Happy May to All,

As we approach another summer here in the Valley, ABC is working steadily on our expansion plans. We are subdividing the 10 acre lot on the west side of Palm St. into two parcels. Indio’s Planning Commission has approved our tentative parcel map. Our next step is going through the Indio City Council on May 17^th to finalize the parcel map. Once this is completed we will have satisfied all of the items necessary to execute our contract for the $27 million dollar expansion project and we can begin the expansion in earnest. I wanted to provide an update, as I know many of our supporters and community members are interested in this news.

Last week ABC Recovery Center received a grant award from The Regional Access Project for $75,000 to support the expansion of our Family Program. I want to take a moment to give thanks to the R.A.P. Foundation for the support they provide, not just to ABC, but to many Non-Profit’s in the Coachella Valley. These foundations really are the lifeblood of organizations like ours. They allow us to go the extra mile and to be creative in helping more people. In substance-use treatment, if you aren’t reaching out to the family, where many dynamics affect the long term recovery of the person-served, you are not treating the whole person.

Additionally last week we completed the remodel of the recovery residence village. This was a 1.5 year project we did on our own. The village was built in the early 2000’s so they were in dire need of many fixes. They all received tile throughout, new countertops, new fixtures, and paint.

Lastly, the old hotel on the corner of Valencia and Palm Street (The Star Lodge) was abated and then demolished. The lot is now clear and the entire community looks better as a result. We do not yet have a plan for what we will do with the now cleared half acre lot. We will communicate our plans once we have them.

We are preparing for our Gala on November 3^rd where we are honoring the Harmon Recovery Foundation. We hope to see you all there.

Try to stay cool out there and thank you for your continuing support of ABC Recovery Center.

With Sincerity,

We are proud to introduce our inaugeral . . .

Bill and Robin Harmon

Indian Wells Golf Resort Pavilion

As we gather to honor ABC Recovery Center's 60 years of service, and most especially, all those who have been served, we will use this inaugeral event to commemorate Bill and Robin Harmon's efforts for all that they have done for our local recovery community and beyond.

We are planning on a live and silent auction, entertainment, an amazing dinner and inspirational program. We hope you'll be a part of it. The event will be black-tie optional.

I want to thank several members of our ABC Staff and Alumni who are serving on the Gala's Committee, Kelly Ryan, Brock Jenikovsky, Alexis Pollard, Andrea Courreges and Ashley Hinesley.

I also want to introduce our Gala Co-Chairs, Gil and Marlene Ruttenberg, who will be leading this inaugeral effort. Gil is a member of our Board of Directors and his wife, Marlene, is a broker with Desert Properties Real Estate.

Would you like to be a member of our event committee? If so, please contact Maureen Girouard, mgirouard@abcrecoverycenter.org. We hope to involve those in the community who want to help bring this new event to life.

Jana shared that they were hopeful to get ABC's participation as they were looking for local providers who serve the City of Indio with substance use services and harm reduction support. As a long-term provider in the Coachella Valley they were exploring subcontracting with organizations that already serve the Coachella Valley, specifically Indio. Jana said, "As an expert in the field as a provider, we felt you might be able to help us understand harm reduction from your perspective."

That lead to a group of ABC's team that would likely be providing support for this project to meet with Jana and Donna Craig, Chief Program Officer at Desert Healthcare District to discuss the opportunity and offer suggestions for next steps.

The county accepted the project as submitted by the Desert Healthcare District with ABC Recovery Center approved as the partner and provider agency.

ABC Recovery Center is proud to be invited to participate in this meaningful and impactful work for our city and its residents. ABC Recovery Center will recieve a $25,000 grant from the Desert Healthcare District to cover costs for staffing the project.

To further demonstrate the need for harm reduction, please click on the buttom below to view Riverside County's data:

Because of the severity and acuity of our detoxifying client population, we need to be ready to immediately provide life-saving care.  An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It's a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

Our campus is extensive consisting of a dozen or so buildings, each supporting our different client populations.  We wanted to be able to place an AED in each building enabling our staff to have this technology within easy reach and apply this medical intervention when it is needed most.  ABC Recovery Center has had the need to expend life-saving measures 15 times in the last couple of years.

Knowing that our clients are particularly vulnerable in respect to their heart health, having AED's onsite in multiple locations where they can be easily accessed by all staff, provides ABC Recovery Center every opportunity to provide life-saving care. Because of the generosity of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and Bighorn Cares we can fully equip our campus with AED’s.

From the Morongo Band of Mission Indians website, "Central to the core values of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians is an unwavering commitment to aid those who are in need and to support programs that strengthen local communities. Through our Community Outreach Department, Morongo has provided more than $5 million over the past five years to support local and national non-profit organizations which serve our surrounding region as well as greater Southern California."

ABC Recovery Center was invited to attend the Morongo Community Outreach luncheon held on April 19th, along with other non-profits who were awarded grants. You can click no the link below to see coverage of the event.

Please take the time to review our annual report. We want to share our story with you through our clients, donors and leadership.

It's been a long road.

Thanks so much for helping us along the way.

ABC offers a three-day in person family program workshop that meets once a month. We start on Friday evening with an opening circle, education and discussion on understanding the disease of substance use disorders. Saturday is a full day of education on family systems, communication and boundaries and Sunday we have a discusses of developing resources for family and an Al-Anon panel meeting.  The program is centered around education and is facilitated in a supportive environment that explores the depth of addiction, family systems, boundaries, communication skills and recovery for the entire family. The program is free and opened to family members who would like to improve their relationship with their loved one who struggles with substance use disorders. The goal of the program is to gain understanding and to jumpstart the healing process.

ABC Recovery also provides a weekly webinar on Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00pm. The webinar series is a weekly series that guides in supporting family members with loved ones who struggles with substance use disorders utilizing the CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) method. The Webinar is designed to continue helping loved ones learn specific skills to positively impact their family member with a substance use disorder, increase effectiveness of supportive change.

Every month, the ABC Recovery Center team identifies our Rock Stars. This is a peer designation which makes it even more special. Rock Stars are member of our staff who are going above and beyond the expectations of their positions. They are making our mission happen and are integral to the important changes we are helping our clients make in their lives.

Monthly, staff are included in the request to nominate a Rock Star. They are asked what inspired them to nominate their peer and are provided six criteria to select from that apply to their nominee. The survey is tabulated, and the winners are announced by Human Resources.

Our February Rock Star is Carlos Corral. Carlos has been with ABC for 7 months. Says manager Lisa Wolfe, "Carlos has shown great patience with the clients and is always willing to teach new coping skills to them. His calming approach has been known to encourage clients to remain in treatment when they want to leave."

Pictured is Lisa Wolfe, Program Manager and Carlos Corral, Behaviorial Tech.

Our March Rock Star is Tim Ashton. Tim has been at ABC for 7 months and like Carlos, he too is a Behavioral Tech. Lisa shares, "He is an asset to the team and demonstrates great client care motivation. Tim cares about the clients and seems to have good rapport with them. Tim is a true life saver and can be depended upon during emergency situations."

Congratulations Carlos and Tim!

Pictured is Tim Ashton, Behavioral Tech, and Lisa Wolfe, Program Manager

Below is the ABC Alumni Association's offical logo! Look for it in the future to identify alumni news and events.

Pictured: Andrea Courreges, Alumni Association President, Ashely Hinesley, Vice President.

ABC Alumni Committee Members Brenda Hughes, Eloise Black and Angel Munoz.

The Alumni of ABC Recovery Center have plans in the works for the rest of this calendar year. The Alumni Breakfast is on the first Sunday of the month, here at ABC Recovery Center. The next breakfast is on Sunday March 5th.

A big "Thank you" to the owners of La Quinta's Nothing Bundt Cakes, Ellie Koch Tropple and Jeff Tropple. Their thoughtful generosity in providing cakes for us each month helps us recognize and celebrate those in our organization who have been given another year, and a second chance at life.

Thanks so much Ellie and Jeff and thanks to your amazing team.

From left to right: Lisa Wolfe, Kelly Ryan and Marci Berry

As one of Southern California's leading destinations for addiction treatment, ABC Recovery Center promotes wellness and healing for all stages of recovery. When we first meet the clients who arrive at our door, we don’t know what the future will hold. We welcome them without judgment and provide an individually tailored holistic and multi-disciplinary team approach that has successfully helped many others overcome their battle with substance use disorders. ABC is Licensed by the State Department of Health Care Services, as well as being accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

ABC Recovery Center offers a full continuum of services for those who have made the decision to make significant changes to their lives. We offer the following programs: Detoxification (Detox), Residential Treatment, Intensive Outpatient Program, Outpatient Program, and our Transitional and Sober Living Programs. We also provide a family program, perinatal services, and specialized groups for LGBTQIA constituents.

We are helping provide a future for over a thousand people a year, and that doesn’t include the number of people whose futures will be impacted when our clients are returned to them, sober and safe. We are here to provide them every opportunity to have the future they want.