CARIBOU, Maine — The Center for the Advancement of Rural Living, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural northern Maine, recently received a Building Communities of Recovery grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Through its BCOR project, CARL aims to develop, build and expand recovery support services, and reduce stigma through peer-to-peer recovery support and community education and events.
Program Director Karen Gorman said, “Promotion of a ‘recovery’ identity, rather than that of addiction, is a critical component to a healthier community overall.”
The project will be guided by members of Recovery Aroostook, a grassroots group dedicated to promoting recovery from substance use disorder. “Our partnership with CARL and AMHC’s Roads to Recovery Peer Community Center is the next step in affecting change in our community,” said Recovery Aroostook chairwoman Sandra Haines.
Aroostook Mental Health Services Inc. oversees the Roads to Recovery Peer Community Center in Caribou as well as the Aroostook Recovery Center of Hope in Houlton. Lorraine Chamberlain, Program Director of Behavioral Health and Integration for Aroostook County, said, “AMHC is excited that CARL’s BCOR grant will increase awareness of our peer recovery centers and the many ways AMHC supports recovery in The County.”
“Thanks to the generosity of our colleagues at SAMHSA, we are taking yet another crucial step in combating the serious issue of substance use disorder in the community,” said Bill Flagg, CARL Treasurer. “We look forward to expanding our recovery support resources as we help those seeking recovery, and their families, break away from the devastating effects of addiction”. For more information on this and other CARL initiatives visit their website at www.carlcenter.org.
The Center for Advancement of Rural Living is a non-profit 501-C3 organization based in Caribou, Maine. The organization was established in 2011 for the purpose of filling gaps in service for rural populations with a focus on social, economic, and cultural arenas. Key areas of focus include arts and culture, economic development, job training, Veterans and veteran homelessness, agricultural interests, substance use disorder, and recovery living solutions.
