Local community organization runs for recovery

Honeoye Falls, N.Y. – ROCovery Fitness held its ninth annual 5K fundraiser on Sunday at Mendon Ponds Park.          

ROCovery is a nonprofit organization that offers a multitude of free activities for people in recovery. Fitness classes, game nights, book clubs, hikes, runs, dinners, among many other activities. They’re a supportive community of physically active people brought together by sober living. All programs are free and open to anyone with 48 hours of continuous sobriety. They welcome friends, family members, and those who choose to live sober.

Their motto is recovery through fitness. There are a multitude of treatment centers and programs in the Rochester area. However, relapse does not usually happen when a person is in an actual treatment setting or a 12-step meeting. Relapse happens when the person is left to his or her own devices without the necessary skills to maintain a sober life. Free time becomes the enemy.

ROCovery hopes to be the alternative: They are not a treatment program but rather a supportive environment aimed at strengthening one’s recovery. People are taught to change “people, places, and things” while in treatment however, they are returning to unhealthy environments they do not know how to navigate, which can be a significant trigger for relapse.

This is where ROCovery comes in. They aim to recreate a social network surrounding enriching, physically engaging, and fun activities and an atmosphere where people will gather together to help and motivate each other through their journey.

“It’s all to support recovery and to show people that addiction doesn’t have to be isolating, that we can connect with others, and we can enjoy life and that if you think your life is ending because of addiction, you learn that your life grows because of recovery,” said Kara Izzo, Peer Support Program Manager.

If you would like to help ROCovery Fitness to make sober living possible for many of our neighbors, donate here.