PRCC Newsletter October 2021

Portland Recovery Community Center Newsletter: October 2021

The leaves are changing at 102 Bishop Street, and fall is in the air! This month, we have new groups and special events on the calendar--both online and in-person. Keep reading to learn about all of the great things happening in PRCC's community!

Bishop Street Updates

PRCC's current guidelines for center guests and staff:

PRCC is currently open Monday-Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 11am-7pm, and Sunday 8am-12pm.

All guests, members and staff may gather outside without wearing a mask.

Inside the building, masks are required regardless of vaccination status.

You do not need to call ahead to attend a meeting.

If you are not feeling well (even if you don't think it's Covid), please stay home!

Please continue to wash and sanitize hands.

THANK YOU to everyone who came to the 8th annual Rally 4 Recovery at 102 Bishop Street! It was a fantastic day with estimates of over 500 people celebrating recovery with music, food, and community connections.

Old and new groups are on the schedule - and it's changing rapidly as we renovate the new center. If you are interested in starting a new group, reviving an old group, or hosting a recovery event, contact Nancy by email or call 207-553-2575.

A few things to remember:

102 Bishop Street is currently being renovated. We're super excited for what's to come (more space!), and PRCC is remaining open during the renovation. Please be mindful of any closed off areas.
PRCC will be closed Wednesday Oct. 6 for a staff retreat.
Don't forget to check in at the new Recovery Link Kiosk when you visit!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the latest happenings at PRCC.

New Meetings Online and In-Person

Ananda Meditation Group

Concentrating on recovery from addiction, alcoholism, and disconnection, this group meets weekly to sit, breath, and calm the mind for 30 minutes. No prior experience with meditation is required. This group is the perfect place to start or strengthen your sitting practice!

Wednesdays, 7pm at PRCC

"Lead a Horse to Water"

This life recovery group, open to all people and service animals, provides a safe space for people in a healing process. Group activities include: consent training, character defect workshops, mental disorders seminar, suicide prevention awareness, human trafficking awareness, and music therapy.

Saturdays, 11am at PRCC

Mom Life

Rooted in recovery, this is an informal support group for new moms to connect and share the joys and struggles of mom life. The group will focus primarily on the first 18 months of motherhood, but all who identify as moms (or soon-to-be moms) are welcome to join with (or without) your little ones.

Sundays, 4-5pm Online via Zoom

5 Reasons to Volunteer at PRCC

Volunteers are the heart of PRCC's mission. We could not exist without them! We are founded on the premise of providing “peer-to-peer” recovery support and building community to provide a safe haven for people from every addiction recovery pathway. As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to help people from your community who are on a lifelong journey of recovery from addiction, and to spread the message of hope to others.

Here's what PRCC volunteers are saying about their experiences:

"For me, the best part of volunteering at PRCC is being around other sober people and hearing others' stories and feeling that I can relate to them and I'm not alone with my situation." --Heather F.
"One of the things I like about volunteering is that I get to interact with so many different personalities that I would probably not have the opportunity to interact with." --Malcolm G.
"Volunteering has been an exceptional opportunity for me to connect with the recovery community of Portland. Not only have I had the honor to be associated with the PRCC, but the center has brought a whole new meaning and purpose to my life." --Jordan G. (pictured above at the Rally with Luis, another PRCC volunteer)
"I like that there's something different to do most days, and I like helping people out! I was not aware of how many services were available through PRCC because I was just coming here for meetings, but there's an awful lot to learn. Even just from answering the phone and hearing who people need to talk to and what they need--it's a challenge that I like." --Marge H.
"The pay is GREAT!" --Matt B. (joking)

Interested in sharing your experience to help others and keep our center going? Contact Tesla at tesla@portlandrecovery.org to learn more!

**Please Note: In the spirit of community care and caution, we are requiring that all volunteers be vaccinated.

Special Events in October

PRCC Comedy Night

Comedy night is back! Come on out to 102 Bishop Street in Portland for a night of much-needed laughter.

Hosted by Johnny "Friggin" A and featuring Mike B and Al G, it's going to be a great night. Expect mostly clean material but please do not bring children. Tickets are donation based.

If you have any questions, give us a call at 207-553-2575. RSVP here.

Saturday Oct. 9, 8:30pm at PRCC

CrossFit with The Phoenix

Join The Phoenix Sunday 10/17 for CrossFit at CrossFit Casco Bay!

CrossFit is a form of high-intensity interval training--and The Phoenix is a super supportive group to try it with if you're new to CrossFit!

Meet at 1000 Congress St. Portland, ME 04102. Please note: the cost of all Phoenix events is 48 hours of continuous sobriety. Reserve a spot in advance to attend. Register here.

Sunday Oct. 17, 11am at CrossFit Casco Bay

Financial Health Workshop

An important part of recovery is developing healthy living skills. When it comes to money, people in recovery often need to rebuild their personal finances but may not know where to start. In this virtual session you will learn how to better manage money to help get back on your feet and move your life forward with confidence. Topics include: account basics; budgeting and building credit; paying off debt; setting new financial goals; and saving for the future. Register here.

Wednesday Oct. 20, 6pm Online

Community Spotlight: Origami Fish Chandelier

Reflection from Mary Rodiman, former PRCC board member and family member in recovery

To introduce myself, my name is Mary. I first came to the PRCC almost four years ago, a few months after my son Maxwell died of a heroin overdose laced with fentanyl and carfentanyl. A friend recommended the PRCC to me and this has made all the difference.

Losing Max has been devastating, and I am sure many of you can relate to this pain. Whether it’s from the loss of a son, a daughter, a wife, a husband, a mother, a father, a brother or sister, or any other relative, partner or friend. I have learned through my grief that this deep sorrow changes one’s soul; one that seeks kindness and peace of mind.

Unfortunately, Maxwell did not get the opportunity to discover the PRCC. I however was fortunate to visit, and this is when the road of recovery started for me. I found the PRCC to be a place of welcome. A place with people who are genuinely kind. A place of healing and good fellowship. In other words: a Gem.

I’d like to now present the Origami Fish Chandelier which represents all of us in recovery and those we have lost along the way. The Chandelier is such an exquisite way to visualize this; and what makes it so special to the PRCC is the fact that there was a huge amount of people who worked on this project including so many of you in this crowd today.

The gold fish you see represent those who have passed, and all the other colorful fish represent the rest of us in recovery. And liken to the gold fish in our Chandelier, our loved ones who passed shine their light on us. This gives us the strength we need, as do our memories of them, and the presence of their essence. We realize we will always have this pain, and we realize nothing or no one can take away our pain. We understand we must learn to carry it. We learn how important it is to be good to ourselves, because this makes us stronger; enabling us to carry the pain. As this occurs, something happens to our souls. We look for kindness as we ourselves become more kind.

The Origami Fish Chandelier was created through the generosity of sponsors of the rally, people in recovery, and family members of those who have passed from substance use disorder.

Volunteer of the Month

Meet Marge: A person in recovery, Marge Humeniuk started volunteering at PRCC in August. She has been serving at the front desk to welcome visitors to the center--which she always does with a warm and positive spirit.

Marge earned a brand-new "Marge-in-Charge" Award because she stepped up during the Rally to help direct folks in and around the center. We so appreciate Marge's leadership and help making the Rally run smoothly!

Marge says: "Recovery means freedom. I tend to isolate and I am learning to reach out to other people and ask for help, which is a very difficult thing for me at times. PRCC is a place where I can expand that ability. Recovery is definitely a way to find myself again and be free of anything that blocks me so that I can better follow my Higher Power."

Join us in thanking Marge for her dedication and commitment to the recovery community.

You are our family

This newsletter allows us to share our progress and connect with you - our recovery family. Published on a regular basis and sent via email, it provides news and updates for the greater Portland area. It gives you an opportunity to help support recovery and spread the message of hope throughout the state of Maine! Please send any feedback or information you'd like us to include to newsletter@portlandrecovery.org.