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Friday nights in Winchester can often be a time for festive events. 

At College Park’s location of 30 Wheeler Avenue, such an occasion occurred on September 20. 

The yearly Rally4Recovery event took place, welcoming many organizations, guest speakers, and others in the name of promoting recovery from substance use, mental health awareness, and more. 

“We just want to support our community and just let everybody know where the resources are,” said Dickie Everman, chairman of the Clark County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP). “What I love about it is everybody coming together and just celebrating recovery.” 

With National Recovery Month taking place each September, the event is timely. 

Over 30 tables with different organizations offering services and information to the public were present. 

Beall Recovery Centers, dedicated to providing a supportive environment for those combating opioid addiction, was one. 

“We are a recovery treatment facility where we do medication assisted treatment,” said administrative assistant Bridget Townsend. “We offer case management counseling.” 

Another organization to make an appearance was the Isaiah House Treatment Center, with locations in places such as Harrodsburg and Versailles. 

“We have men and women, and we have an aftercare program with recovery housing,” said Krista McKenna, a Winchester native and women’s recovery housing manager. “We just wanted to come out today to show our support for Winchester…it’s been nice to come back.” 

Other organizations present included Yonder Behavioral Health, Bluegrass Community Health Center, Baptist Health, Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, Pinnacle Treatment Centers, Partners Healthcare, Clark County Community Services, Kingdom Mission Outreach, Celebrate Recovery, Recapture Recovery, Roaring Brook Recovery, The Clean Slate Initiative, and Better Days Sober Living LLC. 

In addition to the organizations, multiple guest speakers were present. 

Among them was Diana Laabs, who told her own story of overcoming addiction following a challenging upbringing and more. 

Although trials included having to overcome the death of her daughter due to drug overdose, Laabs eventually overcame her own addiction with help from Celebrate Recovery. 

“I went there and I found hope, freedom, love, and no judgment. I found lots of friends through my journey of trying to become sober,” said Laabs, who recently celebrated two years of sobriety, “I got my relationship back with my son and my relationship back with my [other] daughter.” 

Other speakers included Brandon Sorrell, who combated struggles with both substance abuse and depression, as well as Kim and Steve Jernigan. 

The event also included a color walk, and was followed by a Run4Recovery the following day at Kroger Youth Soccer Complex. 

Throughout the night, entertainment for the event – sponsored by organizations including Hunt Brothers Pizza, Calvary Christian Church, and Craig’s Auto Repair – came from musicians including Chris Clem. 

Certainly not least, the Rally4Recovery event featured its annual cardboard testimonies. 

During this portion, numerous individuals displayed cardboard signs detailing their recovery journey.  

Along with pictures and quotes, some even included acronyms. 

For example, one sign spelled out the word “recovery” as “realizing everyone can obtain victory emancipation relief [and] yearning.” 

“I love it. I love people coming together,” said Juanita Everman, a volunteer with Celebrate Recovery and former executive director with Achieving Recovery Together. “[When] you get into recovery, you have family [for] the rest of your life. You always have somebody…that’s going to be there to help you.”