Thanks to the support of the community, Penticton’s Discovery House raised over $134,000 to Shed the Light on Addiction.
The addiction recovery program’s annual eight-week campaign wrapped up on New Year’s, and the final tally stood at $134,353 from around 240 individual and corporate donors.
The money raised will fund three-and-a-half of the program’s four unsubsidized 90-day recovery beds. The funding will provide support for up to 16 individuals to get Discovery House’ help in freeing them from active addictions.
“This year has been extremely challenging financially for many families, individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations,” wrote executive director Jerome Abraham on social media. “But no matter what, our community of supporters rises to help us address the out-of-control substance use, mental health and housing challenges facing some of our most marginalized and vulnerable citizens.”
Fundraising and support from the community is a large part of Discovery House’s program, and even with the government stepping up and funding a number of beds, almost half of the program’s budget still comes through fundraising.
In 2022, the Discovery House had 74 clients undertake the 90-day program, and in previous years has seen between 40 to 60 annually, with a wait-list that can stretch up to 60 people long.
“It is hard to express in mere words the gratitude of the families of the men who have been restored to sanity through the Discovery House Recovery Program, so we simply want to say…Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you…’” said Abraham.
The year also saw 13 of the Discovery House’s past clients celebrate one year free of substance use, two who marked two years clean, and staff who marked their clean anniversaries from one year and five years to 10 and 20 years free of substance use.
READ MORE: Penticton’s Discovery House lights the way for those with addictions
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