Mike Curran is a St. Anthony’s graduate who works full time, coaches high school baseball and speaks in public on recovery. He is writing his story and he’s trying to interest publishers. You can see his sobriety experiences and thoughts on Facebook.

I like reclamation stories. I like seeing people who thought they were nothing contributing to other people’s lives. And I like Mike Curran. So I “liked” his page.

St. Anthony’s doesn’t endorse anything in Mike’s book (which is still being written), except for the part where it’s good to get clean and sober, it’s good to use programs and build a community in order to stay clean and sober and live a better life, and it’s good to help others.

But you couldn’t find a better example of a graduate of the Fr. Alfred drug and alcohol recovery center. A look at his page would reveal a lot about what we hope people will be able to do with their lives after they’ve lived at the Fr. Alfred Center. And if you happen to “like” his page, you know that it does not necessarily reflect the views of St. Anthony Foundation. Except for the part that says that sobriety, self-respect, and service are good.

The Holidays are always my favorite time of year. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of the season. From the end of October until the New Year comes, Father Alfred Center, St. Anthony’s Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation program, has special events and holiday meals lined up in succession like a string of passenger jets over a busy runway.

On November 18th (the week before Thanksgiving proper) The Father Alfred Center held our annual Thanksgiving Dinner for residents and alumni. It’s an event that we all look forward to every year because unlike every other meal cooked in our kitchen; this one is cooked by the staff.

The weeks before the dinner are spent planning the menu, shopping and preparing for what will arguably be the biggest meal of the year. The whole day is spent peeling, chopping, zesting, baking and simmering ingredients into a menagerie of culinary delights. When the decorations are up, the places set, every entrée, side and piece of pie is set up on the line we open the Dining Room to our residents and alumni. Every year they shuffle in and find an empty seat. A prayer is said, and each table takes their turn to load up plates. After all the hard work it’s very rewarding to see the guys enjoying the fruits of our labor.

It’s a challenge to juggle cooking times, and space in our small kitchen. Thanks to the diligence of my co-workers (as well as Andrew Ratoza, and Mark Beglin who both graciously give us their time this year) the result is always outstanding. Father Alfred Center ’s tradition of having the staff cook Thanksgiving dinner is one of the ways we give back to our residents who give so much to us. (more…)

September is National Recovery Month and St. Anthony Foundation’s Father Alfred Center has a lot on its plate. First what is recovery month? I went to www.recoverymonth.gov to find out.

“Recovery Month is an annual observance that takes place during the month of September.

The Recovery Month observance highlights the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment, lauds the contributions of treatment providers and promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible.”

Events are being held around the Nation, the State (and more importantly for us) right here in the SF Bay Area.

On Sunday 19th, San Francisco Narcotics Anonymous held their very first Men’s Breakfast. 300+ men gathered for this event at the Hilton. Father Alfred Center Alumni & Staff donated enough tickets for 5 of our residents to attend. The massive breakfast is a great opportunity for fellowship and bonding within the NA recovery community. The event was highlighted by an inspiring speaker who shared his experience strength and hope around his addiction and recovery experience. Those in attendance say it was very inspiring.

On Saturday 18th Father Alfred Center participated in the East Bay Unity Day (held at Laney College in Oakland). 10 of our residents attended and helped out with setting up and decorating for the main speaker. I asked one of the attending residents about the experience. He told me,

“It was one of the most memorable unity days I’ve ever been too. For me the most powerful moment was during the ‘clean time countdown’ (where all present acknowledge their clean time by standing when their number is reached). There was one woman at the end who had only one day of clean time. It made me think back to when that was me with one day clean. It was a really scary place to be.”

This Saturday (25th) is SF unity day. 15 Father Alfred Center residents will be attending & helping out again. Unity day offers workshops, speaker meetings, karaoke, comedy shows, open mic, workshops and fellowship for those who attend. Father Alfred Center Councilor Craig Surratt said this:

“Narcotics Anonymous has allowed Father Alfred Center to be of service in these events for years. It not only helps the event, but also helps our residents with re-socialization into society. By participating it encourages them not to isolate and makes them feel more a part of the larger NA community.”

On September 30th, 15 of our residents will be attending a Major League Baseball game between the SF Giants Vs Arizona Diamondbacks courtesy of The National Council on Alcoholism & Other Drug Addictions. It’s an event the residents are really looking forward to.

National Recovery Month is an exciting time for us. The multiple events around the bay area allow our residents a chance to step out of the microcosm of the Father Alfred Center and get a broader view of the Recovery Community that will be an integral part of their continued sobriety and reintegration into society.

Sunday May 30th is the Annual Narcotics Anonymous Men’s Breakfast put on by the East Bay Central NA committee. This will be the 10th annual breakfast and 350 men from around the country are expected to attend.

The Father Alfred Center has had a proud affiliation with the men’s breakfast since it was started back in 2000. A resident of the St Anthony Foundation Rehabilitation Center (then known as Seton Hall), named Darryl Smith painted the very first banner. The banner and that first breakfast were a big success and every year a handful of tickets are donated by alumni of Father Alfred Center, to some of our current residents. As part of the decorations that first banner (along with every banner since then) are rolled out and hung up for display.

This years theme is “Vision with out limits”. It appears on the banner as well as on tickets next to the Men’s Breakfast Motto “Diversity Makes a Difference”. The motto represents the variety of men from every walk of life, ethnicity, and social status who can be found in attendance. The exchange of experiences and the formations of friendships are the hallmark of the NA Men’s Breakfast.

Along with what I am told is an impressive spread of food, speakers from around the country are flown in to talk on the subject of recovery. As they speak a CD is cut for purchase. Some copies of the CD along with books and other Narcotics Anonymous literature are given away to those in attendance who are newest to recovery.

For the first 8 years of the Breakfast up to 500+ men would be in attendance. As N/A members from other area’s have attended the men’s breakfast and experienced the miracle that takes place there, they have begun putting on their own versions. So although the number of participants has dropped in the last two years, the phenomenon is growing.

With the convention behind us I wanted to take a moment to look back and get the perspective of the Father Alfred Center staff who attended the Convention.

Administrative Coordinator Raynette Page Johnson says:

“I had the privilege and honor to greet our clients at the Northern California Convention of Narcotics Anonymous XXXII in Santa Clara, California.  Forty six  residents of Father Alfred Center attended.  We were in the company of thousands of recovering addicts from all over California and other states.  The Northern California Convention of Narcotics is the largest convention in California. The first convention was formed in 1979 in San Jose California.  There were approximately 350 recovering addicts in attendance.  This celebration of unity, simply known at NCCNA, now hosts between 6,000 to 8,000 recovering addicts annually.”

Manager Michael Hurd writes in:

“It is an awesome opportunity for Father Alfred Center residents to experience a NA Convention. I think it is surreal to imagine over 5,000 recovering addicts in one place at one time from all different cultures, races, backgrounds, beliefs to gather together for one common goal ,that goal being to help the addict who wants to recover is unimaginable until they see it. Then I think there can be a physic change where they can really start to believe that being clean for them is possible. I witnessed the stoic glow in several of our residents at the convention there expressions said it all. For me to witness the joy, hope and relief I see in the faces of our Father Alfred Center residents is priceless! I look forward to exposing new residents to this awesome experience again next year.”

Saturday April 3rd, 2010 is the date of the widely anticipated State Wide NA Convention in Santa Clara, CA. Each year Father Alfred Center, St. Anthony Foundation’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, throws a dinner for Alumni, families and friends to raise the money for our residents to attend this event.

Father Alfred Center Assistant Manager Eric Clark tells us:

“At Father Alfred Center we treat drug & alcohol addiction and one of the strongest indicators of continued recovery from addiction after residents leave the program is their participation in 12-Step recovery groups. Addicts rarely get clean alone and rarely do they stay clean all by themselves. The opportunity to be present at an event where there may be more than ten thousand other recovering addicts present has been truly awe inspiring for our guys. There is no better way to present the message that any addict can recover than in this environment of unlimited support that is available virtually anywhere. The gratitude our residents express for the ability to attend this event & the message of hope that they receive there has been worth every effort to get these guys to the Northern California Narcotics Anonymous Convention.”

Excitement is growing as the days countdown to the convention. The Father Alfred Center Kitchen Crew will be preparing bagged lunches, snacks & drinks for the guys on the way down and back. The bus leaves at 2PM promptly for Santa Clara, CA under the supervision of Father Alfred Center counselors. Some off duty staff will be attending the convention as well.

When they arrive, residents will be able to attend workshops, marathon meetings, an ice cream social & even a golf tournament. Live music, Karaoke, comedy shows, and an illusionist will also be there, in the spirit of fellowship with other addicts in recovery.

The highlight of the convention is the main speaker who is scheduled to go on at 8pm, Followed by a dance at 9pm.

When asked for a few word about the benefits of the convention; Father Alfred Center Councilor Alvin Emerson said:

“Recovering addicts from all over the world will be in attendance, making this a rare opportunity for our guys to see the beauty & power of what recovery from addiction can do for them.”

Residents will re-board the charter bus after the dance and return home around 1am that morning. All and all it will be a long day for Father Alfred Center Staff and residents. But one they will not soon forget.

The first Wednesday of each month is a special day at St. Anthony’s : it is the day that our drug and alcohol rehab program, the Father Alfred Center, celebrates graduation. After spending 12 months of hard work to get and stay clean, graduation allows us to recognize the accomplishments of our Fr. Alfred Center participants while acknowledging that their recovery will continue after they leave.

Each of the St. Anthony Foundation departments who work with the Father Alfred Center participants makes a brief presentation as a part of the graduation ceremony. This month, it was my turn to speak for my department, the Justice Education, Volunteer, and Advocacy program, also known as JEVA.

I used my presentation as an opportunity to acknowledge how important the Father Alfred Center participants are to JEVA. Father Alfred Center participants speak with each of our student volunteer groups, sharing their personal stories about addiction and recovery. By sharing their stories with our volunteers, our Father Alfred Center participants are educators. Their stories are often painful; however, one person’s story of addiction and recovery, painful as it may be, is a great gift to our volunteers.

Hearing a personal story gives our student volunteers a chance to understand some of the social, economic, emotional, and spiritual factors that shape the experience of the disease of addiction. The stories of any of our St. Anthony Foundation guests, though very personal, underscore our common humanity; that is why they are so powerful at breaking stereotypes and at helping people understand a complex social problem.

This month’s graduate did more than just educate our volunteers. He also participated in Hunger Action Day in Sacramento this past spring. In fact, a group of folks from Father Alfred Center joined St. Anthony Foundation staff, volunteers, guests, and other community members for this statewide lobby day aimed at ending hunger.  I reminded our graduate that not only did he use his story to educate our student volunteers, he also educated our elected officials and policy makers in Sacramento.  Father Alfred Center participants described how hunger issues affect people recovering from addiction and called on our lawmakers to support legislation that would allow people in recovery to be able to access anti-hunger programs like Food Stamps.  By being storytellers, our Father Alfred Center participants were teachers and advocates.

Everyone’s story is important because everyone’s life is important.  Sharing our stories with others helps us transcend the sadness, pain and suffering that we have experienced.  But sharing our stories is more than just a cathartic experience:  sharing our stories can help us move toward a more just society!

Today scanning through the weekend’s pile up of emails I came across an interesting article from the Foundation Center’s Philanthropy News Digest reporting on a recent study that reveals America’s poor are the most charitable demographic per capita.

“The poorest one-fifth of American households contributed an average of 4.3 percent of their income to charitable organizations in 2007, while the richest fifth donated 2.1 percent of their income.”  This statistic from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is not terribly shocking.  When someone has personally experienced how valuable each dollar is in making it out of the red that month, or to finding food that day, shelter that week, it is understandable that they would be compelled to in turn help someone else when they are in a position to do so.

Working at St. Anthony Foundation I have seen generosity and compassion in places that I would have never expected it.  Recently our Social Work Center was paid a visit from a former guest, who nine years ago received rental assistance to secure housing.  This time the visit was to repay that amount and hopefully help someone else get on their feet.  There a many other stories like this one, men who have come through the Fr. Alfred Center drug and alcohol recovery program returning to bring food for the Dining Room, or guests from the Dining Room returning to volunteer.

While, yes, there is clearly concern to be raised over the point of the wealthier strata donating less comparatively, it is none the less heartening to read and bear witness to stories of community and compassion especially in these toughest of times.

Reality Is That Donation Are Still Needed

SAN FRANCISCO, CA December 18th, 2008 St. Anthony’s is still glowing from the gift of $35,000 and set of new Technology Lab computer monitors from Gurbaksh Chahal, “secret millionaire”, as recently featured on Fox network’s new reality show by the same name. But with December marking the highest one-week filing rate of unemployment claims in the last 26-years, and the temperature dropping daily, St. Anthony’s is still stretching to meet the demand of those seeking food, warm clothing, and medical care.

To help meet the need, St. Anthony’s is preparing for its 21st anniversary of St. Anthony’s Curbside Holiday Drive. St. Anthony Foundation staff and volunteers, wearing easily identifiable red jackets, will take delivery of food, clothing, and monetary donations at curbside, so donors won’t even have to leave their cars. Donated items are distributed free of charge to San Francisco’s most needy residents.

“Whether you drive a Lamborghini or a Toyota, donations are critical to meeting the need this holiday season. In November we served 14% more meals in our Dining Room than November of  last year. We have 40% more people coming to our Free Medical Clinic than this time last year. And our Clothing Program has been unable to serve all the families that are coming to us for warm clothing,” noted St. Anthony Foundation Executive Director Fr. John Hardin.

St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families by providing a gateway for solutions to poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 2600 meals every day, a free Clothing and Housewares program, an Employment Program/ Technology Lab,  Residential Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program, and a Free Medical Clinic. St. Anthony Foundation does not accept any federal, state, or local government money for its programs, and is entirely funded by private donations.