BALDWIN — Wisconsin Voices for Recovery is hosting a Stigma Awareness Event, bringing in speakers and local resources to help people in, looking to start and beyond recovery. The event is July 31 from 3:30-8 p.m. at the Baldwin American Legion at 410 Maple St.
“The whole point of the event is to bring awareness to substance use in the area, the way that we talk, the stigma that surrounds substance use,” Wisconsin Voices for Recovery representative Kyle VanBlaircom said. “People that have a history of substance use or a criminal record, obviously, it presents challenges to getting employment.”
VanBlaircom said the event is to help address the stigma around recovery, as well as teaching how to work through barriers.
“So often we see the negative stuff in the newspaper and in the media, and people that are being arrested, but we don’t ever hear about these people again,” VanBlaircom said. “It’s kind of cool to see it come full circle and to see what these people are doing now and how they worked their program of recovery.”
There will be resource tables, speakers, live music from Christy Sperling and food donated from Western Wisconsin Health. With all of the community organizations planning to be there, VanBlaircom feels this is a prime opportunity for people to see truly how much support they have.
“It’ll kind of show people how many people are in recovery,” VanBlaircom said. “We’re going to have a lot of members of the community that are going to come up and share their story, which I think is really helpful for people that maybe aren’t in recovery or don’t see that every day.”
He mentioned almost everyone’s lives have been affected by addiction whether it is them or someone they love.
Onyx Sober Living is hosting the event. They have worked closely with Wisconsin Voices for Recovery for months, aiming to put on an event to make a difference. Onyx has support housing for people starting their recovery process, with homes scattered throughout the area.
“Onyx was kind of an easy partnership. They align with what Wisconsin Voices does” VanBlaircom said. “We’ve been planning since the end of November.”