June 2026/Issue 66

The TriCircle Connection

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Quote of the Month

from a Van Morrison song

“These are the days, the time is now ...there's only here, there's only now.”

From the Desk of

Ana Gopoian

THIS MOMENT. THIS BREATH. THIS CHANCE.

I want to start with something I've been sitting with lately — the weight of now. Not last year. Not the ten years we've been building TriCircle. Now.

This moment, as you read these words, someone in our community is fighting for their life. A parent is lying awake at 3am. A young person is deciding whether to reach out — or not. Time is not a guarantee. It never was. And that truth changes everything about how I want to show up.

I am a person in long-term recovery. I say that not as a credential, but as a reminder — to myself as much as anyone — of how fast it can all disappear. How thin the line is between drowning and finding a hand to grab. That hand existed for me. But for too many people in this community, right now, today, no hand has arrived yet.

That is the emergency. Not a metaphor. An emergency.

Addiction Doesn't Wait. Neither Can We.

The disease of addiction operates in real time. It does not pause while we plan, deliberate, or wait for the right moment to act. It hollows out families on Tuesday afternoons. It takes people on Wednesday mornings. It does not respect calendars or convenience.

And yet — connection can move just as fast. A phone call. A text. A door that opens when someone finally, finally knocks. At TriCircle, we have watched the trajectory of a person's life shift in a single conversation. That is not hyperbole. That is what peer support actually does when it meets people where they are, in the moment they're in, without making them wait to be "worthy" of it.

The research confirms what those of us touched by this disease already know: isolation feeds addiction. Connection is the antidote. Not someday. Now.

Who Is In Your Circle, Right Now?

We have spent a decade weaving relationships across Wallingford and the broader Connecticut recovery community — with town leaders, treatment providers, faith communities, schools, first responders, harm reduction advocates, and family networks. Those relationships were not built for the report. They were built for the person standing in front of us today who needs more than we alone can offer.

Every collaboration we've built exists because no single organization — including TriCircle — holds all the answers. Recovery is relational. And the systems that support it must be too.

But here is what keeps me awake: relationships on paper save no one. It is relationships activated, in real time, on behalf of real people, that change outcomes. So we ask ourselves constantly: Is our network alive? Is it responsive? When someone falls through a crack tonight, who catches them?

The Cost of Waiting

I have seen what happens when someone who has been lost — truly lost — finally feels found. I have lived it. And I have also seen what happens when the moment passes. When the window closes. When someone decides no one is coming and stops waiting.

We cannot get those moments back.

What we can do — what we must do — is refuse to be comfortable. Refuse to let urgency become routine. Refuse to let the mission drift into administration and forget that every number in our data was once a human being standing at a crossroads.

This newsletter reaches you because you are part of this circle. That means something. It means you have proximity to people who are struggling, or who love someone who is. It means you have influence — over a conversation, a referral, a resource shared at the right moment.

Use it. Don't wait for the perfect circumstances.

The Time Is Now

TriCircle was founded by people who refused to accept that members of our community should suffer in silence. That founding energy — that refusal — is what we must carry forward. Not as nostalgia for what we built, but as a demand we make of this present moment.

Someone is waiting. Someone is hoping. Someone is running out of time.

We are here. You are here. Together WE are Stronger! Not as a slogan, but as a practice, activated daily, on behalf of the people who need us most.

Right now.

Thank you for being in this circle. Thank you for not looking away.

With deep gratitude and hope,

Ana

Celebrating 10 Years of Community & Connection

TriCircle, Wallingford, Connecticut

Stay tuned as we continue counting down to July 26, 2026 — we can’t wait to celebrate with you.

Together WE are Stronger!

June's Spotlight

Meet Libby Makela-Johnson

TriCircle's Newest Hope After Loss Group Facilitator

Supporting Recovery • Honoring Grief • Building Community

Walking Alongside Others: A Mother's Mission

Driven by love for her daughter Maija and years of professional service, Libby Makela-Johnson found in TriCircle a place where personal loss and purposeful compassion meet.

The path to TriCircle often begins in a quiet, unexpected moment. For Libby, it started on the New Haven Green during International Overdose Awareness Day, where she met founder and executive director Ana Gopoian while volunteering side by side. "I began to run into Ana at other events focused on addiction and recovery," she recalls — and each encounter deepened a connection she now treasures.

She knows loss intimately. Her daughter Maija struggled with substance use disorder and ultimately died of an overdose — a grief no parent should carry, yet one shared by far too many families. Through TriCircle, she found a way to honor Maija's memory in a tangible, tender way: sewing a quilt square in her daughter's name. "One of the most touching things I have participated in through TriCircle," she says simply.

Recovery and Healing Are Rarely Accomplished Alone.

Connection Is Essential.

As both a grieving mother and a seasoned professional in workforce development, case management, and reentry services, she understands the maze that families face when a loved one struggles with addiction — the waiting lists, the fragmented systems, the desperate search for the right level of care at exactly the right moment. "At times it felt difficult to identify the right support quickly when it was needed most," she reflects. What cut through that overwhelm, she says, were the people who simply showed up with empathy: "Professionals, peers, and community members who treated our family with compassion helped us feel less isolated and reminded us that we were not alone."

That experience has shaped everything about how she now shows up for others. As TriCircle’s newest Hope After Loss Group facilitator, Libby meets people where they are, listens without judgment, and connects them to resources that support long-term stability and self-sufficiency. She brings the same warmth to TriCircle — a community she was drawn to precisely because of its peer-centered, stigma-free approach. "Their commitment to supporting individuals and families affected by addiction aligns deeply with my personal and professional values," she says.

Maija's loss, she says, continues to be her motivation. It is not a wound that drives her away from the work — it is one that draws her deeper into it, into the circle of people who understand that hope, connection, and compassion are not small things - they are everything.

About Libby Makela-Johnson

Libby earned a Bachelor's degree in African Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992. She brings years of experience in case management, workforce development, education, and trauma-informed support to her role as a Hope After Loss facilitator in the TriCircle community. She is skilled at helping individuals identify strengths, navigate systems, and build pathways toward stability — and she brings to that work the hard-won wisdom of a mother who loved her daughter deeply.

Don't Miss It

Come Celebrate 10 Years of TriCircle!

Click the above flyer for additional information!

Bringing the Story to Life

The History Project, which will be featured at the 8th Annual Gala Brunch, will help to capture TriCircle’s foundational story. The WHY - the mission and vision translated into complex milestones and meaningful, accessible content that reflects both heart and impact. This 10-year reflection will resonate with Connecticut communities and honor our decade of incredible impact.

Preserving the Past, Celebrating the Future

We have created a cohesive narrative that reflects TriCircle’s mission, growth, and lasting impact within the community. The goal is to ensure the story is not only historically accurate, but engaging and accessible to a broad audience as we look to the future and celebrate what is yet to come.

Together WE are Stronger!

If you have a testimonial about how TriCircle has impacted your life

or that of a loved one, please share it with us by emailing

data@tricircle.org by July 10, 2026.

DON'T MISS OUR DECADE OF IMPACT RAFFLE

Act fast, because we only have 200 tickets available at $20 each!

Email Melissa at melissa@tricircle.org to sell or purchase tickets!

On sale now, tickets for our Decade of Impact Raffle, which will be drawn LIVE on Facebook at our 8th Gala Brunch, July 26th, 2026.

While we’d love to have you at the gala brunch in person, if you can’t attend, you can still participate by purchasing a raffle ticket.

Prizes will include:

75″ TV
Gas grill
48″ Cedar hanging porch swing
Golf for 4 with a cart at The Farms Country Club

Thank you to all those who purchased tickets sold at Vinny's Deli. Community support was kicked off with these first 20 tickets sold!

What's Happening?

Check out our June calendar below. So many groups for support and meaningful ways to get involved. Together WE are Stronger!!

Drop In Setback Middlefield at 1741 Pub & Grill - First and Third Wednesdays of each month, June 3 and 17, at 72 Lyman Road, Middlefield. Registration opens at 5:00 pm, first game 6:00 pm. Click here

Drop In Setback Meriden at Taino Prime - Second Wednesday of each month, June 10, at 1388 East Main Street, Meriden. Registration opens at 5:00 pm, first game 6:00 pm.

TriCircle's Hope & Support Groups - Thursdays, June 4, 11, 18, 25 and every Thursday in 3 separate rotating locations Wallingford, Coventry, Somers throughout the year. Every group, no matter where or when, has a virtual option. (click here for full schedule with times and locations)

TriCircle's Hope After Loss Support Groups - Mondays, June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and every Monday in 3 separate rotating locations Wallingford, Coventry, Rocky Hill throughout the year. Every group, no matter where or when, has a virtual option. (click here for full schedule with times and locations)

SMART Group Wallingford - Every Tuesday, June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 - 7-8:30 pm at Master's Manna 428 S Cherry St Wallingford. Click here

SMART Group Family & Friends Wallingford - Every Tuesday June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 - 6:30-8:00pm 116 S Main St. (Rear entrance). Click here

Sliders Grill & Pub Event TBD, Wednesday, July 22.

TriCircle 8th Annual Gala Brunch & 10 Year Celebration - Sunday, July 26, 10am-1pm, The Farms Country Club. Sponsorship details below!

9th Annual Outrun Addiction 5K - Saturday, September 19, Registration begins at 7:30 am, Walk or Run. Enfield Education Annex in Enfield, CT.

Click here for more information.

4th Annual Hope After Loss Self Care Retreat - Saturday, September 19, 10am-4pm Enders Island, Mystic, CT - Registration Info Posted Soon.

4th Annual Hope & Support Self Care Retreat - Sunday September 20, 10am-4pm Enders Island, Mystic, CT - Registration Info Posted Soon.

Raianna's 5th Annual Memorial Poker Run - Saturday, September 26. Freedom Road Harley Davidson, 557 W Main St Branford, CT. Click here

Chamber Challenge 5K - Saturday, September 26, Hubbard Park, Meriden, CT 8am to 12pm, featuring a 5K race and a Kids' Fun Run. Welcoming participants of all ages and fitness levels.

4th Annual Dinner and a Show with RUSH - Friday, October 30, Mohegan Sun Earth Sky Box Suite, Show Begins at 7:30pm, Doors Open at 6:30pm, Tickets ARE SOLD OUT! Concert Tickets are ONLY Available in Concert and Gala Brunch Sponsorship Packages LEFT.

For Details About the Gala Brunch and Concert Sponsorship Opportunities

Click Here. Some opportunities have both Gala and RUSH: Fifty Something Tour concert tickets included!

TriCircle Presents the NEW:

Recovery & Bereavement Community Hub

720 N. Main St Ext., Wallingford

Building Positive Change, Opportunities, and Connections... Together WE are Stronger!

We are gaining access to the building on June 8th.

There will be a LOT of work to do, we need all hands-on deck!!

Building preparations are underway. So far, the mirrors are off the walls, there's a fresh coat of paint, a new wall has been constructed, the second bathroom has been completed, two ceiling fans are up, we are waiting for the new carpet and there is plenty of stuff needing to be built. It is so exciting to see this perfect location taking shape!

If you are available to help, please leave your name and number on our office voicemail, (860) 349-7074

Together WE are Stronger!