Dozens of locals gathered at Pioneer Park in Bend on Sunday morning for the Walk for Recovery. This event generated awareness and made addiction care visible in Central Oregon.
Folks in Bend saw that their neighbors were invested in their recovery. Healing happens here, and it has a community behind it.
Recovery Walk Draws Crowd at Pioneer Park
Bend and six other communities in Oregon featured a Walk for Recovery in September. They coincided with SAMHSA’s National Recovery Month. Participants walked for themselves, family members and friends affected by addiction.
Bo Brinson is director of the advocacy group Oregon Recovers and relayed how visible recovery approaches help people feel less afraid to talk about substance use. Reducing stigma matters most for young people, who need to connect with behavioral health services early, before problems deepen.
Visibility Matters for Oregon Families
Oregon has wrestled with high rates of substance use, nicotine and even gambling in recent years. Brinson noted lasting change requires two things working together: policy progress at the state level and steady support for local organizations that deliver services in their own communities.
He also pointed to the power of personal stories.
“We never know when we’re talking or sharing our stories that it could help ignite something in someone else to give them the motivation to get clean or stay clean for even just one more day.”
Local Resources and Next Steps
Events like the Walk for Recovery connect people with peers who understand the process. Peer support often becomes the bridge to professional care.
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