September, 2021 | Issue 11
The TCI Connection
We inspire families and individuals to overcome the disease of
addiction by creating real, long-term solutions!
New TCI Video Series Created
A new video series, created exclusively for TriCircle, Inc., features our founder and Executive Director, Ana Gopoian, and Ken Cairns and Fred Hayden, two parents of families affected by Substance Use Disorders and the Disease of Addiction. This month's newsletter features three of the videos.
We welcome you to watch:
Quote of the Month:
“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging." - Unknown
Together WE are Stronger!
It is not just a cliché.
Lessons From My Curriculum.

This sometimes cliché sounding shout out is what I say to reinforce my purpose in this world and to highlight the reason I’m still here. I say again, Together WE are Stronger!

July 21st, 2016, is when TriCircle gained its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status, but, the truth be told, it was in the process of manifesting way before that! July 13, 1995, is the day my recovery began. Twenty years later, I was still haunted by a lifetime of negative self-talk. In 2015, I took an ambulance ride to a place where I hoped to find relief. Since then, I have learned so much. Here are some of the lessons from my curriculum:

1)   I personally couldn’t have started my recovery and continued my recovery alone. Together WE are Stronger!
2)   I truly believe if families and support systems were brought into the fold of a person’s recovery process and resources were made more available, the journey toward healing would be richer and much more attainable. Together WE are Stronger!
3)   Fact: Lessons are learned and patterns can be broken. Fact: Everyone knows someone. Fact: Everyone has a story. Together WE are Stronger!
4)   Things change; it’s inevitable. It is the suffering that becomes optional when people learn they have a choice and that they are supported and loved by those around them. Together WE are Stronger!
5)    I used pain as my greatest motivator for most of my life. We haven’t surrendered until we have tried everything for ourselves. Only then are we ready to reach for help. That, to me, is the power of shame, guilt, and isolation. That is the power of the disease of addiction. Together WE are Stronger!
6)   As we gain momentum toward full implementation, and I find myself surrounded by people who share my vision, I can clearly see how similar we are. I have learned to no longer focus on the differences that separate us from our true selves and from each other. I have learned to focus more on how we are the same and not on the differences that obstruct my view of unity consciousness and the oneness that is the touchstone of humanity. Together WE are Stronger!
7)   I choose to be motivated by my past experiences; life didn’t happen to me, but for me. Pain will not stay my motivator. I am continually learning how to be more efficient with my time, stop sooner and let go faster. Humility is key. I now allow myself to be seen as vulnerable and embrace that part of me and share it with others. "Our Deepest Fear", a poem by Marianne Williamson, resonates with me and gave me permission to expose some of my raw and jagged edges to the world. Together WE are Stronger!
 
The vision I hold for TriCircle has enjoyed unwavering support from so many different organizations and people, some whom I have never met. This support can be found in fundraisers, corporate matching opportunities, memorials in honor of those who have died, Facebook fundraisers, Civic Organizations in and out of CT, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, other nonprofits, donations from companies that help to fill our raffle baskets, and support for our community resource training events, festivals, and growth as an organization. Collaboration is key. Together WE are Stronger!

TriCircle is moving to full implementation. As we make the changes necessary to provide real long-term solutions, WE need you! How can you help? Let me count the ways! Interested in being part of the change we are making? Click here to connect with us! The need for the services WE now provide and the additional resources WE will provide in the future are so important. The number of loved ones who have died continues to increase; last year in CT there were 1378 overdoses, 93,913 in our country. WE have to work quickly to be part of the solution, to save lives and to be sure our loved ones lost are not gone in vain. Together WE are Stronger!
In August, Jay "Majors" Raposo partnered with TriCircle at the CT Barber Expo X at Mohegan Sun!
Thank you, Jay, for all you do and for naming us as a beneficiary, helping to raise awareness
and more than $3000 for our cause.

Congrats to TCI Scholarship Recipients!
After very careful consideration, TriCircle, Inc. has chosen two worthy recipients to receive a $2,500 scholarship each, Elijah Lombardi and Sharon Gosselin. Their names will also be announced at the Gala Brunch and at The Recovery Fall Festival,
and their essays will be honored and read aloud at this year's TriCircle, Inc. Annual Meeting. Click below to read their essays!
Elijah Lombardi
Sharon Gosselin

2021 Save the Dates

September is Recovery Month
October
 November
  • Tuesday, November 30 - Giving Tuesday
 December
  • Sunday, December 5, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm - Annual Holiday Meeting Location TBD  
  • Tuesday, December 14 - DMHAS Family Webinar Series, Part 5 of 5
SAVE THE DATE Sunday, Sept 12

Relax to the tunes, bring your family, friends, coworkers,
and lawn chairs or blankets! If you ride a motorcycle, join the Poker Run at 10 am. If you just love music, join us at noon for
Great Music, Great Friends, and Great Fun!

All proceeds benefit TriCircle, Inc. Click the image
below to get tickets! Click here to volunteer!
Philip’s Foundation Fundraiser

The “With a Rose” fundraiser — named for Philip Lyons’ love of the Grateful Dead song, includes food and a free T-shirt, food trucks, silent auction and live music. The donation is $25 and children under 12 attend for free.

The fundraiser will benefit TriCircle Inc., an organization based in Middlefield that helps recovering individuals and their families. Julie Lyons chose the group because of the benefit she’s reaped from one of its programs, a “Hope After Loss” support group.

“TriCircle has pulled me through the deepest despair,” she said. “I’m still not great and do not expect to ever be the same. But all the people who do participate understand one another and the deep grief.”

Ana Gopoian, executive director and founder of TriCircle Inc., who just celebrated 26 years clean, said she appreciates any fundraising to be put toward phase two of the organization’s three-phase plan, a mixed-use building for recovering individuals and businesses.

“The stigma, struggling, isolation, and guilt that drives this disease are just as detrimental as the disease itself,” she said.

This article was taken from the August 29 issue of The New Haven Register. 
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Reach for Nature as a Remedy
In my journey with addiction and metal illness, I learned that a walk outside, a bench in the park, or a toe in the ocean provides solace, takes me away from my phone, and reminds me that, although my world is standing still, nature evolves. I learned that being outside with a child during a troublesome time calms us both, allows us to communicate without face-to-face pressure and provides an opportunity to step outside the current situation and regroup. Mother nature connects mind, body and spirit. As our senses awaken, our bodies relax, our minds quiet and our spirits lift.

Do you need a break from your daily routine? Are you looking for a new ritual to elevate your spirit? Take a trip outside, breathe deeply, listen for new sounds, and smell the wonders of summer. Whether you are in the city, country, mountains, or sea, an adventure awaits.

An added benefit, many outside activities are free or low cost. As my daughter and I like to say, “Free is for me!”
by Elizabeth Kirby Fullerton, PhD
Recover Your Family
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CLINICAL SERVICES
Now Offering DBT

TriCircle, Inc. strives to offer Clinical Services that meet the individual needs of those who choose to take advantage of these opportunities to enhance their journey toward healing. We are accepting new clients. Our master’s level clinicians offer a range of evidence-based programs, giving clients and their families the opportunity to grow, change and maintain long-term recovery.

TCI’s Clinical Services offer:

Flexible morning or evening hours
Time for family
Ability to seek and maintain employment
Practice of new coping skills
Enjoyment of substance free activities
Benefit of personal health and wellness

DBT is now an integral part of our varied Clinical Services offerings!

What is DBT?

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that tries to identify and change negative thinking patterns and pushes for positive behavioral changes. DBT may be used to treat substance use disorders as well as suicidal and other self-destructive behaviors. 

Click here to learn more about our Clinical Services or call
(860) 349-7074 to set up an intake.
Engage in Self Care!

Hope & Support and Hope After Loss Group meetings in Somers are face to face at The Story Barn with a Zoom option. Both Hope & Support and Hope After Loss meetings in Middlefield have resumed face to face with a Zoom option. Enfield Hope and Support and Hope After Loss are Zoom only for now. Middletown welcomes Margaret O'Hagan Lynch as one of our newest Hope & Support facilitators. In addition to Zoom, starting in October, Putnam and Danielson will be home to two new Hope & Support and two new Hope After Loss meetings. Brigitte Boisvert Jurczyk joins our quiet corner team with lived experience and an eagerness to help others who are affected by the disease of addiction! All TriCircle support group meetings are co-facilitated by two paid professionals - one licensed and one paraprofessional with lived experience. We provide a safe and confidential space for parents, guardians and others who are concerned about a loved one’s substance use or addiction or who have lost a loved one to an accidental overdose, drug induced suicide or drug related murder. There is no judgment or blame, just support and understanding. Join us as we work together on this journey of healing.
Click here to learn more.

DO YOU SHOP ON AMAZON?
WANT TO HELP?
It is so easy! Do all your everyday shopping online! First, be sure to sign up on Amazon Smile and choose TriCircle, Inc. as your recipient organization. Then, every single time you make a purchase from the Smile.Amazon site, a percentage will be donated to us! It doesn’t cost you a thing!
PayPal Giving is another way to help. Click the link to find out how!
If you have 2 hours to spare,
YOU can make a difference by:
  • Stuffing envelopes for a mailer
  • Selling tickets for an event
  • Helping with promotion on Social Media
  • Serving on an Advisory Board
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
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Looking to get involved? Need resume worthy skills and experience? We can help each other!

We have volunteer opportunities on the following
TriCircle, Inc. Advisory Boards:

Communications & Public Relations
Meets on Zoom, Mondays at 8:30 am.
Positions needed: Social Media Ambassador,
Vice Chair, Graphic Designer
Commitment - 2-3 hours/week
Fundraising & Events
Meeting via Zoom or in person at 6 Way Road, Middlefield on Tuesday, September 14 at 6:30 pm.
Positions needed: Chair, Vice Chair, Event Sub Committee Volunteers, Graphic Designer
Commitment - 2-3 hours/week, plus our fun and exciting events
Clinical
Meets on Zoom 1st Thursday of each month
Positions needed: Secretary, Document Specialist
Commitment - 2-3 hours/week
Click here to learn more.

We are always looking for "ad hoc" volunteers to help with
our many events during the year. Please consider sharing your talents and donating your time!

For more information, please contact lenore@tricircleinc.com
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