As a kick-off to Recovery Month, families came out to the John A Cumber playing field last Saturday, 7 September to enjoy a family fun day.

Ranging from a friendly kickball tournament, a collaborative art project, and a soca aerobics dance to children’s activities such as a bouncing castle and games, the event sought to bring focus to promoting the benefits to society of substance abuse prevention and treatment.    There were also musical performances throughout the afternoon by Bonafide, I Am….A World of Rhythm with Eden Hurlstone, Randy Cholette and Damian Thaxter, and A little Magic with Eden Hurlstone and Glen Scott.  These artists who gave so generously of their amazing talent, precious time and valuable equipment are unswerving in their support of events like these and never fail to delight and keep the crowd entertained.

Throughout the day, there was fun to be had for families of all ages.  In organising Saturday’s Family Fun day, the staff from The Counselling Centre chose to celebrate the value and contributions of family, friends, and community members throughout the recovery journey.  The Programme Coordinator of The Counselling Centre, Susanne Clements, acknowledged that “Family members are often the first to witness the effects of substance abuse in their family members’ lives.  However, family can also serve as the greatest source of motivation that spurs that person towards treatment and can be their strongest ally in the recovery process.  We therefore felt it was important to provide families in recovery with an opportunity to celebrate in a healthy and positive way the tremendous strides they have made”.

The Family Fun Day was supported by generous donations from local companies such as Foster’s Food Fair, Heritage Holdings, Cost-U-Less, Subway, C.E.L. Distributors, Massive,

Party Source, Regal Cinemas – Camana Bay, and Cayman Airways.  As one of the main sponsors for the event, Mr. Craig Burke of Heritage Holdings expressed his support for the event, acknowledging “the importance of community partnerships in promoting positive alternatives for persons within our community who struggle with these issues.”  According to a Foster’s Food Fair IGA spokesperson, Ms. Kafara Augustine, “One of the top priorities at Foster’s Food Fair IGA is to be able to give back to the community. Therefore, by making this donation to help support Recovery Month, we are able to do our part to help recovering addicts and their families get back on track towards a healthy and productive future.”

For information on future Recovery Month events and how to get involved, contact The Counselling Centre at 949-8789, the Family Resource Centre at 949-0006 or Caribbean Haven Residential Centre at 947-9992.

Photo: Participants enjoy a fun round of socaerobics.