Recovery Station

There was plenty of holiday cheer at the Recovery Station on Wednesday evening with hot cocoa, cookies, free books, and a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Visitors could pose with the jolly couple, and were provided a color print in a unique frame. 

The patrons of the Recovery Station at 5256 Clinton Street Road in Batavia have formed tight bonds as they work on sobriety together, said Melissa Vineyard, station coordinator, during a "Friendsgiving" meal on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Thanksgiving, she said, the people in recovery will be with their blood family but Friendsgiving is about sharing a meal with people who have a different, special bond with each other.

"When we come into recovery, we make a whole new family," Vineyard said. "These are the people who are in the trenches. These are the people we celebrate. We're proud. They keep going. They don't give up. These are the faces we see every day. So I wanted to have a special time with all these people. Bring them together and just say thank you, perfect."

UConnectCare operates the Recovery Station, a substance and alcohol-free environment where people in recovery can socialize and hang out.

Also on Wednesday, UConnect hosted another "Friendsgiving" event at the agency's child care center on Havester Avenue. There was music by Bart Dentino as well as kids coloring Thanksgiving placemats to take home for Thanksgiving.

The child care center provides a safe place for parents who are going through recovery to drop off their kids to be cared for while they take care of recovery obligations or just get their shopping done.

Press release:

UConnectCare is looking to make the holiday season – starting with two “Friendsgiving” activities in Batavia next week – a special one for the recovery community in Genesee and Orleans counties.

The Recovery Station at 5256 Clinton St. Rd. and the agency’s childcare center at 14 Harvester Ave. will be hosting events from 2  to 5 p.m. on November 27 to give adults and children the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving a day ahead of the actual holiday.

“Both of these events are designed to build a whole family of support by offering those in recovery the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends in a relaxed atmosphere,” said Melissa Vinyard, TRS coordinator. “Anyone who wants to attend is welcome.”

Vinyard said free food and refreshments will be available, with the menu featuring chicken wing dip, meatballs, taco dip, spinach dip, banana pudding, and an assortment of pies.

Jessica Budzinack, UConnectCare’s coordinator of Outreach and Family Support Program, said adults with children can drop off the kids at the childcare house on Harvester Avenue if they wish to attend the adult gathering at TRS.

“We’re calling it ‘Friendsgiving for Kiddos’ at the childcare center and it is open to all children of our clients in Genesee and Orleans, even if parents will not be attending at The Recovery Station,” she said.

Budzinack said children attending will make placemats for their Thanksgiving dinner, be treated to “candy salad and real food, too” and sing and dance along with singer/musician Bart Dentino, a UConnectCare employee.

“Each child will receive a school vacation care package containing snacks, drinks and a surprise to enjoy with their parents,” she added.

The childcare session will be supervised by Elizabeth Wilson, Parent & Family Relationship peer coach, along with staffers Kallie Totten and Tonya Arnold.

A NIGHT WITH SANTA & MRS. CLAUS

On December 4, TRS will be hosting “A Night with Santa & Mrs. Claus” from 5 to 8 p.m.

Attendees can choose to have their picture taken with the Christmas “royal couple” at no charge and will be offered the chance to craft a unique frame for the picture. Cookies and cocoa will be served and all children will receive a Christmas storybook as a gift.

Both the “Friendsgiving” at the childcare house and “A Night with Santa & Mrs. Claus” are partially funded by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Budzinack said.

“We are grateful to the foundation for helping us to support parents and their children in recovery,” she said. “Throughout the year, we schedule different events where parents in recovery can get together with other parents in recovery and their children to do things that normally they wouldn’t be able to do on their own. This builds the recovery community for parents and the children.”

She said that UConnectCare staff helps participants build parenting skills and provides the resources that they need to parent effectively and to navigate through any legal issues.

“We also supply care packages to parents with food insecurities while their kids are in school and offer fun things they can do together as a family to strengthen family bonds,” she said.

Press Release:

“Come and celebrate the grand opening of The Recovery Station. Be among the first to experience our new kitchen and discover your favorite spot in town.”

With that clear invitation, Luke Granger, director of Recovery Services at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse), is welcoming everyone to check out the agency’s drug- and alcohol-free social gathering place at 5256 Clinton St. Rd., Batavia.

The grand opening is scheduled from 5 - 9 p.m. on Sept. 20 and will feature two bands – Groove and Black Cherry Voodoo – along with free food and refreshments. Reservations are requested by calling 585-815-5248 but not required.

Granger said The Recovery Station has come a long way since UConnectCare purchased the former Bohn’s Restaurant and opened it up to people in recovery in the spring of 2020.

“When the program was launched it was exactly when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so we’ve never experienced any kind of grand opening,” he said. “And when I came on board, we were on a shoestring budget and did the best we could with what we had to work with.”

Since then, Granger said the agency has received grants and money from the opioid settlement “that has allowed us to do a number of different things, including renovating the kitchen and making some other capital purchases.”

He said he and his staff are pleased to be able to offer a variety of activities and to provide light food and refreshments to those who utilize the completely remodeled facility.

“This grand opening is about opening our arms to the community and allowing them to come in and join us – not only supporting recovery but celebrating those people in recovery,” he said.

Melissa Vinyard, coordinator of The Recovery Station, echoed Granger’s comments while adding that she realizes that people in recovery have a hard time locating social environments that don’t include alcohol.

“As a person in recovery, I think one of the greatest barriers for people in recovery are finding places to go to learn how to have fun again, without the drinking and without the drugs,” she said. “At The Recovery Station, they can find that outlet and take part in all that we have to offer – making new friends, playing pool, watching TV or using our fitness equipment.”

Vinyard also mentioned that The Recovery Station has purchased the NFL’s YouTube Sunday package and will be streaming games on the several big screen televisions that have been purchased recently.

“We’re going to be open on Sundays, starting with the first Buffalo Bills game on Sept. 8, and every Sunday to the Super Bowl,” she said. “We’re going to serve some refreshments and pizza and pop and other snacks and just have a good time rooting for the Bills and your favorite team.”

Submitted photos.

Press release:

The Recovery Station at 5256 Clinton Street Road, Batavia, is hosting an alcohol- and drug-free social event on Nov. 25.

Open to community members 18 years of age and older, the activity will kick off a monthly activity known as Lighthouse Lounge at the center, a program of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

“We’re inviting adults who are interested in social interactions and events featuring movies, ping-pong, darts, karaoke, arcade games and much more,” said Chris Budzinack, coordinator of the agency’s reentry program. “Bring a friend, embrace a change of scenery and discover recovery with us!”

The event is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m.

Budzinack said that all COVID-19 guidelines will be in force, including face coverings, social distancing and maximum occupancy.

He said reservations are not required, but staff members will be checking identification and will make sure that they don’t exceed capacity.

Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse staff hosted a Recovery Games event today at the agency's Recovery Station social gathering place (formerly Bohn's Restaurant) on Clinton Street Road.

Activities included ladder ball (top photo) and cornhole, and everyone was treated to lunch.

In bottom photo, Sue Gagne, recovery center coordinator, assists a couple of attendees.

Photo by Mike Pettinella, GCASA publicist.

As our nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic by practicing social distancing and other safety measures, counselors and peer recovery advocates at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse have expanded their use of the telephone and internet to support those in recovery.

Understanding that people recovering from substance use can be adversely affected by isolation and boredom, GCASA professionals are taking effective steps to keep in contact with those at risk despite the inability to meet on a face-to-face basis at this time.

“What is most important to know is that GCASA is still here for people – every day of the week, all day and even into the evening,” said Rosalie Mangino-Crandall, director of the recovery programs as well as project innovation and expansion. “We are still finding ways to support people and help them in recovery and doing what they need to do to get better.”

Mangino-Crandall added that just talking to a person or hearing a soothing voice of encouragement can have a profound impact.

“One of the advantages of phone support is that it concentrates that support on the person and what he or she wants to talk about,” she explained. “It really focuses the support on the recovery conversation.”

GCASA’s peer recovery advocates, or peers for short, are people who have lived through recovery (with some of them still in recovery) and have received specialized training to share their experiences with others in need.

According to Amy Kabel, a lead peer at the agency’s Recovery Station on Clinton Street Road, her team continues to connect with their clients on a regular basis.

“While things have changed a lot, what hasn’t changed is that we are checking with people about what they are doing for self-care, and making sure they are reaching out to any support system they may have – to us and their counselors – and making sure they are staying active,” Kabel said.

Kabel said those currently living at Atwater House, GCASA’s residential building on East Main Street, are able to utilize Recovery Station under specific guidelines.

“We allow them to use the facility in small groups, and we are doing social distancing – keeping everyone six feet away from each other,” she said, adding that peers and other staff there are wearing masks as a precaution. “Some come for a couple hours and some come at 10 in the morning and pretty much stay all day until we close at 8 p.m.”

Recovery Station is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday but, until state-mandated restrictions are lifted, it is available only for Atwater residents.

Peers are working from home, with extended hours, and reaching out by telephone to their clients, Kabel said.

“We are making calls and we’re getting calls on the peer support line – 585-815-1800. Since OASAS (NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports) has changed some of the rules, we can bill for telehealth, so we’re able to keep everybody involved.”

She said that a couple of her colleagues, Nick Volpe and Sheila Smith, have been picking up food at various food pantries for clients.

“They’re making calls and making sure everybody has enough food. And if clients don’t have vehicles, we can make deliveries, and drop it off at their doors.”

Sue Gagne, GCASA’s recovery center coordinator, said the Recovery WOW support group has launched new ventures designed to perpetuate its “together we are stronger” philosophy.

“We are starting up a Guided Journaling workshop on Tuesday afternoons at 3:30 and we have partnered with NAMI Rochester (a mental health organization) to provide a family support group on Friday mornings at 10,” Gagne said. “We’re doing this through Zoom meetings … and hopefully will be working with the peers to put some videos up.”

Thus far, all three women agreed that the modifications are working well.

“All of the (seven) peers have full workloads as we interact with dozens of people in various stages of recovery,” Kabel said, noting that peers are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mangino-Crandall said that navigating around the coronavirus has been tough, but it’s not insurmountable.

“I think it’s a challenging time for everyone. Certainly, everybody out there is trying to deal with it in their own way and it is difficult kind of being on your own, so it’s good for folks to know and get the word out that we’re available to talk,” she said.

She also pointed out a silver lining in the midst of these unprecedented times.

“With all of us in the same situation, there are a lot of remote opportunities to connect with people, not only locally but across the state and the country, that you might not have had normally,” she said. “That’s an advantage in that it opens the recovery community up much more broadly than you would typically find.”

Disclosure: Story by Mike Pettinella, GCASA publicist