $5 per child (ages 12 and under). All proceeds will benefit McAlister I
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