GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A brand-new occasion is combining a night of sober enjoyable with video games, chats and cats.
On Saturday, Feb. 25, Behind the Addiction and Second Chance Cats of West Michigan are collaborating for a sober social at the not-for-profit cat rescue, situated in suite B at 1120 Knapp St. NE in Grand Rapids.
The occasion is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. next Saturday, and individuals are motivated to RSVP at this link. With the occasion filling quick, organizers state individuals can still appear without an RSVP, however they may not have the ability to get in. Kids are welcome at the occasion.
“I really want people to get a sense of community and understanding and knowing there is a place they do belong and aren’t going to be judged for whatever choices they’ve made along their journey,” said Jordan King, creator of Behind the Addiction, a YouTube page and Facebook group sharing stories of dependency healing. “The cats, they’re going to get stuff out of this too.”
Organizers state the cat sober social will possibly end up being a month-to-month occasion, with the next one tentatively prepared for Saturday, March 25. From the sober to the sober curious, all are welcome at the occasion.
In addition to board and card video games, visitors will have the ability to fraternize the cats at the shelter, with a few of the more positive ones in the primary recreation room and those a bit more shy in a few of the adjacent spaces.
And while cat adoptions won’t be occurring throughout the occasion, visitors can complete an application for pre-approval that night if they discover a cat they like, said Laura Moody, executive director of Second Chance Cats.
Second Chance Cats opened in late 2021 with an objective to provide cats who may otherwise survive on the street or be euthanized a 2nd opportunity. The not-for-profit takes cats from local shelters who are at danger of euthanasia, in addition to deal with regional trap-neuter-return groups to take in friendly cats living on the streets.
“We’ve been more successful than I ever imagined,” Moody said. “I think we’ve had over 350 adoptions and we’ve grown quite a bit more than I expected in the past year-and-a-half.”
Related: New Grand Rapids cat rescue intends to provide felines a 2nd opportunity and a home
The shelter is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. People can learn more about adoptable cats and how to support the shelter at https://sccatswm.org/.
King’s group, too, is reasonably brand-new. He began Behind the Addiction in 2015, and the Facebook page rapidly swelled into almost 2,200 members from Michigan and beyond.
With a desire to host sober occasions and promote others in the location, he then established West Michigan Sober/Non-Alcoholic Events on Facebook at this link. For those wishing to publish sober occasions on the page, King asked that they connect to him for a quick discussion prior.
That group also rapidly got more than 900 members. King said whether it’s due to higher connection through social networks, individuals being more open about their battles or something else, the desire for occasions that don’t include alcohol or other compounds has actually been growing in West Michigan and beyond.
“The sober movement is just kind of blowing up,” King said. “We’re just seeing a lot of interest, especially in the younger crowd, people who are just sick of the status quo with alcohol and other substances.”
The group’s very first occasion was a Spiritless Soirée in October, and King said he has upcoming prepare for a sober karaoke night at Grand Rapids music place Skelletones in addition to walkings and river tubing.
With occasions like karaoke and tubing frequently related to drinking alcohol, King said the intent is to produce environments where individuals who remain in healing, fighting with dependency or just merely don’t wish to consume can feel comfy.
“I want people to go up and enjoy things that are normally associated with alcohol and be able to find themselves and express themselves,” King said. “One of the biggest things in recovery is that addicts lose a lot of friends. This shows them they’re not alone.”
The special mix of a sober gathering with cats happened when King was taking a Facebook survey on what type of occasion the group need to host next. Moody put out the concept of an occasion with cats, and it got a bargain of traction.
“It just kind of goes hand-in-hand,” Moody said. “We have a lot of people in recovery who are volunteers, and cats are therapeutic. I think it’s a great combination of events.”
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