This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

McAlister Institute to Hold 3rd Annual 5K Walk for Sobriety

McAlister Institute will hold its third
annual 5K Walk for Sobriety (www.walkforsobriety.com) on Saturday, June
21, 2014 at NTC Park at Liberty Station. With help from its media sponsor,
KyXy, and emcee Tommy Sablan from the Jeff & Jer Show, the event will
celebrate a clean and sober lifestyle and generate awareness for treatment.
Proceeds from the walk will benefit McAlister Institute, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to the compassionate care and treatment of individuals
and families suffering from addiction, mental illness, and homelessness.



“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. “Addiction and its devastating effects seem to
have a strong presence in the media, so we want to give recovery a voice, too.
Our goal is to reshape the conversation and to focus on solutions.”



Walkers, runners, and online supporters
will help increase awareness and support the power of recovery by wearing the
number of days they—or their loved ones—have clean and sober and what it means
to them.

Find out what's happening in Rancho Bernardo-4s Ranchwith free, real-time updates from Patch.



Marisa Varond, Director of Development
at McAlister Institute, explained, “Each success story begins with a single day
of sobriety. When you see a McAlister graduate wearing a sign that says ‘1,256
days of being a mom,’ and her family is there to support her with signs that
say ‘1,256 days of having my mommy back,’ ‘1,256 days of supporting my sister,’
and ‘1,256 days of falling in love with my wife all over again,’ you can
actually feel the power of recovery. Celebrating these stories will help us
create a community of support and inspire people to get the help they need.”



“This is a much different conversation
than we’re used to hearing,” added McAlister. “It’s not about blame. It’s about
making a positive impact. We want people to know that there are solutions—that
there are organizations like McAlister Institute that are dedicated to helping
individuals regain their lives—because we really believe that’s the first step
to ending this epidemic.”

Find out what's happening in Rancho Bernardo-4s Ranchwith free, real-time updates from Patch.



Since opening its doors in 1977,
McAlister Institute has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals regain
their lives. Just last year, the agency served nearly 7,000 individuals.



To join the Walk for Sobriety, please
visit www.walkforsobriety.com. Registration
is $35, with an option to fundraise, and all proceeds benefit McAlister
Institute’s 27 treatment programs. For additional questions or to become an
event sponsor, please contact Marisa at marisa.varond@mcalisterinc.org.



###



About
McAlister Institute



McAlister Institute has earned
recognition as one of San Diego County’s leading resources for the compassion
care and treatment of individuals and families suffering from addiction, mental
illness, and homelessness. Founded in 1977, the organization is dedicated to
having a positive impact on all those it serves, helping to restore them to
more productive and meaningful lives. In 2012, McAlister staff celebrated 1,000
years clean and sober.



For additional information on McAlister
Institute, please visit www.mcalisterinc.org

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?