Marchers walk Sunday afternoon along High Street during the 8th Annual Western Maine Recovery Rally in South Paris. The parade begins at The HILLS Recovery Center in Norway and ends at Moore Park in South Paris. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

About 150 community members, including some in various stages of recovery from addiction or substance use disorder, marched Sunday from The HILLS Recovery Center at 15 Tannery St. in Norway to Moore Park in South Paris for the 8th Annual Western Maine Recovery Rally.

The HILLS Recovery Center was opened in 2023 by the Western Maine Addiction Recovery Initiative, or WMARI, which hosted the midday event that featured free food, entertainment for families and children and speakers from the addiction and recovery community.

Several organizations set up tables to share information with the public, including the Maine Council on Problem Gambling; The Table, a Norway community organization; Safe Voices; Blue Sky Counseling; Oxford Federal Credit Union; Better Life Partners; Journey Magazine; The Phoenix; the Larry Labonte Recovery Center; Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services; the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention; and Healthy Oxford Hills.

William Wheelock, left, and Darren Whiburn sit Sunday afternoon on steps overlooking Moore Park in South Paris during the 8th Annual Western Maine Recovery Rally. They say they are attending the rally to support those recovering from addiction or substance use disorder. Wheelock and Whiburn say they are living at a recovery house in Harrison. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Nikkie Laverdiere, the WMARI administrative coordinator and rally manager, spoke alongside six others from the recovery community. Laverdiere said she comes from the area, about “30 seconds from” Moore Park, and is celebrating her father’s 20 years and mother’s 10 years of sobriety, and her own recovery journey, which began nearly two years ago. She said she became involved with WMARI almost immediately after choosing sobriety.

Laverdiere said WMARI wants people to know that the organization provides free services for anyone in any stage of recovery, whether it is contemplative or longstanding sobriety.

“See, I’m here working at the recovery center early in my recovery,” she said, “and that’s one thing that I want people to know: You can become involved in the recovery movement and community immediately, no matter where you’re at.”

If recovery means you need to help others while you are helping yourself, there is room for that, Laverdiere said.

“We all have kind of like a part to play in recovery,” Laverdiere said, “even if it’s just having hope for people.”

Dalton Pratt points Sunday afternoon to his favorite photograph of him and his mother during the 8th Annual Western Maine Recovery Rally in South Paris. He made the poster with his grandparents, who are also attending the rally to support those recovering from addiction or substance use disorder. Dalton’s mother died in 2022 as a result of drug addiction. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Bill and Becky Kuvaja said they moved back to the Oxford Hills area from South Carolina with their son, whose name was not given, and their grandson, Dalton Pratt, after their daughter, Dalton’s mother, died in a 2021 accident they said was fueled by addiction.

“The rally is something that’s near and dear to our hearts — very important to us,” Bill Kuvaja said. “Addiction is something that affects the whole family, not just the person going through it.”

Bill and Becky Kuvaja said much of their motivation for coming to the rally and other recovery events is their son, who is recovering from addiction.

Becky Kuvaja, who ran a day care in Oxford for more than 17 years before moving to South Carolina, said it is alarming to see familiar names in the newspaper or faces she knows in public who seem to be struggling with substance use issues.

“People you would never think could fall into it,” she said.

“My wife lays in bed thinking of eulogies because, well, that’s what we know is coming, you know?” Bill Kuvaja said.

Marchers walk Sunday afternoon into Moore Park in South Paris during the 8th Annual Western Maine Recovery Rally in South Paris. The parade begins at The HILLS Recovery Center in Norway and ends at Moore Park in South Paris. The event includes a free barbecue, music, children’s games, speakers and much support.

Robert Gerard of Norway, a future recovery coach at The HILLS Recovery Center, waited at Moore Park while the rally, his first, was underway. He said he has been sober for a year and four months.

Gerard was on the other side of the rally rather than participating because he was supporting The HILLS Recovery Center’s efforts when the march arrived.

Gerard said he is well on his way to becoming a recovery coach. The coaches help those in recovery or those thinking about it by talking with them, listening to them and helping find the best resources.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be here, celebrating with the community,” Gerard said. “With a great community, people to talk to, it makes it easier because, you know, you’re not alone. And there’s no judgment in the recovery community.”