Dear ABC Family,

I wanted to take a moment to express our appreciation to all of those who lent their support for our inaugural Oasis of Hope Gala on November 3^rd. Some may have contributed to the fundraiser but could not attend, others put in a lot of work in helping us prepare for it throughout the year. Whatever your contribution was, we appreciate you.

Our honoree was the Harmon Recovery Foundation. We want to give a special shout out to Bill and Robin Harmon for all they do for the recovery community. What an asset they are to our community.

Gil and Marlene Ruttenberg were our Gala Committee co-chairs, thank you from our entire organization.

We received a ton of positive feedback from the event, and I walked away from it feeling good and feeling grateful…

I would be remiss not to give a special thanks to our Director of Development and Communications, Maureen Girouard. She has proven to be a huge asset to ABC Recovery Center. ABC has evolved over the past 8 years. We have many more requirements to fulfill as we have expanded our services. It became increasingly difficult to focus on special events, communications, and grant writing. Maureen has stepped in and taken on all of this and more. I know she won’t like the attention, but she deserves the recognition. Thank you Ms. Girouard.

Next newsletter we will provide an update on our building project. I will share now, that we are in our final design phase.

From all of us at ABC Recovery Center, Happy Thanksgiving. All our stakeholders are on our list of things we are thankful for. 

Have a great Holiday,

Sincerely,

Chris Yingling - CEO

ABC Recovery Center, Inc.

We are pleased to share that ABC Recovery Center has been selected as one of five beneficiaries of the 2023 Annual Charity Golf Tournament of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahilla Indians.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is preparing for the 13th Annual Agua Caliente Charity Golf Tournament to be held Friday, December 8th, 2023, at the Indian Canyons Golf Resort in Palm Springs. For more than a decade, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is proud to have distributed upwards of $1.7 million to more than 50 organizations locally and nationally.

Thanks Agua Caliente!

The inaugeral Oasis of Hope Gala on November 3rd, generatated nearly double the funding of anyother previous ABC Recovery Center Event. The gala was, for the first time, held at the Indian Wells Golf Resort Paviilion where nearly 200 of ABC Recovery Center's donors, board members, staff and guests enjoyed an evening that we hope, was meaningful for all involved.

The gala had several new sponsors including: ABC Alumni Committee, Bill Simmons, Laura Bushley & Associates, Insperity, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Agua Caliente, and SolutionPoint,. The Presenting Sponsor, The Harmon Recovery Foundation, was also a first time sponsor. Bill and Robin Harmon did double duty as honorees and were presented with the Firestone Award the gala.

It's with a heartfelt thanks to all who contributed and supported this inaugeral effort.

You can mark your calendars now................the 2nd Annual Oasis of Hope Gala will be on November 1st, 2024. Stay tuned.

Pictured from left: ABC CEO, Chris Yinging, ABC Board Chair, David Grey, Gala Honorees and Presenting Sponsor, Bill and Robin Harmon.

There's always time for fun. ABC Recovery Center has an annual tradition where the staff votes on the costume theme for Halloween. This year, the theme was "Food". We had peas in pods, a banana, pineapple, oreo, taco, broccoli, ramen, and more! Well done team. Well done.

ABC Recovery Center participates in the inaugeral Walk For Recovery

On Saturday morning, Sept. 30, Imperial County Behavioral Health Services and the city of El Centro teamed up to host “Walk for Recovery” at Bucklin Park in El Centro, with the aim to increase public awareness surrounding mental health and addiction recovery.

Guest speakers took on the topic of addiction recovery and many informational booths were located in the Bucklin Park Pavilion. El Centro Mayor Martha Cardenas-Singh and Mayor Pro Tem Sylvia Marroquin were in attendance to represent the city.

“This is our inaugural year of holding this event, and we are so proud to be here. We plan on making this an annual event. We’re hoping for a lot of people. We know one in eight people in Imperial County have substance abuse problems. If we got one-tenth of those people, the park would be full,” said Scott Dudley, Behavioral Health Manager for outreach treatment. . There were three different walks around the park each with different purpose:

At the request of the Desert Healthcare District, ABC Recovery Center partnered in the Riverside Overdose Data to Action (RODA) fentanyl harm reduction awareness education project. The Desert Healthcare District, in partnership with Riverside University Health System - Public Health, created an action plan to address the high overdose deaths plaguing the Indio community by implementing a harm reduction education project. The project sought to leverage existing, local community partners already providing an array of support services and resources to those most at risk for potential overdose and

death.

RIVERSIDE, CA (October 10, 2023) - Riverside University Health System (RUHS) invites the community to unite and celebrate the power of recovery at its annual "Recovery Happens Celebration and Resource Fair." The free, family-friendly event will be held at Fairmount Park in Riverside on October 12, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The celebration aims to highlight that recovery is possible for everyone, regardless of their circumstances or backgrounds. Guests can connect with nearly 100 exhibitors, including RUHS, CalFresh, Substance Use Treatment Centers, HHOPE Housing, U.S.VETS, and Indian Health, for information, support, and referrals. Music, food, games, children’s activities, a dance contest and sports are also part of the event.

Recovery Happens is more than just a day of fun—it’s a day to explore tangible resources and support solutions, ensuring everyone can navigate their path to recovery with community support and integrated care.

"Recovery Happens is not just an event; it's a testament to our collective commitment to ensuring that every individual can live a life of purpose, dignity, and recovery," said Dr. Matthew Chang, director of RUHS-Behavioral Health. "At RUHS, our mission is to illuminate the journey to recovery. Together, with the unwavering support of our community, county partners, and local organizations, we're poised to create enduring positive change."

The event is part of the National Recovery Happens campaign, which has found that over 23 million Americans have overcome a substance use disorder in their lifetime, emphasizing the real power of community support and comprehensive care.

ABC Recovery Center supports this event and traditionally annouces our "Counselor of the Year". This year their were two recipients of the award, David Proctor (l) and Freda Addeo (r). Congratulations!

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 August Rock Star is Wendy Stigar. Wendy has worked for ABC for over 10 years celebrating her 10th year anniversary in February of 2023. Wendy began working here as part of the Program team and then transitioned to her Billing Specialist role sometime late 2016 or early 2017. She is an integral employee here as she has strong knowledge of what happens on the program side as well as the billing side of things. Her computer skills, and attention to detail have really helped her grow in her role as Billing Specialist.

Pictured is Wendy Stiger, Billing Specialist, and Brock Jenikovsky, Director of Operations.

Our September Rock Star is Arlene Lopez.

Pictured is Lisa Wolfe, and Arlene Lopez, Outpatient Counselor

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

ABC Alumni Committee Members, Mandy Guntman, Eloise Black and Angel Munoz.

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.

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.