TOMS RIVER – The 7th Annual Hope Walk would have filled the boardwalk of Seaside Heights with yellow shirted walkers, speakers and guests but the coronavirus changed all that.
Undaunted, the celebration to recognize addiction recovery went on but in a different way. A virtual walk was held instead earlier this month and in it was a virtual success.
HOPE Sheds Light (HSL) provides hope and support to families that are impacted by substance use disorder.
“The journey toward hope and recovery might be difficult, but the transformation at the end is really wonderful to see,” said Stephen Willis, a co-founder of HSL.
Willis has been the master of ceremonies for all seven of the organization’s annual walks, although things looked much different this year as the COVID-19 pandemic led the Toms River-based non-profit organization to make the walk virtual.
The group’s mission is to raise awareness and educate individuals, families and the community about the impact of substance use disorder by having the courage to share personal experiences and offer strength, wisdom, hope and resources that lead to positive community change and long-term recovery.
HSL held its virtual walk at its usual spot on the Hiering Avenue Boardwalk in Seaside Heights. Instead of thousands circled around the stage, participants used their computers and mobile devices as they walked at different locations.
Pamela Capaci, HSL’s chief executive officer said, “New Jersey was dealing with the addiction epidemic. Since the pandemic, there has been a 20 percent increase in overdose deaths in New Jersey compared to this time last year.”
“This is why we must continue to raise awareness and support those impacted by substance use disorder,” Capaci added.
Willis noted this year has had its share of challenges. “The months ahead may present us with even more obstacles as we address the ongoing health and socioeconomic impact COVID will have on so many families.”
“But HOPE remains here, and God’s got us. And we will continue to serve the families of this community and beyond. It’s our promise and our blessing,” Willis added.
The event began with a prayer offered by Pastor Sue Jones followed by opening remarks from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Ocean County Freeholder Virginia Haines.
“From my perspective as the prosecutor, the way we do this is different. The way the courts do this is different and it’s because of organizations like HOPE Sheds Light that was born out of brokenness,” Billhimer said.
Billhimer added that the organization “was born out of the hope for something better so that this doesn’t happen to someone else’s kids. We will continue to fight this battle and we will do it through education and prevention. We will approach it differently because substance use disorder is a disease and that’s why we are all here.”
Capaci added that during each of the annual HOPE Walk events, the community comes together to celebrate recovery and provide hope to those affected. “We especially want to extend our sincere appreciation to this year’s Celebration of HOPE walk sponsors and all of our virtual walkers and teams.”
“It was a wonderful day and we are so appreciative for all the community support we received both near and far,” Capaci added.
HOPE Sheds Light continues to lead by offering innovative approaches to remain connected and relevant and available to anyone in need in the community. “Over the past two years, HOPE Sheds light has been awarded five grants from state and county agencies to assist with our creative programming and reach even more families in need,” said Willis.
“This year HOPE will expand its focus to work with families and youth by partnering with Ocean County to spend the year developing strategies to bring a recovery high school to our community. We are also introducing a 12-month anti-stigma campaign called Recovery Speaks: Embracing the Journey,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful thing to know that at any moment we have the freedom, the ability and certainly the power to choose what we do and how we live our lives. We can choose to be a victim and feel helpless or we can choose to get brave with God’s grace and work together for positive change,” Willis said. “We are free to choose joy over sadness. Understanding and love over anger and resentment and we can absolutely choose to embrace recovery and speaking out loud and asking for help and showing up.
“When we do it together, our recovery can become real and we can celebrate and feel proud of ourselves for the work we’ve done. Let’s get brave together. I promise HOPE will be here for you when you need us,” Willis said.
The virtual event featured the stories of three individuals in recovery. To hear their stories, to view HSL’s 2020 digital resource guide and event journal or to learn more, visit HOPEShedsLight.org.
