‘Recovering out loud’: Advocates invite public to St. George event to help break stigma of addiction

ST. GEORGE —As the recovery community grows in Southern Utah, so do the success stories, and it’s time to celebrate big with the annual Recovery Day celebration. Bring the family and leave your wallet at home – this entire event is free, from the food to the festivities, and it’s open to everyone.

A graphic for Southwest Recovery Day is shown | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News
A graphic for Southwest Recovery Day is shown | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News

September is known as Recovery Month, and annual celebrations kicked off with a 5K fun run last Thursday. The non-competitive event provided people of all ages the ability to participate by running, walking, riding bikes, rollerblading or even scootering their way to the finish line. The first 100 participants also got a free Recovery Day T-shirt.

“Let’s break down the stigma and discrimination,” said Marcie Gray, who serves as program manager at Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness and chairperson of Recovery Day. “There are people who do recover from addiction and that’s what Recovery Day is about – letting the community know so it’s no longer feared. This is a venue and opportunity for people to see that people can go through addiction and still become very successful.” 

This year’s Recovery Day celebration will take place Thursday from 4-7 p.m at Vernon Worthen Park. The celebration is set to include 35 different vendors that will offer recovery resources along with free snacks and games. There will be live music, food, face painting, bounce houses, children’s games and more. Along with the festivities, there will also be three speakers: a person in short-term recovery, a person in long-term recovery (three or more years) and a family member of a person who is in recovery. 

(Left to right) Drug Court Manager Mandee Krajnc, Peer Recovery Coach Crystal Randall and Program Manager Marcie Gray pose together for a photo, St. George, Utah, September 19, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News
(L-R): Drug court manager Mandee Krajnc, peer recovery coach Crystal Randall and program manager Marcie Gray pose together for a photo, St. George, Utah, Sept. 19, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News

“Everything at the event is free,” drug court manager Mandee Krajnc said. “Nobody has to pay for anything that happens there. All the food is free, vendors will bring things like cookies and cotton candy and there’s a raffle with some really great prizes this year that anyone can enter for free.”

Krajnc, who’s worked in recovery for 15 years, said when she first began her career, Southwest Behavioral Health Center was one of the only treatment facilities in Washington County. The Recovery Day committee alone now consists of six additional treatment centers.

“Just the amount of people that show up there has significantly grown,” Krajnc said about Recovery Day. “It’s a place where everybody looks forward to it because you get to see all your friends in recovery in one place.”

Recovery Day all began with the Faces and Voices of Recovery movement, which is still active today. Gray said up until the movement, substance abuse recovery was primarily focused on remaining anonymous. The movement shed light on each individual, allowing them to be open about their stories and celebrate their recovery journey.

Volunteers at a past Recovery Day celebration pose for a photo, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News
Volunteers at a past Recovery Day celebration pose for a photo, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News

Faces and Voices of Recovery also recognized the importance of peers helping peers, which allowed people in recovery to mentor someone who’s trying to get into recovery. As Recovery Day began to spread throughout the nation, Gray said Southwest Center received state funding in 2010, which brought Recovery Day to southwest Utah.

Crystal Randall, who serves as a peer recovery coach for Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, said she has a passion for her job and Recovery Day because she is in recovery. Her substance dependence began as a teenager and continued through multiple pregnancies. As her life spiraled out of control, all six of her children were removed from her care. While she was in jail, she found out she was pregnant again and had a baby boy in 2016 while housed in a rehab facility.

“There’s a lot of trauma involved, but it just took what it took and I finally dug my claws in and went through every obstacle that was thrown at me,” Randall said. “The recovery movement is about recovering out loud. I don’t want to just sit in a room and be anonymous about my story because I feel it’s helpful to others.”

As she went through treatment facilities and drug court, Randall said she saw few female success stories. Because of all the variables in her own life, she felt it was important to share her story with other women who may be in similar situations. Until she attended her first Recovery Day celebration, her recovery mainly consisted of Narcotics Anonymous and drug court.

Attendees of a past Recovery Day celebration enjoy the festivities, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News
Attendees of a past Recovery Day celebration enjoy the festivities, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mandee Krajnc, St. George News

“Standing in the middle of Recovery Day, I just look around and think, ‘Wow, our community is growing, and it works,'” Randall said. “It helps bring down the stigma and shame, to be able to openly say you’re in recovery and I’m proud of my journey to get here.”

When Krajnc has hard days watching drug court clients return to using and even dying as a result, she said Randall’s success story keeps her going.

“I don’t think anyone thought she was going to be where she is today,” Krajnc said with tears in her eyes. “If that girl can do it, and she stays, her family is the reason I continue to do what I do every day.”

St. George Mayor Michele Randall read the Recovery Day proclamation at a recent City Council meeting and plans to read it again at 4 p.m. on Recovery Day.

The public is invited to show their support and celebrate recovery by joining this year’s event.

“All are welcome,” Gray said. “We want members of the community, not just people in recovery, to know we’re here and we can help.” 

Krajnc provided media to St. George News, which is included in the video above.

Event details

  • What: Recovery Day
  • When: Thursday, Sept. 22, from 4-7 p.m. 
  • Where: Vernon Worthen Park, 300 S. 400 E., St. George
  • Admission: Free
  • For more information, see the event page

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