Back on Track Recovery is hosting a gala in the garden to raise funds for its programs for women in recovery.
The August 26 fundraiser will be on the grounds of the potential future women’s recovery home- The Castle (6464 144 Street).
The evening event will feature a silent auction, live entertainment, and “garden-inspired cuisine.”
“Every dollar raised during this event will directly benefit women in need, ensuring they have access to crucial treatment services that can transform their lives,” reads the Eventbrite.
Tickets for the gala can be purchased on EventBrite at bit.ly/BOTGala2023. Donations can also be made at www.backontrackcanada.com.
Cole Izsak, founder of Back on Track Recovery, is especially passionate about this work because he has been there. For 24 years, he struggled with addictions. Until about 12 years ago, he was sentenced to a recovery house in Surrey. “And I haven’t looked back since,” he added.
Izsak has been running men’s recovery homes in Surrey for over a decade. Izsak estimates thousands of men have benefited from the services of his Back on Track facility, which includes the four-house ‘Fortress’ at 9889 140 St.
The opening of The Castle is on hold until the property is rezoned and they receive a business licence.
The Castle, if approved by the City, will be Izsak’s second women-only residential recovery facility. His first women’s recovery centre, Robin’s Nest, opened in Sept. 2021 in Cloverdale’s Campbell Heights.
Izsak told the Now-Leader that the Castle would be broken up into different sections depending on the person’s recovery. The main house will be the first stage, where the women go through a treatment program.
After graduating, they will move into one of the adjacent units where they are accountable to a house manager and are required to do drug testing. The women are allowed to live there for around two years, said Izsak.
Izsak believes this second step is the missing piece to the treatment process.
“In today’s world, we send people to get clean and sober, who have been in their addiction in some cases for decades, and we expect them to heal in a matter of 90 days or maybe six months,” Izsak said.
It takes longer than this to heal, Izsak said. The missing piece he believes in is safe state housing. After leaving a treatment centre, the person would move into a place where they are accountable.
-With files from Mailn Jordan
anna.burns@surreynowleader.com
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