Monday, January 28, 2013

A big year and a new year ahead! Living in the moment...

Here we are 2013! The blog has become official!!!! Many of you may notice that this blog has been tailored to a University of North Carolina at Charlotte's format. When I started this blog, we were using a template background. Fall semester was an amazing time for this program. In a year we have managed to really integrate this into the school system.

One of the best decisions I have ever made was having the courage to walk into Debbie Insley's office. I needed help and in my recovery healing continues when you reach out for help. This woman built the Center for Wellness Promotion from the ground up. This department finds new ways to reach out to the students. The people I work with are very special people. They are all here for the benefit of the students. It shows in the time and effort they put into each and every program. There is many benefits to having knowledge about health education. You can have better opportunities with more realistic decisions. I have had the joy to see others change and grow including myself.

The past couple of months have been quite up and down for me. We had Ikea staff come in at the end of August and help us put together the furniture for the CRC room. September of this year I got to work in the Wellness Recovery Rooms during the DNC in Charlotte. This gained me access to be behind the scenes, see some wonderful speakers and spend time with terrific people. I met Aaron and Tom through Faces and Voices of recovery. As well as Greg Williams, the man coming out with the Anonymous People documentary. I had no clue that there were 23 million people in recovery!!!! That means 600,000 right here in North Carolina. At that moment I heard this pertinent information it became clear I wanted to join this movement. It was an unforgettable experience. Recovery saves my life everyday so it is only natural to advocate. I was asked by one of the volunteers at the DNC to come speak at her annual function. I spoke in front of 130 people in Rathford, North Carolina as a guest speaker at TiaHeart's annual gig September 28th. (My older brother Ralph also turned 33 years old). Shirley Heart is doing so much for her community through her organization.

Mariel Bello from Riverside, CA is a woman I met at the Collegiate Recovery Conference at Kennesaw State University last Spring. She is amazing, we got to go bowling and spend time with each other. We spoke about what we were doing in our respective areas. We were both trying to get CRC's started and although it had been really hard, the camaraderie was strong. I believe it is something that helped both of us persevere. I found out the Healing Highlanders were hosting a conference in October and wanted to go but the school would not send us out there because it was too short of notice. I was devastated but understood.
I got introduced to Devin, Sarah and other people in long term recovery shortly after the DNC.

Keeping this in mind, I went to do the guest speaking event that Friday. When I left to come home that night I was so excited, that is the largest group I have addressed. I had a text from my mother to call home. I found out my grandmother had gone into the hospital. Drove straight in to go to the hospital. My grandmother Nettie Belk passed away on October 4, 2012. Two days after my grandfather's 81st birthday. This was a very hard time, my grandmother had always been here. The evening of the funeral I had a voice mail from Devin Fox asking if I wanted to go out to California. It was for a YPR-Young People In Recovery meeting. He also mentioned that we were going to be attending the Riverside Conference!!!! My emotions were so shot at this point, I was so happy and sad at the same time. I asked if I could bring Chelsea Schmidt with me. She is another student, friend and co-worker in the CRC. The Stacie M. foundation sponsored the trip. So we got news a week before we flew out to California.

Our trip was something else! We got to meet people from all over the country that want to help just like we do. We spent a whole day talking about what we were going to do to help raise the voice of the young person in recovery. So we can stop burying our friends and loved ones. Then we attended the CRC conference and for me this was a spiritual experience.

I had not remembered that Mariel was not in recovery herself. Which made it that much more amazing to see her dedication along with a lot of other students in this organization who have joined to help and show support to those in recovery. The most selfless approach I have seen when it comes to these amazing CRCs out there. Students I talked to said they were depressed and felt alone so they joined to help be a part of something. I made sure to let them know the support goes both ways. As someone in recovery, I was so very grateful us in recovery have this compassionate support.

We got back October 21st and have been busy working on this since we got home. It was official that Chelsea and I were National Council members for Young People in Recovery!!! We are so very excited to be a part of this once in a life time opportunity. A bunch of us have started a YPR chapter right here in Charlotte, our first meeting was on November 18th. The second meeting was held on January 20, 2013. We will be hosting a breakfast fundraiser to get our community involved with our efforts for both the UNC-Charlotte CRC and Young People in Recovery on February 14, 2013.

We also had the official CRC groundbreaking ceremony on October 25, 2012.

       
       Chelsea, Paige and I doing the honors

Shortly after the conference and CRC groundbreaking my grandfather passed away on November 24th, 2012. It was so hard to lose my grandmother. Now my grandfather was also gone. They were married for 64 years. They never missed a birthday, Christmas and we had a huge Sunday lunch at their home most Sundays unless they were traveling.

I got to graduate college this past December 15, 2012. I majored in Communications- Public Relations. To end the year with such an achievement after all of the things that have happened in my life, I am one happy woman.

                                                                         Chels and I

Any students out there that may feel like something like this is for you, pick up the phone and give us a call or stop by and check out the awesome room we call our safe haven. Any advice regarding issues, all are welcome. We have good experience, strength and hope. Just know you are not alone!!!

This is CRC members doing a day with Venture on campus. First seminar we have done together. Trust building exercises working as a team.

Student Health Center, room 121. I have had the honor to make some very special connections with students who are like minded. We have been walking this journey together. It is my pleasure to respectfully pass the torch on to them. Starting this week you will be hearing from other members. I have enjoyed creating and writing on this blog. I want to give a special thanks to one mom for speaking from the parent's perspective. In the future we hope to have her and other parents write about their experience, strength and hope as well. It has been another way to connect to many different people. I have made connections through this blog that have changed my life. Thank you for continuing to support our efforts and I am always grateful. Recovery has literally changed my existence in this world.

The light shines on...

Thank you for following, or please join us if you are in recovery, know someone in recovery or just would like to support and follow us!

Call Carol Rose at 704-687-0813 or you can e-mail me at hillbelk@gmail.com.

We have weekly Twelve step meetings
Monday 6-7-Student Health Center, Room 121

Wednesday 12:30-1:30- Student Health Center, Room 121

*Both are open meetings anyone is welcome. Including attending AA meetings for learning purposes.

We have also started a game night from 6-8 pm on Wednesday nights in same room above.

Hillary Belk
Collegiate Recovery Community-Assistant
Center for Wellness Promotion, UNC-Charlotte

Venture (outdoor adventure club on campus)
http://venture.uncc.edu/adventuretrips

This is the documentary coming out in 2013 about the Recovery side of addiction.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/342545630/the-anonymous-people

Check out this helpful link. Great insight and a fresh perspective to the same old situations-:-D!
http://www.esoberbuddy.com/home


Insights of a Sober Yogi:


Media Coverage:

Partnership with IKEA
http://campusnews.uncc.edu/node/3158

ABC Grant Approval
http://campusnews.uncc.edu/wellness-promotion-awarded-abc-grant

WBTV News:
http://www.wbtv.com/story/19345478/unc-charlotte-unveils-recovery-room-for-students-with-addictions

FOX News 14:

Charlotte Observer


Texas Tech
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/csa/collegiate_recovery.php

Kennesaw State
http://www.kennesaw.edu/studentsuccessservices/crc/

University Of Michigan
 http://www.uhs.umich.edu/recovery

Augsburg College
http://www.augsburg.edu/stepup/index.html

California, Riverside CRC
http://healinghighlanders.weebly.com/index.html

Rutgers:
http://rhscaps.rutgers.edu/services/alcohol-and-other-drug-assistance-program-adap/recovery-housing



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