Poplar Bluff will be the site later this month of a regional recovery event focusing on families and addiction.
The one-day conference will be held at Fellowship General Baptist Church, 3581 N. Westwood Blvd., on Sept. 27.
“Our focus for the conference is going to be about family, and the role that families play in addiction, as well as in the recovery,” said Jane Pfefferkorn, executive director of Mission Missouri at Sikeston.
The theme is “Boots on the ground … The recovery landscape in Southeast Missouri.”
“It is a Southeast Missouri regional recovery event,” which is cosponsored by Missouri Recovery Network, explained Pfefferkorn. “We are celebrating national recovery month.”
The network, which Pfefferkorn described as a “statewide voice of recovery,” also is celebrating its 20th anniversary during the event.
The conference, Pfefferkorn said, will feature the documentary “Not My Child,” which was created in Missouri, but is being viewed in other states.
In the film, families explain signs of substance abuse from their own experiences. The film also explores different paths to recovery and looks at the disease of addiction.
A discussion after the screening will be lead by David Stoecker, the statewide advocacy and education coordinator for the Missouri Recovery Network.
“We will have family members speaking about what it is like going through the loss of a child to addiction, as well as the story of families in recovery,” explained Pfefferkorn, who indicated organizers are planning for 100 people to attend.
The guest speaker, she said, will be Debbie Price, a registered nurse, who speaks on families and addiction.
Pfefferkorn said Fellowship and its Fellowship of Acceptance recovery program have been actively involved since 2005 in hosting recovery meetings and trainings in the Southeast Missouri area.
“We are creating a recovery network” in 26 counties as designated by the Missouri Department of Mental Health as Southeast Missouri, Pfefferkorn said.
“It’s about getting the word out (and) letting people know,” Pfefferkorn said. “The real focus is to show there is a lot going on in Southeast Missouri.
“We may be rural, but we are a voice to be reckoned with … we’re going to unite and show the power” of Southeast Missouri in fighting addiction.
Doors will open at 8:30 a.m., with the conference from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lunch will be provided, and there is no cost to attend.
To register, call Mission Missouri at 573-481-0505 by Sept. 23.