Connection in the Park set for Saturday
Family-friendly event designed to connect residents to resources
A Southwest Florida nonprofit will hold a free event in Cape Coral this weekend where individuals can gain valuable information on how to combat substance abuse and mental health disorders.
The ARCHway Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope, education, and resources for individuals and families impacted by substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders, has announced the second annual Connection in the Park. The community gathering is set for Nov. 7 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Cultural Park.
The event is free and open to the public, offering an afternoon designed to connect Southwest Florida residents with local wellness resources, peer support networks, and community services in a welcoming, family-friendly environment.
“We formulated this community event really to kind of bring together community partners so we could share resources and have a place for anybody who might be struggling, or maybe it’s a family member who has somebody that’s struggling and they don’t really know who to turn to or where to go, that they could come to a location where there’d be multiple different providers or recovery housing or recovery community organizations and they could find the help that they needed for their loved ones,” said Marybeth Hill, ARCHway Institute event coordinator.
Featured highlights of the afternoon include:
• Keynote Speaker Annette Franks, M.Ed., LPC: A renowned licensed professional counselor, corporate wellness coach, and national motivational speaker with over three decades of experience in addiction recovery education, mindfulness, and holistic health.
• Live musical performance by Dave Powers: a two-time Emmy-winning keyboardist, vocalist, and entertainer performing live throughout the event.
• Food & refreshments: Local Southwest Florida food truck vendors.
• Community Resource & Vendor Fair: Opportunities for families and individuals to interact directly with local wellness providers, recovery navigators, civic groups, and local businesses.
Hill said Connection is the Park is a family-fun event, where children are welcome and will have the opportunity to play games and take part in activities such as face painting. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. At the heart of the event is also fellowship.
“Community is such an important part of that,” she said. “And so having a place where we can have these events that are substance-free, where people can come and gather and just celebrate being alive and celebrate the fact that recovery is possible alongside having those resources available to share with each other is something that’s so impactful.”
As to why Franks is the perfect fit to be the keynote speaker, Hill said someone who has battled addiction and has lived experience is something those that continue to battle should hear.
“She’s coming to share part of her story and why it is important that we recover out loud and why it is important that we work together as a community to help a community heal,” Hill said.
The event will feature approximately 20 vendors from recovery housing organizations, to treatment providers, to nonprofits, to those from the Army National Guard.
“Recovery is not a one-size-fits-all thing,” Hill said. “So we wanted to bring a different mix for different people. Just because what works for you may not work for me. And so it’s important that we have lots of options of people there for resources provided.”
Part of the event is removing the stigma that comes with substance abuse disorder, and the attempt to reach out for help.
“That that’s the intention behind it,” Hill said. “You know, a lot of times, that is what stops somebody from taking that first step, because they feel like they’re going to have some stigma behind it or the formalities of like having to walk into this brick-and-mortar place and explain what’s going on and what exactly is happening.
“Events like these bring the community there and show support. There will be also family members who have also gone through similar situations with their family members to share that, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. We’ve been through the same thing.'”
Hill added that it’s also important to realize that recovery can be fun, that it’s just not going to treatment or meetings, and not so rigid.
“We can sit back and relax, listen to great music, and also figure out how to help the next person,” she said.
The ARCHway Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on increasing access to substance use and mental health recovery care. Through financial assistance grants, peer mentorship programs, educational initiatives, and community events, ARCHway works nationwide to eliminate barriers to treatment and provide ongoing support to individuals and families navigating the journey of recovery.
Hill said every year, through private donations, ARCHway is able to release $100,000 in small grants to recovery community organizations and recovery housing.
“We raise the money to give it away, and we have been able to help countless amounts of people,” she said.
For more information, visit www.thearchwayinstitute.org.
Cultural Park is at at 528 Cultural Park Blvd.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com