Things are always pretty eventful around here, but I think this last few weeks have been the most exciting, yet! We had several really awesome events that I want to tell you about!

On Veteran's Day, we had a barber (Jon Carlo Vitale) and hairstylist (Danielle Tessmer) come in to volunteer their time for our Free Haircuts event! Jonny V. He was our bus driver, Peer Recovery Coach, and Music Didactics instructor up until a few months ago. He has always been very generous and giving with himself and his time. Danielle is engaged to be married to our General Manager and future daughter-in-law of our President! She has been cutting hair since she was a teenager and had the opportunity to become a hairstylist and high school graduate at the same time! She's kind, patient, and generous, which are all necessities when you're joining a family that works in recovery!

It was really awesome seeing what something we take for granted can do for a person. Some of the people who visited us for a free haircut left with a completely different demeanor. They came in with their shoulders slumped and their head down, and they left with their heads held high and an obvious confidence about them. I had one gentleman tell me that he thought he could finally land the job he wanted because he looked the part! We are so grateful to Jonny and Danielle for making those transformations possible!

Everyone loves a good dinner fundraiser, and spaghetti is always a big hit, so we decided to put together our Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser on Tuesday, November 12th! All of our staff members and volunteers worked together to get donations and prepare copious amounts of assorted pasta, various homemade sauces, and different varieties of breads. Our very best fundraiser Karen Morreale procured several large, delicious salads with toppings and dressings from local restaurants, and our good friend Pandora Smith prepared an amazing array of desserts for us!

We had our amazing volunteers preparing the food and setting up all day, and the air was buzzing with excitement! We were all ecstatic when we saw our guests start to pour in! People were eating, laughing, and enjoying the fellowship! Our volunteers were busy all night making sure everyone was satisfied! I was at the door and was able to greet everyone coming in and see their reactions when they left. Every single guest left happy and full! It was a huge success, and all of our volunteers stayed to pack up and clean the center. We all enjoyed it so much that we decided to make it a monthly event on the first Tuesday of every month! The only change will be the theme, and for December it will be Taco Tuesday!

Our next big event was our Professional Luncheon the next Friday, November 15th. Our marketing department reached out to different government officials, therapists, and business professionals. Our amazing Karen pulled through for us once again, in a much larger way! She was able to acquire a small feast from restaurants and caterers in the area! We really wanted to show the professional community what we have to offer here at Live Rite, and show them what a great time people in recovery can have!

We were amazed at how many people showed up! We took them on tours, gave them the history of our building and Live Rite, and showed them everything we have to offer. Once again, everyone was eating, drinking, and being generally merry! It was an exhilarating afternoon full of good food, good company, and great networking! We definitely look forward to working with many of the attendants in the near future!

We have so much to be grateful for with the holiday season upon us! We want to spread the joy we have with those less fortunate, and we are offering a Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway, so if there is anyone struggling to put dinner on the table next Thursday they can apply either on our website or stop in to the Resource Center!

We want to give a big shout-out to Vintage House, San Marino, Salvatori Scallopini, Villa Penna, Soprano's, La Mia, Imperial House, Penne Lane, S&J Catering, and Enjoya Sweets for their generous contributions to our events! As a non-profit organization, we couldn't do these things without your support, and we are so grateful to you!