Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/332945
On Saturday, June 21, The Salvation Army and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the estab- lishment of the Addiction Recovery Program at the Sarasota County Jail, The Salvation Army has announced. A breakfast will be held at 8:30 a.m. in The Salvation Army's media room, located at 1400 10th Street in Sarasota, to honor the pro- gram's volunteer instructors and graduates, a news release says. The Addiction Recovery Program was launched in 2009 with one pod for 48 men, the release explains. For the first time, the partici- pants "could be housed in an environment that was dedicated to recovery," the release points out. Based on its initial success, a women's recovery program was created later; it oper- ates in a wing with 18 beds, the release adds. The Salvation Army program is a voluntary one for inmates who request to live in one of the pods, the release says. "Sessions are conducted by more than 100 community vol- unteers, which means no cost to taxpayers," it notes. "One of the keys to the program is the sup- portive environment that participants are immersed in 24/7," it continues. Inmates assigned to it receive drug counseling and participate in other positive life skills pro- grams seven days a week, it adds. Another integral factor in the program's suc- cess "is the link to continued support after release (when a drug user might return to the environment that supports the destructive habit)," it continues. "Once released, peo- ple who went through the program in jail are directed to one of The Salvation Army's alco- hol and drug programs" and other community programs and resources, it says. SALVATION ARMY TO MARK ANNIVERSARY OF RECOVERY PROGRAM On Saturday, The Salvation Army in Sarasota will mark the fifth anniversary of its Addiction Recovery Program at the county jail. Image from the organization's Facebook page Sarasota News Leader June 20, 2014 Page 78