BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — September is National Recovery Month, and one organization is raising awareness by encouraging the community to Paint the Town Purple.
Paint the Town Purple is a month-long event where people in the community decorate using the color purple and the idea of recovery. Mclean County Recovery Oriented System of Care started this event and anyone is able to participate.
“It’s really getting community members to engage by creating just different displays. It can be a window. It can be a door. It can be a car door window. It’s kind of up to people what they want to do. We kind of say, you know, like, be as creative as you want,” said Cat Hayes, community health specialist for recovery supports with the McLean County Recovery Oriented System of Care.
The color purple is the color for National Recovery Month, and recovery can range from many different things. Drug use, mental health, or trauma are all examples of something someone can recover from. The point of this event is to bring awareness to the idea of recovering and changing for the better.
“It’s to start conversations about recovery and it’s getting people not just aware that recovery does actually happen. It’s also showing that change is possible. There’s a lot of stigma and a lot of misconceptions around people not being able to change. Recovery, especially from mental health and substance use disorders, is proof that people can change,” Hayes said.
This event also has a competition aspect, where the best three decorations will receive a gift basket at the end of the month. This is decided by the number of likes on the post of your decor.
“Once you have that decorated, take a picture and you can send it to our email account, which is McLeanCountyROSC@gmail.com. From there, you will send also your name and phone number for contact. We will upload it to our social media accounts, specifically Facebook, and then we’ll send you the social media link. And from there it’s up to you for judging,” she said.
Prizes include:
1st Prize: “Chillax the Night Away” Enjoy a $100 gift card for a hotel stay at any Tentac Enterprise location, plus a complimentary entrée at The Barrel House. Add in a Beyond Normal $25 GC with a soothing candle (approx. value $50) and you have yourself one soothing night of Self-Care!!
2nd Prize: “Craft, Chill, Repeat” to the Two Sisters Lavender Gift Basket valued at $100 and a $15 gift card from Artful Designs, whose mission is to connect through creativity and provide a positive environment to relieve the stress of everyday life. Add in fun pumpkin decorations from Our Favorite Things Boutique!
3rd Prize: “Taste of the Town” – choose from Avanti’s, Windy City Wieners, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Uncle Tom’s Pancake House, Chuy’s Taco Truck, Mama’s Brunch Box, and CVS (approx. value $75+).
ROSC helps members in the community get the resources they need to recover from whatever they are dealing with. They even have an app you can download to get help ASAP. Scanning the QR code below will allow you to download the McLean County ROSC Virtual Resource app.
More information about Mclean County ROSC and Paint the Town Purple can be found on their Facebook page.
