Photos by Kevin Walker
Participants hold rod and purpl* ribbon during Saturday's event.
Recovery still carries stigma
'Hope' event draws
a dedicated few
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Kathy Holland's battle with
Substance abuse began when she
was just 14.
She would frequent "drink
houses" on her way to and from
school. By the time she was a high
school junior, she had graduated
to smoking marijuana. She was
booted from school when officials
found the drug in her possession.
After earning a GED, Hol
land, then 18, moved to New York
City, supporting herself and her
newtound
cocaine
habit by
dancing in
seedy
clubs. By
the early
1990s, her
drug habit
and the
bad choic
Westmoreland es "
caused her
to make had earned her 1 1 sepa
i rate jail arrests and three stints in
prison. She had had enough.
Holland, who had moved
back to Winston-Salem, started
working with a local recovery
program. She has been clean for
12 years. Although she is a new
person, Holland doesn't want to
completely bury her old self. She
shares her story openly, hoping to
inspire others, uplift and put a
human face on a widespread prob
lem.
"I am not proud of it, but it
was a journey that I took," she
said. "That was who I used to be.
I am not that person anymore."
Holland was among a small
group of people who took part
Saturday in Hands Across the
Plaza, an event sponsored by the
Coalition for Drug Abuse Preven
tion to mark National Recovery
Month. The plan was to have
dozens, even hundreds, of people
in recovery and their families and
friends to come to Corpening
Plaza to celebrate hope, unity and
resolve.
Organizers brought enough
purple (representing recovery)
and red (representing prevention)
ribbon - which participants clung
to like a chain during the short
service - to stretch a city block.
But only about a dozen people
showed; most of them were spe
Kathy Holland holds her grandhiece during the ceremony.
cial invited guests not in recovery.
While organizers surmised
that competing events kept some
from attending, they also conced
ed that shame kept many people
away.
"It is a shame-based disease,"
said Cecelia Westmoreland, the
chair of the coalition's board. She
says that there are countless peo
ple in recovery who would never
be suspected by their friends, co
workers and neighbors. But she
says as long as those people
choose to keep that part of their
lives private, there will always be
a stigma attached to substance
abuse.
Westmoreland is not just talk
ing the talk. Today, she runs New
Dawn Recovery in Yadkinville,
but she fought a more than 15
year-long battle with substance
abuse, beginning when she was a
teenager. She hopes the day will
come when substance abuse is
seen like any other disease. No
one is ashamed to say he or she
has diabetes or heart disease, she
said.
"It is a disease like any other,"
she said. "And without treatment,
you will die."
The Coalition for Drug Abuse
Prevention is a partnership of sev
eral local agencies, professional
and individuals. Helping those in
recovery is one part of its mission,
but as its title implies, prevention
is even a greater charge. The
Parents, kids asked to dine together
'Family Day' Winston-Salem/Forsyth Coun
.... ty School System.
is Monday
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The Coalition for Drug
Abuse Prevention, in partner
ship with the city of Winston
Salem, Forsyth County Drug
Treatment Courts, and the
National Center on Addiction
and Substance Abuse of
Columbia University, will
sponsor "Family Day: A Day
to Eat Dinner With Your Chil
dren" on Monday (Sept. 26).
This event is a national effort
to promote parental encourage
ment as a simple, effective way
to reduce youth substance
abuse risk and raise healthier
children.
Research shows that young
people who do not eat with
their families are 72 perecnt
more likely to use tobacco,
alcohol and illegal drugs.
Those who do eat dinner regu
larly with their families are 31
percent less likely to engage in
these high-risk behaviors.
Sponsors have negotiated
"Family Day" discounts and
specials at several local restau
rants and are distributing infor
mation about the event to all
middle school students in the
coalition works with local schools
on several programs aimed at edu
cating young people about, the
dangers of substance abuse.
County Commissioner Dave
Plyler, who attended Saturday's
ceremony, applauded the coalition
for its work. Pointing toward the
nearby, overcrowded Forsyth
County Detention Center. Plyler
said that most of the inmates there
have some kind of drug chaises.
Prevention is key, he said, to keep
others from a similar fate. Plyler
told the group to not fret over the
small turnout but celebrate the
concept.
"It is not how many people
you get. It is the determination of
an idea," he said.
Also as part of National
Recovery Month, the coalition is
screening "Saving Carrick," a
recent Dateline NBC special
about a family's struggles with a
drug-addicted child. The program
will be shown tonight (Sept. 22)
from 7-9 pm. at St. Paul's Episco
pal Church on Summit Avenue.
Downtown
Farmers' Market
Comer of Cherry and Sixth Streets
Downtown Arts District
OPEN
9am to 2 pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Through October
Comer of Cherry and Sixth Streets
Downtown Arts District
Call 727-2236
THE WORLD'S
MOST SOLID
COMPANY IS
NOW HIRING.
Find out how you can become An
Army Of One at GOARMY.COM, or
call 1-800-USA-ARMY.
Where: Bowman Gray Stadium
When: Saturday, Sept. 24
Who: Staff Sgt. Carmichael, 659-1393
?
Stop By Our Booth
At the Annual
Battle of the Bands
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News
Clips
Old Salem gets grant
Old Salem has received a
$20,000 grant from the John S.
and James L. Knight Founda
tion. The money will be used
to improve Old Salem's inter
pretation of history for school
groups and to create new print
ed materials for school groups
visiting Old Salem.
Sara Lee Apparel sale to
benefit United Way
The public is invited to the
annual Sara Lee Branded
Apparel product sale on Satur
day (Sept. 24) from 8 ajn. to 1
p.m. at the Madison Park park
ing lot at 5660 University
Pkwy. All proceeds will benefit
United Way of Forsyth County.
The sale will feature great
buys on apparel from Hanes,
L'eggs. Champion, Playtex,
Bali, Just My Size and more,
with prices starting at $1. Only
cash and credit cards will be
accepted (no checks).
800 volunteers needed for
Special Olympics N.C. Fall
Games
Special Olympics North
Carolina will return to Win
ston-Salem for the 2005 SONC
Fall Games presented by
BB&T to be held Nov. 4-6,
according to SONC Presi
dent/CEO Keith L. Fishburne.
An estimated 800 volun
teers are needed for positions
that range from setting up tents
and keeping score, to line judg
ing and presenting medals. To
volunteer, call 1-800-843-6276
and select option 4, or visit
www.soncjiet. The registration
deadline is Sept. 30. After this
date volunteers will receive
their assignments and training
dates.
The Games will showcase
the talents of nearly 1 ,200 ath
letes competing in bocce. bowl
ing, golf, roller-skating, soccer
and tennis. Competition will
lake place at the following
locations: Winston-Salem -
AMF Winston-Salem Lanes.
Creekside Lanes, Hine Park
Soccer Complex, Reynolds
Park Golf Course. Skate Haven
Roller Rink. Wake Forest Uni
versity Indoor Tennis Center,
High Point - Bank of America
at Piedmont Centre; Kem
ersville - Countryside Lanes.
All events of the Fall
Games are free and open to the
public.
Church and state discussion
planned
The Winston-Salem Chap
ter of Americans United for
Separation of Church and State
will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 27,
in Room 302 of Wingate Hall,
the Wake
Forest
Univer
s i t 'y
Divinity
School,
at 6:30
p m .
Melissa
Rogers
will
speak on
church
Rogers
and state issues.
Rogers is an attorney, cur
rently executive director of the
Pew Forum on Religion and
Public Life in Washington
D.C., and former general coun
sel of the Baptist Joint Commit
tee on Public Affairs. She has
written on such topics as faith
based initiatives, governmental
aid for religious institutions,
school prayer, and political
activity of churches.
Wingate Hall is adjacent to
Wait Chapel. There is parking
on the northwest corner on
Wake Forest Road. Enter the
door on Wake Forest Road and
take the elevator to the third
floor.
Bridge competition to benefit
Katrina relief
The Winston-Salem Kings
and Queens Duplicate Bridge
Club will sponsor a Katrina
Relief Charity Game on Tues
day, Sept. 27 . The event will be
held at the Rupert Bell Recre
ation Center. 1501 Mt. Zion
Place.
Registration will begin at 6
p.m., and the game will begin at
6:30 p.m.
The fee will be $10 per per
son Proceeds from this event
will go to the American Bridge
Association (ABA) Relief
Fund - Katrina Victims. Contri
butions {players who will not
be able to play) may be sent to
the local club, or Mid-Atlantic
Section (Mary Young, presi
dent). Charles W. Gadson will
be the director-In-charge.
Norma Vincent (661-1104)
is the club's treasurer. Irma
Gadson is the secretary, and
Rudolph V. Boone Sr.(767
4087) is the president.
All bridge players are invit
ed to come and participate in
this charity game.
Gallery Hop Oct. 7
The Downtown Art District
Association will hold its First
Friday Gallery Hop on Oct. 7
from 7-10 p.m. in the Arts Dis
trict, around the intersection of
Sixth and Trade streets.
The area features shops,
galleries, studios and business
es that carry art, crafts and spe
cialty items. The Yoga Gallery
will have a bake sale during the
Gallery Hop to benefit the vic
tims of Hurricane Katrina.
There will also be bins set up to
collect food for the relief effort
via the Second Harvest Food
Bank.
1-40 lane closures
The N.C. Department of
Transportation will temporarily
reduce 1-40 Business to one
lane in each direction between
Linville Road and U.S. 158 in
Forsyth County beginning Fri
day (Sept. 23) at 9 p.m., weath
er permitting. The lane clo
sures will be in place for
approximately two months.
Wide-load vehicles are
restricted during the closures
and should use 1-40 as an alter
nate route.
The closures are necessary
for construction of the 1-40
Business rehabilitation project.
NCDOT reminds motorists
to watch signs for construction
information, stay alert and obey
the posted speed limit. Plan
ahead before you leave by vis
iting the NCDOT Traveler
Information Management Web
site at www.ncsmartlink.org or
call 511, the state's free travel
information line for current
travel conditions.
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Thursday, September 29, 4:00 p.m.
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