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Rally To Recover Sparks Debate On Local Drug Addiction

Chandra Germain speaks Saturday in Falconer at the Rally To Recover event on drug addiction. P-J photo by Jordan Patterson

FALCONER — Positive change for drug addicts and drug awareness was demanded by people gathered at the Rally to Recover Jamestown event Saturday afternoon.

Music could be heard coming from a storage building on East Second Street in Falconer as people filled up parking space and headed inside. A rally to raise awareness on addiction was being held in Vince Liuzzo’s storage space within the building.

Liuzzo, who uses the space to do wood work, opened it up after his mother informed him that recovery advocate Chandra Germain and her affiliates were in need of a space to hold their rally.

“I think its great,” Liuzzo said. “I think the turnout’s great.”

Germain was optimistic the rally would shed light on addiction and those impacted by it.

Artwork is displayed Saturday at the Rally to Recover event in Falconer. Event organizers hoped to use the event as a way to promote positive change that has been taking place locally.

“The purpose of the event is to do something now,” Germain said. “We’re losing one person every 16 minutes, that’s 150 people per day, to the addiction epidemic that’s happening.”

Germain wanted to use this rally as an example that positive change can happen in Jamestown. She referred to people who tell her that its impossible to become sober in Jamestown, and Germain wanted to change that.

“We want to show them there is a strong and thriving recovery community here but to instill hope into people that want to change the city to take their part and take some action,” Germain said.

A live musical performance was giving by Frank Morgan, also know by his stage name REM ONE. His lyrics were about drug addiction and life after addiction. For Morgan, a recovering addict going on three and a half years, wanted to show people that there is a life after addiction.

Assemblyman Andy Goodell and County Executive Vince Horrigan attended the rally and addressed the crippling issue of drug addiction and drug related deaths.

“I really appreciate this rally,” Goodell said.

Goodell referenced statistics that more people overdose and die from drugs than people die from car accidents. Goodell said that everyone in the county most likely knows some who is addicted but they might not know it yet. Goodell wanted to put the scope of the addiction epidemic to the forefront.

Goodell also said that addiction is tough. He said the way people are married to their job or their hobbies, addicts are married to their addiction.

“My challenge to them and the community is to change it so you can be married to life and enjoy life to its fullest,” Goodell said.

People came and went while the rally continued through the afternoon. The hope from all people involved , according to organizers, was to hopefully reach at least one addict and show them that people care.

Germain said she was happy with the turnout Saturday afternoon.

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