As beautiful as Winter can be here on Cape Ann, it can also be the toughest time of year for many people, especially those dealing with mental health issues, homelessness, and addiction. It is during these months that the detox and treatment beds are usually full, and if it isn’t for treatment of their addiction, it is simply for a warm bed. The summer months tend to not be as full because people are more apt to seek shelter outside when the weather is nice. We understand the struggle of finding a bed during these months and, especially, the feeing of hopelessness that accompanies it.
What's New with 2020?
We held our first fundraiser at Giggles in Saugus to kick off the New Year right! The performing comedians, Johnni Pizzi, Kathy Gilmour, Lenny Clarke, and Dave Russo, brought their A game and had people in tears. If you asked us who was funniest we couldn’t tell you, even though Dave’s impression of Robert De Niro is going to be something we will never forget because it was dead on!
The night was filled with great raffle prizes, including a 50 inch flat screen TV, delicious pizza and drinks. AND not to mention, we raised $6750.00 for the sunrise fund in the process! Thank you so much to everyone who donated and bought tickets! We may even repeat the event next year!
What are the latest happenings with the sunrise fund?
In the last two weeks we have funded two more women into treatment. To date we have funded 5 women and 7 men into drug treatment or sober living placements. These twelve people have put recovery above all else in their lives. We were even so lucky to have two of the women and recipients families join us at our Giggles fundraiser! It really is a great feeling to have helped transition an addict from a point of such desperation to a point where they are doing so well in their program they are able to join and laugh at the fundraising event that got them there. And it’s an even better feeling to see their families laughing and smiling again.
We also have two new members on our board of directors that we would like to introduce to the community! Jessica Lindley and Elaine McKechnie have joined our team, bringing years of non-profit experience. They are both very eager to start helping the sunrise fund expand our network and help as many people get into recovery as we can. We are very excited to have them! Keep an eye our for their pics and bios on the website soon!