Beckley to become the first Inclusive Recovery City in the United States
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — The City of Beckley will be the first Inclusive Recovery City in the United States.
A charter will be signed by city, state, national and international leaders in recovery support on March 19, 2024 and will make Beckley the first Inclusive Recovery City (IRC) in the nation. Beckley will join 26 other IRC cities in New Zealand, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and the Balkans.
The program will start at 9:30 a.m., and the signing of the charter is expected to occur at around 10:00 a.m. Refreshments will be available at 9:00 a.m. and Fruits of Labor Pizzeria & Café will provide lunch.
Community members are welcome to go to the signing of the IRC charter and the public remarks, but they will need to register to be able to enter at the West Virginia University of Technology auditorium, 410 Neville Street in Beckley.
Recovery cities are communities that address stigmatizing and discriminatory attitudes, advocates various pathways for addiction recovery, and encourages visible recovery. By focusing on these principles, the goal is for the cities to grow and gain benefits with the creation of community resources, new networks, and linkages.
Events on March 19, 2024 will start with the signing of the Beckley IRC charter, statements from city, state, and international leaders, and then a luncheon and afternoon working groups. The initiative will be led by Jay Phillips, Executive Director of Seed Sower, Inc., as well as local community and government organizations.
Photo Courtesy: Seed Sower
Carnegie Hall members participate in life saving training
The region has embraced our efforts and, thanks to six federal and state funding awards, we are offering safe, stable housing—which was our original number one priority—and expanded that far beyond to include transportation, workforce training and peer recovery support services focusing on southern West Virginia.
Jay Phillips | Executive Director of Seed Sower, Inc.
The Well, a Seed Sower-affiliated organization and one of six Recovery Community Organizations (RCO), got funding in May 2023 from the West Virginia Department Health and Human Resources as the only RCO in southern West Virginia.
Photo Courtesy: Seed Sower
The model that became the IRC program was created by Dr. David Best, a keynote speaker for the event. Best is President of the Recovery Research Institute based in Florida and a professor of Addiction Recovery at Leeds Trinity University. Best’s wife is the Recovery Outcomes Institute’s acting executive director and director of operations.
This model offered a strategic way to best help the people and employers of this region, leveraging the area’s considerable community strengths and organizational assets.
Jay Phillips | Executive Director of Seed Sower, Inc.
The main goals of the Inclusive Recovery City model include:
Reducing stigma around addiction and recovery.
Making pathways to community resources for people in recovery.
Contribute to civic society and the active participation of multiple vulnerable populations.
Generate a model of ‘reciprocal altruism’ where there the talents, gifts and skills of people in recovery and their contribution to community life is recognized.
Beckley will also create an Inclusive Recovery Cities board, involving grassroots recovery and community organizations, specific focused addiction treatment services, and city representatives. City leaders will also be involved in the Inclusive Recovery Cities movement, encouraging sharing ideas and change at national and international levels.
We are honored to be the first city in the country to be named an IRC. From the successful Communities of Healing initiative to The Well, and now with this designation, our city leaders and our citizens have steadfastly stood with those in recovery seeking a path forward.
Rob Rappold | Beckley Mayor
Organizations joining Seed Sower to support the Beckley IRC include:
City of Beckley
Fruits of Labor, Inc.
WorkForce West Virginia Region 1
Jobs and Hope WV
New River Gorge Regional Development Authority / The WV Hive
Raleigh County Drug Court
Raleigh County Adult Probation
Raleigh County Family Treatment Court
Raleigh County Day Report Center
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Southern WV Fellowship Home
Crab Orchard Baptist Church
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
