TOMS RIVER, N.J. – May 17, 2022 – PRLog — HOPE Sheds Light, a family-focused, non-profit organization, will host Cultivating Calm in the Storm of Family Addiction, a family wellness conference organized by families for families, on Saturday, June 11 from 8:30am to 3pm at Sheraton Eatontown, 6 Industrial Way E., Eatontown, NJ 07724.

The conference includes breakfast, lunch, interactive wellness activities and educational workshops that teach skills that attendees can do on their own. Presenters are local peers and professionals serving families in Monmouth County.

“Join us for a day of support and education and learn how to tap into your natural health and healing self-care practices,” said Pamela Capaci, CEO of HOPE Sheds Light. “The conference has been designed by family members who know firsthand the impact that addiction has on the entire family.”

Registration will begin at 8:30 am, accompanied by breakfast and networking. Capaci will officially welcome all attendees at 9 am, followed by the opening speaker, Larry Milhon, at 9 am. The event will transition into breakout sessions that include wellness sessions and guest speakers.

All attendees will meet in the Grand Ballroom at 11:15 am for Learning Workshops led by Dory Rachel and Ken Peccario. Lunch will be held in the Atrium from 12:15 pm to 12:50 pm, followed by keynote speakers Larry Thompson LCSW and Ryan Gervasi, LCSW, RYT.

Thompson has been immersed in the use of mindfulness-based meditation for over 20 years, providing training and lectures in the application of mindfulness as a vital force in effective integrative mental health care. Thompson has a unique style of equating talk therapy to be “a form of out loud meditation”.

Gervasi’s path of restoration and wellness was birthed through adverse life experiences. Through conscious breathing, Gervasi has found that the breath is our best medicine for managing pain and suffering. She believes that through meditation we give ourselves permission to “just be”, accepting where we are in that moment. The practice of tuning out to tune in is a healthy way to disconnect from the material world and come back to our truest nature.

For more information about this event or to register, email Emily@HOPEShedsLight.org. To learn more about HOPE Sheds Light, please visit HOPEShedsLight.org. (http://www.hopeshedslight.org/)

About HOPE Sheds Light, Inc.

HOPE Sheds Light, Inc. is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 46-3910504) that is supported by friends and families directly affected by substance use disorder and found recovery through continuous love, support and understanding. The mission of HSL is to raise awareness and educate individuals, families and the community about the impact of substance use disorder by having the courage to share personal experiences and offer strength, wisdom, hope and resources that lead to positive community change and long-term recovery. To learn more or to donate, please visit http://www.HOPEShedsLight.org.

TOMS RIVER, N.J. – April 5, 2022 – PRLog — The catalyst for its inception was tragedy. The vision for its purpose is recovery. HOPE Sheds Light (HSL), a family-focused non-profit organization that offers education, resources, support and hope to anyone impacted by substance use disorder, has unveiled its 100 in 30 initiative to help expand its services to young people and families in recovery. The nonprofit is calling on 100 individuals, organizations and businesses to join the Circle of HOPE as recurring donors over the next 30 days.

“For as little as $10 a month, you can become a part of our Circle of HOPE,” said Pamela Capaci, CEO of HOPE Sheds Light. “Your commitment will help us make our vision for the future a reality.”

“Join us in being part of the solution,” Capaci continues. “Through your continued support, HOPE Sheds Light will be able to expand its services to young people and families in recovery by offering programming that will effectively end the generational cycle of addiction.”

Recovery from a substance use disorder is defined as a process of improved physical, psychological, and social well-being and health after having suffered from a substance-related condition. “HOPE Sheds Light envisions a modern, repurposed or newly constructed center for recovery,” said Capaci. “This will be a place families and individuals from the recovery community can engage in programs and activities to build their recovery capital, rebuild and reimagine their life purpose.”

To effectuate this, HOPE Sheds Light will implement creative placemaking, a process where community members, artists, arts and culture organizations, community developers and other stakeholders use the arts and cultural strategies to implement community-led change. “This approach aims to increase vibrancy, improve economic conditions, and build capacity among residents to take ownership of their communities,” said Capaci. “Creative placemaking requires partnership across sectors, deeply engages the community and helps to advance local economic, physical, and/or social change, ultimately laying the groundwork for systems change.”

Through the 100 in 30 initiative and other funding, HOPE Sheds Light will be able to create The HOPE Center for Recovery, which will offer wellness classes, mutual aid support services, arts and entertainment, and civic engagement. “The Center will serve as a business incubator for startup health and wellness practitioners, healing, visual and performing artists,” said Capaci. “This will allow companies and ideas to take shape while providing much-needed services to our community.”

As with so many nonprofits, the last two years have been challenging for HOPE Sheds Light and the months ahead present even more obstacles as it continues to address the ongoing health and socioeconomic impact that COVID has had on so many families. “But HSL stands strong, and we will continue to serve anyone in need because that is not only our passion, but our promise to the community,” she said. “Together we will find hope for a future free from substance use disorder.”

To learn more about HOPE Sheds Light or to be part of the Circle of HOPE, please visit HOPEShedsLight.org. (http://www.hopeshedslight.org/)

About HOPE Sheds Light, Inc.

HOPE Sheds Light, Inc. is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 46-3910504) that is supported by friends and families directly affected by substance use disorder and found recovery through continuous love, support and understanding. The mission of HOPE Sheds Light is to raise awareness and educate individuals, families and the community about the impact of substance use disorder by having the courage to share personal experiences and offer strength, wisdom, hope and resources that lead to positive community change and long-term recovery. To learn more, please visit http://www.HOPEShedsLight.org.

TOMS RIVER, N.J. – Feb. 9, 2022 – PRLog — The numbers may be part of the narrative, but HOPE Sheds Light, a family-focused nonprofit organization, hopes to tell a new story in 2022. Rates of substance use have been on the rise for youth and adults, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 7.74 percent of U.S. adults and 4.08 percent of youth had a substance use disorder in the past year. That’s an increase of .07 percent for adults and .25 percent for youth over the previous year, according to the Mental Health America’s (MHA) key findings in The State of Mental Health in America report.

On a more local level, New Jersey is the highest ranked state in the country in terms of the prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care for adults, according to the MHA. Approximately 43 percent of substance use treatment admissions for Ocean County residents and 39 percent of substance use treatment admissions for Monmouth County residents are due to heroin use, according to the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

As if these numbers were not gripping enough on their own, here’s one more: Between January 1, 2021 and November 30, 2021, there were 2,896 suspected drug-related deaths in New Jersey, according to the State of New Jersey’s Department of Law and Public Safety (https://www.njoag.gov/programs/nj-cares/nj-cares-suspecte…). HSL’s goal is to change the direction these numbers are heading in 2022.

“We are passionate about helping anyone in need, and we have created this organization to provide those individuals with the resources they need to find hope for a future free from substance use disorder,” said Pamela Capaci, CEO of HOPE Sheds Light. “We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to the next generation to tell a new story – one that is filled with hope and recovery.”

HSL’s goal is to continue to expand its services to young people and families in recovery by offering programming that will engage adolescents and young parents to effectively end the generational cycle of addiction. “The last two years have certainly been a challenge and the months ahead may present us with even more obstacles as we address the ongoing health and socioeconomic impact COVID will have on so many families,” said Capaci. “But HSL stands strong, and we will continue to serve anyone in need because that is not only our passion, but our promise to the community.”

HOPE Sheds Light Recovery Centers serve as local hubs in Monmouth and Ocean Counties for recovery support services offering a monthly calendar of workshops, support groups and wellness activities for the whole family. To learn more about HOPE Sheds Light, please visit HOPEShedsLight.org. (http://www.hopeshedslight.org/)

About HOPE Sheds Light, Inc.

HOPE Sheds Light, Inc. is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 46-3910504) that is supported by friends and families directly affected by substance use disorder and found recovery through continuous love, support and understanding. The mission of HOPE Sheds Light is to raise awareness and educate individuals, families and the community about the impact of substance use disorder by having the courage to share personal experiences and offer strength, wisdom, hope and resources that lead to positive community change and long-term recovery. To learn more, please visit http://www.HOPEShedsLight.org.