Nonprofit Helps Bridge Gap In Drug, Alcohol Rehab Support

For addicts and alcoholics on the road to recovery, it is often a matter of putting one foot in front of the other, so the 5K run that kicked off at Union Church on Oct. 19 to raise funds for those struggling with addiction sent a clear, visual message that there are people out there who have their backs - unconditionally.

The fourth annual fundraising run was sponsored by Become Part of the Solution (BPS), founded in 1991 by Chris Luginbuhl of Vernon and Smokey Orcutt, a former drug and alcohol counselor at Rockville General Hospital, who passed away in 2013.

As a counselor, Orcutt wanted to help addicts, but was frustrated by the challenges for people with little or no health insurance to cover acute hospital care, out-patient rehabilitation, and related expenses. The two put their heads together and formed the all-volunteer nonprofit, holding a variety of fundraisers over the years, from concerts to calendar sales.

With no salaries or expenses, it is the rare nonprofit in which 100 percent of funds received goes directly to the cause. In recent years, the group has begun ramping up its social media presence to try to make it easier for people to find it and donate directly.

“We did one 20-mile race about 20 years ago, back when Beanie Babies were the big thing, but then we turned to other fundraising activities,” said Luginbuhl, who is celebrating 41 years of sobriety.

Sober houses, he explained, are a bridge between being in treatment and being out on your own. They provide temporary housing and much needed structure for residents with requirements to attend meetings, find employment, and have accountability.

Addiction touches many lives and at the run, everyone had their story, their reason for getting involved. One such story was that of Danny Williams, who died in September 2018, two days shy of his 30th birthday. His loving spirit was on display by friends and family who wore BPS T-shirts touting his memory.

“Danny battled an anxiety disorder and struggled to manage it, self-medicating with alcohol,” said his mother, Mary Jane Williams. “Not being able to sleep, he also took Ambien, and went into a spiral the year he passed.”

Williams said she learned about BPS when her son reached out to Luginbuhl for help. She said Danny was trying to get well, but may have reached out a little too late, as his body simply gave out. He died in his sleep of heart failure.

“I see BPS not as a handout, but as a helping hand. People have to make an effort in their recovery and BPS helps in many ways, such as giving rides to meetings and rehab centers and helping people find jobs. That’s why I stay involved,” said Williams.

She stressed the importance of parents being aware of the dangers of alcohol and the overwhelming struggle some people experience when they try to start over, having to let go of their friends who drink or use drugs.

“With the opioid crisis in the headlines these days, I don’t think alcohol gets the focus it should,” said Williams. “I found out firsthand, it’s just as bad.”