LIRA
Long Island Recovery Association
PO Box 262 Franklin Square NY 11010-0262
LIRA-NYS.org
Summer/Fall 2014
________________________
THE ANONYMOUS PEOPLE
RECOVERY IS OUT!
On September 12, 2013 with film maker Greg
Williams in attendance, LIRA hosted some
200 attendees at the first ever New York
screening of this groundbreaking documentary
film, in Deer Park at the IMAX theater. Since
this initial viewing LIRA has brought the film to
many communities across Long Island and
participated in statewide screenings as well,
helping to spread the message of hope
recovery brings. The 2014 Prism and Voice
Award winning film depicts the history of
addiction recovery efforts in America and
challenges those in recovery to step forward
into the public eye to join us as we seek to
eradicate stigma and discrimination, clearing
the way for countless others to find permanent
recovery from addiction. We must continue to
speak out with our growing unified voice to
eliminate discriminatory policies and bring time
tested solutions to the addiction equation.
While not without controversy the movie clearly
addresses the difference between personal
anonymity and anonymity as it relates to
membership in 12 step fellowships. Anyone
can talk about their own personal recovery as
long as they do not identify themselves as a
member of a 12 step program. In response to
numerous inquiries about the film the General
Service Office (GSO) of Alcoholics Anonymous
released a memo clarifying the organizations
position on the issue by simply sharing the
already existing documentation on the subject
matter. We are hoping that others will heed
our collective call to action and help us
continue to shift the focus from a criminal
justice approach to addiction to its rightful
place as our number one public health crisis.
The movie opened theatrically in New York
City and Los Angeles and is also available via
Netflix with additional outlets expected.
In Deer Park LIRA Board members Joan Phillips, Nicole Carey &
Debbie Turkel-Nardozzi with film maker Greg Williams Sept 2013.
Annual Rock N Recovery Celebration
LIRA hosted our 5th Annual Rock N Recovery
celebration at the Deer Park Community
Center in September 2013. At our biggest and
best yet event over 350 attendees partied into
the night at our free event, while enjoying a
sumptuous hot Italian buffet and celebrating
National Recovery Month. More then $1000.00
in door prizes were given away thanks to many
sponsors and donors. LIRA honored two
Friend of Recovery Awards recipients in 2013,
Gary Butchen of Bridgeback to Life and Claire
Olsen of St. Charles Hospital.
Gary has worked in the addition field for many
years, is a long time LIRA member who has
made significant contributions to our group and
played an active role in developing our strategy
in the early years also providing a meeting
space for us in his Bethpage location.
Claire is a long term recovery supporter who
has dedicated much of her working career to
the addiction field and is the Director of
inpatient addiction treatment services at St
Charles. Claire is also known as Ed’s best half.
Several former Friend of Recovery Award
recipients were in attendance including
Legislator John & Leslie Kennedy and Mary
Silberstein to help us celebrate recovery and
pay tribute to our champions and supporters.
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Former recipient Mary Silberstein presents LIRA’s Friend of
Recovery Award to Gary Butchen of Bridgeback to Life.
Once again the LIRA board opted to present
two separate recovery community scholarship
awards of $500.00 each to MaryAnn M &
Millie A. Congratulations to these well
deserving recipients chosen from the pool of
nominees. The cumulative total of RCSA giving
now stands at $4,500
(Center) LIRA Board member Ed Olsen surveys the crowd (front
left) LIRA member Gene Foley assists a young person Sept. 2013
Many sponsors and supporters donated funds,
goods, door prizes or resources and helped to
make this free event possible. A huge thank
you to all contributors for your generosity!
You can see the complete 2013 scroll of honor
sponsor/donor list on the last page.
We would like to acknowledge the following
individuals for their time and energy, helping to
make our annual event a huge success:
Richard Buckman, Nicole Carey, Larry Gise,
Eugenia Karahalias, Doreen MazzeiBuckman, Ed Olsen, Joan Phillips, Anthony
Rizzuto, Jean Shabkie-Fessenden, Bruce
Till, Debbie Turkel-Nardozzi and Tina
Bruzzo. A special thanks to LIRA board
member Craig Sehlhoff and his employer
Lessing’s Caterers for their generosity and
the first class set up. We look forward to
making this year’s event even better!
As usual the students in the Chemical
Dependency Program for CASAC studies at
Suffolk Community College were a big help.
Thanks to Kathy Ayers-Lanzilotta for
continuing the tradition of encouraging
students to participate in LIRA events and
advocacy efforts as part of their counselor in
training activities.
ROCK N RECOVERY VI SAVE THE DATE!
Please join us this year on Friday Sept 19th as
we once again celebrate National Recovery
Month with our flagship event.
STUDENT CORNER
By Suzanne Loevner
Students in the classroom setting are required
to spend much of their time as spectators;
listening, watching, and learning through
observation. It was my desire as a Chemical
Dependency Counseling student at Suffolk CC
to help people and to make a difference in the
lives of those struggling with addiction. Being a
spectator can become frustrating and I began
to feel a little impatient. I wanted to be hands
on, eye to eye, making a difference. Getting
involved with LIRA has opened up another
world for me and provided many opportunities
to be a participant and receive an invaluable
education in ways not accessible in the
classroom.
I accompanied LIRA on a trip to Albany in an
effort to advocate for changes in the laws
regarding access to treatment. This put me in
the company of many professionals in the field
as well as others like myself; people
passionate about creating changes in policy
and improving lives. Being in the presence of
those who know the process, speak brilliantly,
and are driven by passion gave me a dynamic
learning experience.
This had a beneficial impact that became
obvious to me during my internship. Working
with people that are in physical and emotional
pain, fighting for their lives, only to be turned
down or cut off by their insurance companies
can be devastating. As CDC students we know
the desire to seek help can be a narrow
window and if missed oftentimes people die. I
think it gave many of the clients a glimmer of
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hope to hear that there were people fighting for
them, people that cared about them, people
trying to change things. Being a member of
LIRA has allowed me to contribute and be one
of those people that took part in the ground
breaking changes that were successfully made
in legislation.
Rock ‘n’ Recovery is a yearly event and
another opportunity to get involved. A great
celebration of recovery, after all, isn’t that the
icing on the cake? There are many ways to
become a part of LIRA. I recommend making it
a part of your experience to learn about
advocacy, be a participant and be part of the
changes yet to come!
Friends of Recovery New York (FOR-NY)
Hosted the annual statewide Recovery
Advocacy Day in Albany on February 4, 2014.
More then 350 advocates from across the state
gathered in support of ending discrimination
and expanding recovery opportunities. FORNY board members shared tips on advocacy
and telling your story. State law makers and
others were in attendance and addressed the
spirited crowd including Senator Phil Boyle
from Long Island, Chair of the Alcohol & Drug
Committee, Assemblymen Steven
Cymbrowitz Chair of Alcohol & Drug
Committee and Geoffrion Aubry of Queens,
Felix Ortiz of Brooklyn along with Albany
Mayor Kathy Sheehan and the District
Attorney David Soares. After the morning rally
the group marched to the Capitol and met with
their representatives with our Long Island
contingent pressing for co-sponsorship of
legislation that would vastly improve access to
addiction treatment. The day’s events were
covered by media outlets and helped raise
awareness. All in all it was a powerful
experience especially for many first time
attendees who courageously shared their
personal stories, and for some moms and
family members, the heartbreaking loss of a
loved one. These personal stories help to
deliver a potent message, addiction is real, it is
claiming the lives of too many young people
and we must act immediately to address the
issue in earnest. The relentless Long Island
advocacy efforts eventually led to all LI State
legislators (Senate & Assembly) agreeing to
co-sponsor the legislation we supported that
would end discriminatory insurance practices.
During the late spring push, FOR-NY was able
to respond to a need from the movement and
raise a considerable voice and presence in
other areas of the state as a result of board
member activism. It was this consistent and
loud statewide voice of people in recovery and
their family members including those impacted
by addiction through tragedy that helped mark
this as a successful campaign.
Suffolk CC CD Club members joined the rally and march to the
Capitol to fight insurance discrimination February 2014
FOR-NY President Laura Elliot Engel (center) rallies more then
300 advocates who packed Emmanuel Baptist Church in Albany
for the Recovery Advocacy Day Rally on February 4, 2014
FOR-NY oversees the Recovery Coach
Training Academy in NY State. The web site
www.for-ny.org lists upcoming training’s and
can connect interested parties to trainers and
resources for peer services.
RECOVERY HOUSING
A community listening forum on Sober Homes
sponsored by Senator Lee Zeldin was held in
Hauppauge featuring expert panelists including
LIRA board members Anthony Rizzuto and
Richard Buckman and Sober Home Oversight
Board chair Jeff Reynolds. As a result of the
forum DSS released a new enhanced rate
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that will pay
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upwards of $900 per month per bed and
should surely attract additional quality
providers and allow for some staff oversight.
The enhanced rate RFQ for quality housing
operators was approved as a pilot for 46 beds
in Suffolk. While we continue to harvest the
fruits of our labor lets remember we started
working on improving sober homes more then
10 years ago and the increased reimbursement
rate is a LIRA recommendation that went to the
Suffolk County Legislature. The deadline date
for applicants has passed and we hope to see
some quality operators secure these contracts.
Forum on State of Sober homes was held at the Suffolk County
Legislative Building November 2013
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Under the leadership of Senator Phil Boyle
The NY State Senate Majority Coalition
assembled a Heroin & Opiate Task Force
charged with holding forums and listening
sessions across the state. The first of these
was held at Suffolk CC and included 5 state
senators and more then a dozen community
leaders from education, prevention, treatment,
law enforcement and recovery.
Heroin Opiate Forum SCCC Top row far left Richard Buckman. Middle
row 3rd from left Anthony Rizzuto; on right Kym Laube front row from
left Senators Marcellino, Boyle, Flanagan , far right Jeff Reynolds.
Long Island was the epicenter of both the
opiate heroin epidemic and the advocacy
presence that fueled the historic legislative
victories this past June.
At the core of the movement here at home
were a number of dedicated advocates
including several members of a steering
committee driving the negotiations with state
law makers. This group included Anthony
Rizzuto, Richard Buckman, Nancy Beckett
Lawless, Ed Olsen, Kristie Golden, Jeff
Reynolds, Gary Butchen, Alexis Gadsen,
and Claudia Ragni with tremendous support
from the recovery community and families
statewide. Leading the charge on the family
front were passionate parents; Linda Ventura,
Claudia Friszell, Terri Kroll, Nora Milligan,
Maureen Rossi, Avi Israel, Ira Costell and
many others. Most of these families have lost a
loved one to addiction and their courage and
willingness to fight to save the lives of others
was the inspiration that kept us going when
things did not appear to be going in our favor.
We remain grateful for their commitment and
tenacity, bringing a powerful voice to Albany in
memory of their dearly departed family
members. Thank you!
FACES & VOICES OF RECOVERY
Since 2001 Faces and Voices has been our
national leader and the nationwide voice of the
recovery community.
The Annual America Honors Recovery
reception was held in Washington DC on June
25, 2014. Former pro basketball player Chris
Herren received the Voice of Recovery Award
and Tom McClellan of the Treatment
Research Institute was honored among others
for his lifetime contributions. This annual event
is helping to raise the profile of recovery on the
national landscape with several federal
representatives in attendance once again.
Now more then ever the stars are aligned for
recovery and we need to keep the momentum
going to eliminate discriminatory practices and
increase support for pro-recovery initiatives.
ARCO: The Association of Recovery
Community Organizations another Faces
and Voices initiative continues to grow and
now boasts 97 organizational members. Each
year ARCO members are invited to an
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Executive Directors leadership Academy
(EDLA) Last year in Dallas, Greg Williams
updated attendees on the reach of The
Anonymous People and the Many Faces 1
Voice campaign and William White made a
rare public appearance to rally the group
around the future of the recovery movement.
LIRA remains a proud charter member of
ARCO and we look forward to this years EDLA
scheduled for Denver in late October.
Historian William White addresses the ARCO Executive Directors
leadership Academy Dallas Texas (November 2013)
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Young People in Recovery (YPR)
This rising national organization is creating
chapters across America and has burst on the
scene with some inspirational young folks
leading the way. CEO Justin Riley from
Denver Colorado is also the Secretary of the
Board of Directors for Faces & Voices of
Recovery. The first ever NY Chapter was
formed in the Hudson NY area with our friend
Cortney Lovell named as chapter lead. Cort is
a bright and ambitious young advocate who
also serves on the board of Friends of
Recovery New York. We look forward to
working together and helping to launch a
chapter on Long Island.
Panelists, Anonymous People Screening-Columbia/Green
Community College: Laura Elliot-Engel, Cortney Lovell,
Greg Williams, Richard Buckman (December 2013)
LIRA MEMBERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Anthony Rizzuto was honored by NASW
Suffolk Division as social work student of the
year and has just received his MSW degree
from Adelphi this summer.
Richard Buckman was named to the Board of
Directors of Faces and Voices of Recovery
then was elected vice chair at the board retreat
in Washington DC. Congratulations to these
outstanding advocates/LIRA board members.
LIRA TIDBITS
Thank you and best wishes to Pat Taylor who
moved on after 9 years of leadership at Faces
& Voices of Recovery helping the organization
soar to new heights. Thank you for your
support of LIRA and your trips to Long Island
over the years. Best wishes to Tom Hill former
Director of Programs who also moved on.
Thank you and good luck to former board
member Larry Gise who relocated to Florida.
Best of luck to Jeff Reynolds formerly of
LICADD, a huge thank you for your presence,
leadership and dedication to the movement.
LIRA received a $5,000 mini grant through the
Federal BRSS TCS initiative. (Bringing
Recovery Supports to Scale) specifically to
conduct a recovery needs survey in Suffolk
County. More then 1000 surveys were
distributed and collected with help of Art
Flescher and staff at the Suffolk Division of
Community Mental Hygiene and our provider
friends. The project was recently completed
and submitted to OASAS. We are eager to see
more recovery supports including a local
recovery center as a result of our efforts here.
LIRA was pleased to partner with community
coalitions to show the Anonymous People
including: Northport East Northport Task Force,
South Huntington Against Drugs, LindyCares,
Copiague Cares and Drug Free Long Island.
Families in Support of Treatment (FIST) held
the first of many community events on June 7,
2013 at St Frances De Chantal Church in
Wantagh. Despite torrential rain the event was
attended by an estimated crowd of 300 and
was focused on increasing access to treatment
and providing resources to communities
impacted by prescription drugs and heroin.
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LIRA board member and creator of FIST
Anthony Rizzuto help launch other FIST
events in Hauppauge, Long Beach, Queens,
Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, and in
Westchester County. The creation of FIST has
added another potent presence to our
collective advocacy efforts. LIRA and FIST cosponsored the Memory Wall at the FOR-NY
Recovery Rally in Albany in September 2013.
Recovery Advocate Tara Conner Miss USA 2006 speaks to the 300
plus at first ever FIST forum in Wantagh (June 2013)
>275 attendees turned out for FIST Forum in Hauppauge Oct 2013
SUPPORT LIRA
LIRA does not receive any funding and all of
our work is done by non compensated
volunteers including our dedicated board of
directors, members of the community, affected
families and individuals in recovery. In essence
LIRA’s good work is made possible only with
the support of our members and friends
through various donations. Please consider
supporting LIRA by making a 100% tax
deductible contribution. Please make checks
payable to Friends of Recovery LI and mail to
LIRA at PO Box 262 Franklin Square NY
11010-0262. Your generosity makes it possible
for us to continue our educational and
advocacy efforts and community events.
Additional details about LIRA are available on our
web site www.lira-nys,org and Facebook page.
Scroll of Honor Sponsors/Donors-2013
Recovery Angel = $2,500
Bridgeback to Life
Recovery Champion = $1,000
Steps to Recovery Ltd.
Potential Behavioral Health Advisors
Catholic Heath Services, (St Charles)
Recovery Ambassador = $500
Villa Veritas
Seafield Center
LI Center for Recovery
Recovery Advocate = $250
Richard & Doreen Buckman
Joseph Ortado Public Adjuster
John Buckman
Kenneth Peters Center
Options for Community Living
LECSA EAP
EAPA LI Chapter
Recovery Friend = $100
NAFAS
Ken Lavery
Backstretch Employee Service
Kirk Kaplan
Central Nassau Guidance
Ed & Claire Olsen
Quality Consortium Suffolk County
LI Federation of Labor
Bethpage Federal Credit Union
Liberty Behavioral Mgmt
LICADD
Mary & Joseph Callan
Nancy & Dick Lawless
Jeff & Maureen Reynolds
Al Buckman & Nina Massey
Friends of John Kennedy
Northeast Athletic Club of NY
SCO Family of Services
2000 Computer Solutions
Bruce & Lois Till
Barbara (NAFAS)
Recovery Supporter = $50
Vickie Lee Iregbulem
Eugenia Karahalias
Patricia Fulton
Lodan Inspections
Nicholas & Marian Karahalias
JJ O’riordan
Patricia Hincken
Sushi Express-North Babylon
Timothy Reid
Henry Dennis
Paul Ruchames
John & Georgiana Magliore
Kim Spicciate
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