Our Mission
Friends of Recovery - Rockland (FOR-R) is a 501C3 charitable organization comprised of residents of Rockland and surrounding communities who are in long-term recovery from addiction, family members in recovery and family members in recovery from loss.
We actively organize and mobilize the recovery community to speak effectively with one voice. FOR-R advances our vision by advocating for policies and practices that support a vision of recovery from addiction, ensuring that information about recovery is available to those seeking recovery, educating and inspiring the public about recovery and substance use disorder, and decreasing the stigma attached to addiction through our personal examples and stories.
FOR Rockland meets every 3rd Monday of the month.
We Are Friends of Recovery
"Together We Can"
Board of Directors
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Caren Schwartz, PresidentList Item 1
My husband, Russell, and I moved to Rockland County in 1982 shortly after we were married and we raised our two children, Leah and Reid, here. On June 8, 2015, our world forever changed when Reid passed away from his struggles with substance use disorder. I knew I needed to continue to advocate for this cause as I advocated for Reid so I attended my first Friends of Recovery Rockland meeting six weeks after his passing. I became very involved with this wonderful organization and in December of 2017 assumed the role of Coordinator; now that FOR- Rockland is a free-standing 501c3 non-profit organization, I am its President. I also help facilitate two grief support groups for those who have lost loved ones to substance use disorder. I am grateful to work closely with others who have the same passion regarding promoting recovery, as well as bringing awareness to others concerning substance use disorder while dispelling the stigma connected to substance use disorder.
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Walter Johnston, Vice-PresidentList Item 2
I am a lifelong resident of Rockland County have been in sustained recovery since 1988. I have been a member of Friends of Recovery Rockland (FOR R) from 2016 to the present. I have served as co-coordinator of FOR R and been a member of the Steering Committee since the time that our organizational structure has been in place. I have also served on the Vision Team of Foundations Recovery Community Center, the recovery community center of Rockland County and part of the Rockland Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Dependence (RCADD). Of the greatest importance to me is that I try to use my experience, strength and hope gathered in my recovery to be of service to the recovery community and the individuals that comprise it.
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Jane Murphy, SecretaryList Item 3
I have been a member of Friends of Recovery - Rockland for close to 7 years and am the Secretary of the Board of Directors. I am a family member in recovery after the loss of my nephew, Kyle Moynihan, in August of 2014. I am working with Friends of Recovery - Rockland to change the stereotype of a person with Substance Abuse Disorder. I am also active with our partners, Hope Not Handcuffs, and would like to have specialty training in all police departments in Rockland.
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Scott BarnettList Item 4
I have been a family member in recovery for 10 years; before joining FORR in 2018 I knew few people with whom I could openly and comfortably discuss what our family was going through. Everyone in FORR ‘gets it’, and I am grateful beyond words for the support I have received and the friendships I have made. We have ambitious plans for our newly independent 501C3 organization, and I hope you will join us in this important work.
Committee Chairs
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Patricia Crowley
I too am a lifelong Rockland resident, and have been in sustained recovery since April 9, 1991. I am the FORR Program Chair and the Policy Co-Chair and recently joined the staff of the Foundations Recovery Community Center as a Recovery Coach. I am grateful that I can use my lived experience to support those with Substance Use Disorder.
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Lori KatzmanList Item 4
My husband Marc and I have resided and raised our three children Amanda, Eric and Bryan in Bergen County, NJ just a few short miles south of Rockland County, NY since 1984. On December 20th, 2017, our world changed forever when we lost our son Eric to Substance Use Disorder. I have benefitted from attending support group meetings in both Bergen County and Rockland, including the GRASP group, the HEART group (a new support group for families dealing with loss from SUD that I helped create) and Friends of Recovery Rockland, which is where I made my strongest connections to other individuals like myself. In 2019, I became Fundraising Chairperson of FORR. It is important for me to honor Eric’s memory by helping other families live and cope with their grief and dispel the stigma associated with substance use disorder. I am honored to be an integral part of this organization, working with so many amazing people. It has helped me navigate my grief and though I will never fully recover from the loss of my son, I know he is proud of me for not giving up and finding ways to help myself and others heal. #20EMK22
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Christina MichieList Item 2
I have been a member of Friends of Recovery Rockland (FOR R) since 2017. I am the Marketing and Social Media Chair, Co-Chair of the Scholarship Committee, as well as a member of the Board of Directors. I am a family member in recovery and am devoted to helping FORR carry out its mission to eliminate the negative public perception about those with Substance Use Disorder by mobilizing individuals in recovery, family members in recovery, family members in recovery from loss, friends, and allies. I am honored to be a part of this organization.
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Margarita Santana
I live in Orange County and have been in the prevention field for well over fifteen years. I previously worked for the NYC and NYS Departments of Education and am now with the Rockland Council on Alcoholism & Other Drug Dependence (RCADD). I am very passionate about prevention and continue to develop my knowledge in the field through becoming a Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee (CASAC-T), always looking for training and development opportunities, participating in community-based coalitions, and attending community events such as Town Hall meetings. My work with FORR allows me to give back and assist any way possible.
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Vera VurstaList Item 1
I am a lifelong resident of Rockland County, and a Family Member in Recovery since 2015. I serve as Recruitment Chair for FOR-R, and am a member of its Board of Directors. I have personal experience with the Family Drug Treatment and Family Courts (I am raising two grandsons as a direct result of the opioid epidemic), dually diagnosed Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health concerns, and am a proud member of Relatives as Parent Partners (R.A.P.P) since 2016. I endeavor to act as a voice, particularly for children, in offering hope and in promoting strong, healthy, and wholesome family interactions. Believing in second chances, and in the power of families healing together, it gives me great solace and joy to observe family members, along with loved ones in treatment or recovery, launch onto their own personal and inspirational recovery journeys.
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John Noble
I have been a member of FOR for 7 yeaars. I have been in recovery for 35 years. I am retired and had worked as a counselor at Blaisdell Addiction Treatment Center for 11 years. I have seen how destructive substance use disorder can be to the person living with it and how it effects those around them. I would like to do my part to educate people that recovery does work! I am excited to be a co-chair of the FOR Scholarship Committee.