From left, Oak House Executive Director Kristen Gerwin, Oak House Administrative Assistant April Fenton and Oak House Program Coordinator Rachel Aslanides stand next to one of the Trees of Recovery that will soon be covered in messages of hope. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

A message about the power of recovery hangs on a Tree of Recovery at the Oak House. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

The Oak House in Port Clinton invites the public to step inside its doors to participate in the “Trees of Recovery” community project. While they are there, visitors can learn about the many services offered by the Oak House and about its vital impact in the community.

The Oak House is a nonprofit organization which offers support for adults living with or recovering from mental health issues and/or substance abuse.

The “Trees of Recovery” project features a trio of lighted trees that highlight the power of recovery. Visitors are welcome to write messages on tags and then hang the tags on the trees. One tree is dedicated to words of recovery. A remembrance tree is for the names of people who have been lost to accidental overdose. The third tree features the names of people in recovery and their sobriety dates.

The Oak House hopes the project will help visitors understand that recovery is deeply integrated in the community. Recognizing the power of recovery can help break down the stigma that surrounds it.

“It might open people’s eyes. Everybody knows somebody in recovery,” said Oak House Administrative Assistant April Fenton.

The project is also designed to let people who struggle with addiction or mental health issues know that there are people in the community who understand and want to help.

“It’s to show you’re not alone. Living with mental health or substance abuse issues can make you feel isolated,” said Oak House Executive Director Kristen Gerwin. “Isolation makes you give up and lose hope. You think this is all there is. You think that no one else is living like this. Our hope with this project is to bring people into our space so they can see there are a lot of people like them.”

Recognizing the wide scope of mental health and addiction issues brings perspective to the problem.

“When people decide to live in the truth, they’ll see they’re not alone,” Gerwin said.

The Trees of Recovery project was funded by a Statewide Advocacy Network (SWAN) grant and suggested by Mary Supina, a cofounder of Sandusky Artisans Recovery Community Center in Sandusky, which offers a myriad of support services. Supina provided the trees and the supplies for the project using SWAN funds.

“We’ve always used art as a vehicle of expression, and we wanted to do something different,” Supina said. “We wanted to advocate for mental wellness and recovery and invite the community into the Oak House.”

Supina said it is important to bring attention to organizations like Oak House.

“The more people know, and the more interaction they have, they less likely they are to make judgements,” she said.

The public is invited to stop by the Oak House anytime it is open.

“We want to bring people in. Even if you’re not in recovery, you know someone who is,” Gerwin said. “We want people to see the cool things we’re doing here.”

The Oak House is located at 62 Grande Lake Dr. in Port Clinton. For more information, call 419-734-4417 or visit www.oakhouseottawacounty.weebly.com.