OneSky Community Resources and other community organizations are inviting the public to celebrate was will be Penticton’s first Recovery Day on Sept. 8 in Gyro Park.
The festivities will kick off at 10 a.m. with a delegate from the city council proclaiming the day as Penticton Recovery Day at 10:10 a.m.
Purple Lotus Yoga and Starlit Yoga will be providing a one-hour outdoor yoga session for all experience levels at 11:15 a.m. in the park. Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mat, sunscreen, water bottle, and towel - a limited number of mats will be available for those who do not own one.
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“The reason we chose yoga is that is has meaning for the people we support in recovery, they chose yoga as a part of their recovery,” said Ian Gerbrandt, director of child, youth, and family services with OneSky.
The event will also feature a social media booth where attendees can take pictures for sharing. Gerbrandt said this is meant to “put a face and voice to recovery and end the stigma surrounding it.”
“Recovery isn’t about a personal failure … (so we) want to celebrate it in a positive way,” said Gerbrandt.
There will also be an In Memoriam Space set up at the event for attendees to remember and honour loved ones “lost too soon to addiction” according to Gerbrandt.
“The motivation behind this is we are a small group of organizations wanting to take part in a growing movement,” said Gerbrandt. “So we’re thinking big, but starting small.”
Gerbrandt says they hope that in the future this event will grow into a festival of sorts with live music and entertainment.
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