Catholic Charities' East Brunswick Family Service Center Recognized with 2015 Tree of Hope

On a warm fall evening, employees of Catholic Charities, their guests along with Wellspring Center for Prevention (NCADD) staff came together to celebrate the 2015 National Recovery Month by dedicating the agency’s annual “Tree of Hope” to the Catholic Charities’ East Brunswick Family Service Center.

Wellspring’s annual Tree of Hope campaign is designed to raise the consciousness of our neighbors in Middlesex County to the fact that addiction is an illness from which many do recover, and to celebrate those recoveries. This annual event is one of the agency’s primary fundraising vehicles and supports their confidential information and referral Helpline, which helps over 800 individuals and families begin their journey of recovery.

The “Tree of Hope” is awarded annually to an organization that promotes recovery from addiction.

“We chose the Catholic Charities’ East Brunswick Family Service Center as our 2015 Tree of Hope recipient because of their impact on the community they serve, every day,” said Wellspring Executive Director Ezra Helfand. “Particularly during this period of increasing heroin and prescription drug overdoses, services such as those provided by the Catholic Charities’ East Brunswick Family Service Center are vital to the families of Central Jersey.”

Marianne Majewski, Executive Director at Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen noted ” Catholic Charities is very grateful to be the recipient of the 2015 Tree of Hope, and we are equally grateful for the spotlight this ceremony shines on addiction.”
Elena Boyle Elena Boyle, Service Area Director at Catholic Charities’ Diocese of Metuchen added “Today we celebrate and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the staff and clients that make the program a success. This is what it is all about”

The event featured a candlelight dedication ceremony when individually personalized stars were hung on the tree to commemorate the recovery of a loved one, in the hope of recovery for a friend or family member, or to memorialize someone who did not experience recovery.
Jeff Jannarone, Wellspring’s Board of Trustees president added “Today we joined together to dispel the darkness of addiction and proclaim our hope in a candle lighting ceremony.”

Additional information will be available on the NCADD Website at www.ncadd-middlesex.org.