(From left to right) Rev. Richard Lee, ECS Board Member; Lizet Nunez, Administrative Assistant; Angel Ibarra, Assoc. Director of Strategic Partnerships & Gov. Affairs; Sherri Kelly, Exec. Admin. & Chief of Staff; Tim Whipple, Development Director; and Maria Simpson, Media & Journalism Intern at the ECS Recovery Village booth. July 2023.

SAN DIEGO — Over the July 15-16 weekend, San Diego hosted its annual Pride Festival, a celebration filled with parades, parties, and a rainbow of fun activities. One unique festival element was the ‘Recovery Village,’ a sober space with resources for those on their recovery journey. ECS was excited to participate in the Recovery Village for the second consecutive year.

During the event, ECS had the opportunity to speak with Richard Correale, the Recovery Village coordinator. According to Correale, Pride represents a time of celebration for many, but for those in recovery, it could pose life-threatening risks of relapse. Hence, the importance of Recovery Village at the Pride Festival.

Correale recounted the genesis of Recovery Village, revealing its original vision: an area where individuals pursuing sobriety could connect, find resources, and celebrate with like-minded people. Since its inception, the project has seen remarkable growth. In 2023, Recovery Village boasted 14 community partners, offered four daily meetings (two of which were ASL interpreted), and three enlightening workshops on topics like basic ASL and harm reduction.

*Two Pride attendees sign off their game cards after playing Tip the Troll at the ECS booth. July 2023.*

Correale could hardly contain his excitement as he shared the project’s impact, observing that the area was busy with attendees who were having a great time. “This area right now...is packed,” Correale pointed out, grinning at the apparent effectiveness of the village. “People are smiling; people are having fun; [and] there are lines at each booth.”

Correale’s passion for Recovery Village is evident. His eyes lit up when he shared the impact he’d seen through the project. “That feeling of usefulness and fulfilling the vision and seeing the value...that just really opens my heart,” he said.

ECS volunteers echoed Correale’s enthusiasm. Their day at Pride began with a parade and a barbeque at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, followed by distributing resources and playing carnival games at the booth. Tim Whipple, the Development Director, stressed the importance of ECS’ presence at Pride and the need to embrace diversity and inclusivity. “We came together — parishioners, the organizations with the Episcopal Diocese — partnering together to really show up for our LGBTQIA+ community to show that love is love and that everybody is welcome. I think it’s important (especially for ECS) to represent because we serve a variety of people of diverse backgrounds. We welcome everybody, we’re very inclusive, and that’s something that makes me very proud to be a part of this organization,” he stated.

Sherri Kelly, Executive Administrator & Chief of Staff spoke on why ECS’ presence in Recovery Village is crucial. “Many of the persons that would come to ECS, ...might be here.”

“Just showing up and showing people we’re here for you; we’re here to walk with you; we’re not going to show any judgment; we’re here for you in this process,” added Whipple.

The overall feeling was that integrating recovery with Pride celebrations is beneficial. Kelly summed it up nicely, “Pride is a celebration of each person’s uniqueness. When someone’s going through a recovery process, it doesn’t feel like a celebration, but it is because it’s progress towards a better life, breaking through those barriers, and succeeding.” And, in essence, that is what Pride is all about.