CFLR In Action

Utica, New York (March 2024) – Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. (CFLR) hosts the 2^nd annual ‘Take the Day!’ on May 16, 2024, from 11AM to 3PM, at the 5 Points Public House, located inside the Irish Cultural Center at 623 Columbia St. Utica, NY, 13502. Coinciding with mental health awareness month and brought to life by business professionals and non-golfers looking for a way to support CFLR and “take the day’ to network while promoting self-care.  This event will be full of self-care-themed services, work-life balance breakouts, a luncheon, shopping, and is sure to be full of fun, laughter, lots of food, and raffles. There are many ways to get involved.

 “As working individuals, we rarely take the time to pamper ourselves. Mental Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to set aside time to breathe, relax, and be around like-minded individuals in our community. We are excited to Take the Day together,” said Jennifer Brillante, President of C&D Advertising, and chairperson to CFLR’s Take the Day committee.

There will be a luncheon, pampering experiences, and breakout sessions focused on work-life balance, physical and mental health, and other healthy living options. Learn how to get involved; now taking service provider and vendor applications on our website, link here. Sponsorship for this event is the perfect way to recognize team members and have them Take the Day. Individual tickets are available, but extremely limited.

The Take the Day committee is also excited to announce this year’s keynote speaker, Amy Lisewski. Amy is a professional improviser, entrepreneur, author, and speaker based in San Diego, originally from Rome, NY, and is the founder and owner of Finest City Improv. Combining her love of improv with her experience in business and communications, Amy created the Tap Into Improv program for organizational and leadership development. In 2018, she created Speak Up!, a seminar to empower women and teens to find and use their voice more often at work or school in pursuit of their goals as leaders in their fields. Center for Family Life and Recovery prides itself in building leaders with a level up, growth mindset while accomplishing our mission to achieve and celebrate recovery. We look forward to having Amy Lisewski join us at our signature event and share in some laughter!

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert in advocacy, prevention, counseling, and employee assistance programs. Along with supporting individuals and families struggling with addiction and recovery, mental health, and behavioral issues, CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness, and transform lives. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com

Utica, New York (March 2024) – The Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. will hold their Annual Awareness Breakfast on Tuesday, April 2^nd at 8:30 am at Hart’s Hill Inn in Whitesboro, and is open to the public. Tickets are $35 and are available at https://centerforfamilylifeandrecoverycflr-bloom.kindful.com/e/annual-cflr-breakfast-2

This signature event, which coincides with Alcohol Awareness Month, also recognizes the contributions of the community in helping support our agency’s vision to be a leader in creating a world where people have the power to achieve and celebrate recovery. There will also be informational booths from service providers from all over the Mohawk Valley and Central NY providing information on recovery and prevention services.

This year, the Amethyst Award & the Paul Dunn Advocacy Award will be presented to two members of our community who have helped others by inspiring them with the message of hope and recovery in the fields of mental health and substance use disorders.

Tim Foley will receive the Paul Dunn Advocacy Award. The Paul Dunn Advocacy Award is named after long-time CFLR Board member, Paul Dunn as a tribute to his unending commitment to advocacy and recovery efforts in our community. Tim Foley, a practicing attorney who is also a partner with Ward Arcuri Foley & Dwyer grew up in Utica and Old Forge. He has been in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction for more than 30 years. Tim, an ultimate advocate for recovery, considers it a responsibility to share his story with others whenever given the opportunity as he genuinely believes that when there is help there is hope.

Megan Flanders will receive the Amethyst Award. Megan received multiple nominations this year. One of her nominators said, “Megan is a staple in this community for people in recovery as well as people still battling active addiction…. She will go to the ends of the earth to make sure every human being [is] getting the services and resources they deserve. She is a lead for the harm reduction movement as well as anti-stigma in Oneida county.” Another nominator said, “I have personally seen her help people at all stages of recovery, and she goes way beyond her job title to help.” Megan works for ACR Health.

“We want to recognize all our partners who play a role in the recovery community, whether it’s inpatient or outpatient, support groups, peer services, life skills, or advocacy,” says CFLR’s CEO Cassandra Sheets. “The Mohawk Valley is fortunate to have strong, community-minded leaders. For the friends and loved ones who are rebuilding their lives in recovery, the support they find locally helps to increase their chances of success. This area has numerous resources to help individuals and families get clean, sober, and achieve long-term recovery,” Sheets said. “This year our focus of the event is on peer advocacy and peer services, in lieu of one keynote speaker this year we will have several Peer Advocates sharing how this program has supported them in their recovery journey. As a key stakeholder and supporter of the peer program in Oneida Country, we are also thrilled to have Anthony Picente, the County Executive as our Master of Ceremonies.”

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert in advocacy, prevention, counseling, and employee assistance programs. Along with supporting individuals and families struggling with addiction and recovery, mental health, and behavioral issues, CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness, and transform lives. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com  

Utica, New York (February 2024) – Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. (CFLR) participated in this week’s Stand Up for Recovery Day on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024. Recovery advocates across New York State gathered in Albany to call upon the Governor and Legislature to address the ongoing need for additional resources to promote and support recovery from alcohol and other drug addictions.

The day began at 8:30 am with advocates gathering and advocacy groups dispersed to meet with legislative representatives. These were leaders of the recovery movement, individuals and family members living in recovery, and professionals like those from CFLR encouraging local, state, and national governmental officials who are decision-makers about the Recovery Movement.

“Stand Up for Recovery Day reminds us that courage isn’t just about facing adversity, it’s about standing tall together in the pursuit of healing and hope for the recovery community. We utilized our voices when meeting with the constituents to stand up together to speak up for the needs of the community,” said Katie Burns, Recovery Coordinator with CFLR.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert in advocacy, prevention, counseling, and employee assistance programs. Along with supporting individuals and families struggling with addiction and recovery, mental health, and behavioral issues, CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness, and transform lives. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com

Utica, New York (January 2024) – Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is seeking nominations for 2024 Amethyst Award. Nominees for the Amethyst Award are members of our community who have helped others by inspiring them with the message of hope and recovery in the fields of mental health and chemical dependency, as well as treatment and prevention. The Amethyst Award was inspired by the Amethyst stone which has become a symbol of recovery. If you know someone you feel is worthy of the Amethyst award, please submit a nomination today.

Nominations can be submitted on CFLR, Inc.’s website, www.WhenTheresHelpTheresHope.com or using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AmethystAwardNominations Nominations will be accepted through February 15, 2024. The awards will be presented at Center for Family Life and Recovery’s 2024 April Awareness Breakfast, “Celebrating CommUNITY Connections,” to be held on April 2^nd at Hart’s Hill Inn, in Whitesboro and is open to the public. Ticket information is available on CFLR’s website and by calling the Utica office: 315-733-1709.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert in advocacy, prevention, counseling, and employee assistance programs. Along with supporting individuals and families struggling with addiction and recovery, mental health, and behavioral issues, CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness, and transform lives. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com