Greater Houston Rally For Recovery 2025 

Strength in Connection, Power in Collaboration

On September 27, the Greater Houston Rally for Recovery brought together a wide cross-section of the Houston recovery community at the Mabee WholeLife Service Center. Organizations specializing in clinical and nonclinical substance-use services, recovery housing, and faith-based treatment programs gathered to share resources, strengthen partnerships, and advocate for recovery. The day featured inspiring speakers, helpful community resources, and a lively vendor market, one of the largest and best-attended gatherings this year.

Houston Peer Success connected with leaders, including Demetra Sims (Strategic Recovery Solutions) and Brittany Brown (The Council on Recovery), deepening relationships and opening doors for collaboration. Many attendees recognized Form Communities and its initiatives as well, an encouraging marker of community trust. The energy in the room pointed to real momentum and a more connected recovery ecosystem for Houston. Connections formed here make it easier for people to find the right help at the right time. As these partnerships grow, care becomes more coordinated and accessible.

Join us to celebrate Global Peer Support Day with Connection Center RGV.🎉 Enjoy mindfulness mini-sessions, quick self-care stations, and hands-on activities that ease stress and lift spirits. Meet peers, families, and providers, and discover local resources that make day-to-day recovery easier. Expect friendly conversation, door prizes, and practical tools you can take home.

This event is free. Join for a quick visit or stay a little longer; your presence matters. Whether you’re new to peer support or a longtime advocate, you’ll find something meaningful here. Leave feeling seen, supported, and a little lighter. Let’s celebrate the power of peer connection together.🌿

🌱 Fueling Your Mind: Discover, Learn, Grow in the Growth Corner

📖Book of the Month

Recommended by

Celia Franco

Program Specialist

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

Where Science Meets Story,

Healing Begins

This month, we’re featuring Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker. The book follows the Galvin family, whose twelve children, six of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia, became a pivotal case study for psychiatric research. Kolker weaves together their personal struggles with the evolving science of mental health, creating a narrative that is both deeply human and profoundly informative.

It reveals the resilience of family bonds, the complexity of living with mental illness, and the ways science has sought to understand the mind. Readers gain both empathy and insight while witnessing how one family’s experience helped change the conversation about mental health. It is a story that lingers long after the last page, reminding us that behind every statistic lies courage, love, and the hope for understanding.

"I recommend Hidden Valley Road because it powerfully shows how schizophrenia affects a family. It also shows how far mental health research has come, and how compassion and science can work together to bring hope." - Celia Franco

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

-  Jon Kabat-Zinn

This month’s quote invites a shift from control to skill. We can’t stop life’s waves, but we can learn to surf. Rather than bracing against stress or uncertainty, we practice meeting them with small, reliable tools. Name what you feel, take a few slow breaths, anchor in your senses, and choose one doable next step, including asking for help when the water’s rough. Progress isn’t about never falling; it’s noticing sooner, recovering more kindly, and returning to balance. Breathe, ground, and ride the wave.

If asking for help felt safe and simple, what would you ask for today and from whom?

Take a moment to pause and think about this question. 

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