Author Susan Cheever to speak at Recovery Clinic’s celebration

Tickets are still available for the clinic’s fund-raising event.

BOARDMAN — Susan Cheever, the award-winning author of 12 books, including a biography on Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson, will share her personal story at the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic’s 2008 “Hope Has a Home” Celebration beginning at 6 p.m., Tuesday at Antone’s Banquet Centre, 8578 Market St.

As the featured speaker for the event, Cheever, daughter of renowned American novelist John Cheever, will present a portrait of her life as an alcoholic and her journey to recovery. Her presentation will include excerpts from her latest book, “Note Found in a Bottle: My Life as a Drinker,” a memoir about her own drinking and recovery.

“Our organization has a strong appreciation for Cheever’s stories, especially with the history of NKRC being tied to Dr. Bob Smith, who with Bill Wilson, is the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous,” said Jerry Carter, clinic executive director. Dr. Bob Smith was the AA sponsor for Neil Kennedy, the clinic’s first executive director. “Ms. Cheever’s courageous personal story of recovery is sure to be inspiring to all who attend the celebration,” added Carter.

The Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, will offer the invocation. Another highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the “Hope Has a Home” award to Ebony Lifeline Support Group, a Youngstown-based organization that began as a grass-roots movement in 1984 to provide an alternative to minority people who experienced difficulty in using already established self-help recovery groups.

For information on sponsorship and advertising opportunities or to make a reservation for the NKRC Celebration, call (330) 744-1181, ext. 7001 or visit www.nkrc.org.

A subsidiary of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, the Neil Kennedy clinic is the country’s first freestanding alcohol and other drugs treatment facility, founded in 1946 in Youngstown. In recent years, the clinic opened outpatient programs in Austintown, Howland and Dublin to make treatment more convenient and accessible for those in need.

The public is invited to the Hope Has a Home Celebration. Tickets are $75 per person (which includes dinner and the program) and can be purchased up until the end of the day Monday. The numbers to call are (330) 744-1181, ext. 7001, or (412) 766-8700, ext. 1234.