Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center

We are proud to announce the launch of our Above & Beyond Quarterly Newsletter, dedicated to sharing our mission of compassionate, evidence-based recovery support. This newsletter highlights our initiatives and the transformative stories that your generous contributions help create. Thank you for being an essential part of the Above & Beyond Family Recovery Center. https://conta.cc/3D4YSrm

Every year since 1989, a cross-section of Foundation Staff select one or two Chicago-based nonprofits to receive a year-end grant. This year's recipients, Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center and CHI-CARE, serve Chicagoans experiencing substance abuse and addiction, hunger, and homelessness. Learn more about the organizations ?? https://lnkd.in/g9Bvv-qW

We are please to share that Tuessay December 3rd Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center received the 2024 MacArthur Foundation Annual Staff Award along with CHI-CARE. Every year since 1989, a cross-section of the MacArthur Foundation Staff participate in a voluntary committee to select one or two Chicago-based nonprofits to receive this year-end grant. It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized for our service in advancing individual’s goals in recovery and behavioral health while meeting people right where they are. Our CEO Phil Warren and several CRSS, Certified Recovery Support Specialists, Sharon Hitchcock, Walter Cage, Ron Fuller and Leonardo were present to receive our award. We also want to acknowledge all of our counselors, Doctor, Nurses, mental health professionals, toxicology, interns, volunteers and staff who tirelessly but joyfully are deserving of this acknowledgment. Thank you to the entire MacArthur staff and grantmakers for choosing us. We are forever grateful for your attention to the work that we do in fostering healthier communities for Chicagoans.

Our High Holidays are upon us, Hanukkah and Christmas fall on Dec 25th this 2024. And while you may be beguiling about your Secret Santa gifts, counting out your seven days of Kwanza gifts, take a moment to consider the folks who do not have a roof over their heads but maybe a tent, who are separated from their families and maybe at one time for good reason. But recovery and housing insecurity are real and as we know, the affluent often are granted the luxury of a second chance and are able to support their families in need. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center Coat Drive. I've attached photos of our ROW - Recovery on Wheels van Certified Recovery Support Specialist (in orange vest) CRSS leading the distribution of coats, gloves and boots to Chicagoans who live outside. Thank you to our many volunteers who braved the cold on Black Friday to give. Most of our clients live in shelters and those who were in tents have been displaced yet again. We provide housing placement and IL State ID's. In 2024 we have secured over 1,650 IL. State IDs for our clients. This enables them to apply for housing, medical benefits, and obtain employment. Every contribution means the world to our clients as we meet people where they are! At Above and Beyond, people often find unconditional acceptance for the first time in their lives. We practice "Harm Reduction." So individuals with serious emotional disturbances whose behaviors have left them banned from supportive housing and turned away from other institutions are welcomed at A&B. Your financial support will enable us to continue to meet people where they are while providing wrap-around services, to our clients at 2942 W Lake street and to our Above and Beyond Food Pantry clients at 817 South Pulaski. Know that you have helped people reclaim their purpose and meaning in life. This holiday season consider donating the following. This is what we need... More hygiene / winter kits for the clients: * Hand warmers * Toothpaste and toothbrushes * Soap * Socks * Men's and Women's underwear * Hats & gloves * Shower shoes (crocs, slides) Also, menstrual products, fentanyl test?strips,?and xylazine test strips. These items will be happily received at either of our above listed address. Be well, stay warm and enjoy the precious moments you intend to spend with your family and friends. I send you peace this holiday season and wish you a brilliantly bright and joyful new year 2025!

This is a true honor. Above and Beyond is grateful to Daily Planet for all of their talents, and showcasing Herman Russell for this prestigious award!

Former Above & Beyond Counselor Dan Crotty Selected as 2024-2025 Obama Scholar by University of Chicago’s Obama Foundation Scholars Program ? Dan?will be part of the seventh cohort of Obama Scholars, made up of 30 emerging leaders from around the world who will participate in an immersive program at either Columbia University in the City of New York or the University of Chicago for the 2024-2025 academic year.? ? Having previously worked at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center as a primary counselor, Dan will be joining us in their new capacity as Foundation Liaison, “I was deeply inspired by the dedication I saw in my colleagues. Never have I met such an incredibly empathetic, caring, devoted, and selfless group of people. I look forward to supporting Above and Beyond in its mission to provide barrier-free substance use treatment.”?"Dan is an amazing human being, and his commitment to the most invisible and vulnerable populations is deep and unwavering," said Phil Warren, President of Above and Beyond. Dan’s primary focus is on serving clients with stigmatized mental health issues and those who historically lack access to mental health treatment due to exclusionary policies or prohibitive costs. Dan aims to leverage the Scholars program to learn how to responsibly engage local communities and navigate existing systems to enhance access to free, low-cost, and accessible mental health care, particularly in underserved areas like the South and West Sides of Chicago. ? This year’s University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars Program brings together 18 Scholars from across the Booth School of Business, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. The Obama Scholars program is the Obama Foundation's only international cross-regional leadership program, uniquely designed to connect dynamic leaders across geography and issue areas. Launched in 2018, this innovative nine-month academic and leadership immersion experience is offered in partnership with the University of Chicago and Columbia University. The program empowers individuals with a proven commitment to service by equipping them with the tools, networks, and values-based leadership skills needed to tackle complex global challenges. Through a blend of academic coursework, experiential learning, and the Foundation's comprehensive leadership development curriculum, Scholars gain practical knowledge and mentorship that prepares them to drive impactful change in their communities and beyond. To date, 161 Obama Scholars from around the world have participated in the program. To learn more about the 2024-2025 cohort, please visit?https://lnkd.in/ePAY6nmz

?? Taking it to the streets ?? #substanceusetreatment #homelessness #free #harmreduction #behavioralhealth

Rewarding part-time opportunity for innovative supervisors who are interested in guiding new clinicians in their journey as behavioral harm reduction substance use counselors. Join us in making a difference in the lives of individuals seeking support for substance use concerns. #PartTimeOpportunity #Supervisors #BehavioralHealth #SubstanceUseCounselors