Spirit of Hope Honor at Liberation Program’s Annual Gala

On Tuesday, June 3, I attended and was honored at Liberation Program’s Spirit of Hope Gala. With a theme of “Celebrating Resilience”, the event recognized both John Maxwell and me as individuals who have had “extraordinary impact on families and communities across our region” through their “dedication to saving lives and building a safer, more compassionate world.”

In receiving the Honor, called the Gini and Lou Bantle Spirit of Hope Award, John Hamilton, Liberation’s CEO, said some kind, touching words and then gave the mic to me. I only had a few minutes, and my objective was to thank the members of my team who made the award possible. I started with my son Evan, since the support group was started almost 9 years ago in tribute to him and his untimely death. It’s hard to believe, but it will be the 10th Anniversary of Evan’s passing on July 15, 2025.

Evan was our family comedian, full of wit and energy that kept his parents, his big sister Andrea, and his two baby brothers Karl and Peter guessing. “What will Evan say/do next?” Evan was also a big boy and always loved to give hugs. I believe he is up there looking down, saying to me, “Dad, you’re doing good, keep it up, and let me give you a hug!”

I next thanked the 300 parents who have attended NCPSG’s weekly support meetings. It is their participation, wherever they might be on their journey, that makes the meeting have impact for so many. I specifically noted the “regulars”, who are the veterans who keep coming back just to share their experiences and wisdom with the newer members. I also called out our two facilitators of our meetings, Nick deSpoelberch, LPC and Cole Duncan, PsyD, as the process of “parents helping parents” works much better with clinical guidance.

Finally, I thanked all the Recovery Storytellers, the ones who share their authentic stories openly to large audiences, like at our Annual Vigil or in our Recovery Blog. With the count now up to 100 stories being told through our platforms, I believe 100 lives have been saved. Among the storytellers who attended the Gala, were Cini Shaw, Icy Frantz (both Liberation Board members), Nick deSpoelberch and Devan Markiewicz. To see photos from this event, CLICK HERE.

I was the last speaker of the evening, and I made a plug for our upcoming Community Addiction Awareness Vigil on August 27th. There will be three amazing recovery storytellers, and this year’s Vigil tagline is “Shared Stories Save Lives”. We also have two new faith community leaders for our candlelighting segment (Rev. Scott Herr and Rev. Gilbert Burgess) and a new band led by Adam Christoferson and the Musical Interventions.

While the standing ovation at the end of my remarks was great, what will be even more heartening is when we gather in large numbers for the August 27th Vigil. I look forward to seeing you there!