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Utica, New York (January 2022) – Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is seeking nominations for 2022 Amethyst Awards. The Amethyst Award is given to a member of our community who has helped others by inspiring them with the message of hope and recovery in the fields of mental health and chemical dependency, as well as treatment and prevention. The Amethyst Award was inspired by the Amethyst stone where the purplish and reddish colors have represented the chastening and purifying effects of suffering. The Amethyst stone has become a symbol of recovery. Anyone in the community can be awarded the Amethyst Award.

Nominations can be submitted on CFLR, Inc.’s website, HERE. Nominations will be accepted through February 28, 2022.  The Amethyst Award will be presented at Center for Family Life and Recovery’s 2022 April Awareness Breakfast, “Celebrating CommUNITY Connections,” to be held on April 26th at Hart’s Hill Inn, in Whitesboro.  Ticket information is available on CFLR’s website and by calling the office.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be a leader in creating a world where people have the power to achieve and celebrate recovery. CFLR supports individuals and families struggling with addiction, mental health, and behavioral issues by inspiring hope, providing help, promoting wellness, and transforming lives.

Utica, New York – The Prevention department of Center for Family Life and Recovery (CFLR) is looking for volunteers for the Compeer Program. The Compeer Program is an international organization that focuses on helping those who are struggling with mental health disorders through the power of friendship and has been offered locally by CFLR for the past 7 years. The program matches both youth and adults with a mental health diagnosis in Oneida and Herkimer counties with caring volunteers who want to help make a positive impact on someone’s life. Serving the Mohawk Valley since the mid-1980s, Compeer continues to be a positive influence on our communities.

The Compeer Program at CFLR has a mission: Promoting good mental health through meaningful friendships. “Friendship is powerful medicine, be a lifeline for someone who is struggling with their mental health today,” says Ashley Miller, Family Peer Advocate with CFLR, who helps to oversee Compeer at CFLR. Also overseeing this program is Francesca Esposito as a Prevention Service Coordinator since early 2021. She says about the program, “Human relationships foster positive and proactive mental health and wellbeing. Our Compeer Program facilitates these lasting and meaningful relationships through friendship. The impact of even the simplest social interaction can have a lasting benefit on individuals in need.”

For Compeer to be as fun and efficient as possible, amazing volunteers are needed. Volunteers are asked to meet a few basic requirements; be over 18 years of age, be able to pass a background check, attend orientation training, and can devote at least four hours each month to their new friend.

Mentoring opportunities include:

• 1:1 Youth Friendship: Volunteer is matched with a youth in a 1:1 supportive friendship
• 1:1 Adult Friendship: Volunteer is matched with an adult in a 1:1 supportive friendship
• E-Buddies: Volunteers communicate with match or individual via email/text/phone calls/video calls/social media

If volunteering interests you, reach out to Ashley Miller at (315) 768-2678 or amiller@clfrinc.org Or, visit the CFLR website at https://www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com/services/prevention-services/share-your-story/

CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness and transform lives as well as support individuals and families struggling with addiction, mental health, and behavioral issues. The vision of CFLR is to be a leader in creating a world where people have the power to achieve and celebrate recovery. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com or call (315) 733-1709