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Solace of the Valley plans to expand opportunities for individuals recovering from addiction
YOUNGSTOWN
Since it formed earlier this year, Solace of the Valley – an organization dedicated to dealing with issues related to addiction – has been able to help several people get treatment for their substance-abuse disorder.
Starting in 2016, the organization plans to branch out to help individuals move beyond treatment and into productive careers. In partnership with Raphael’s School of Beauty Culture Inc. and the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, Solace hopes to provide funding to a few people in recovery who wish to further their educations.
“We started out of the gate and utilized the scholarships we had on the front end, with detox and treatment,” said Eric Ungaro, Solace of the Valley president. Now what they are trying to do is “bridge the gaps and continue to support them throughout their lives, and give a couple of people the chance to stay alive and succeed.”
Many people recovering from drug addiction don’t have the funds needed to further their education, Ungaro said. “It’s a lot of money to the average person, let alone to the person who’s trying to keep their head above water,” he said.
The details have yet to be worked out, but the program likely will send a few people to training centers each year, with some funds raised by Solace and some scholarships provided by the centers.
“Because the Youngstown community has been good to us and our business for so many years, we feel it’s time to give back to the community. Our motto is, ‘We change lives,’” said Ralph Deserone, owner of Raphael’s. “If we can help change several more lives each year, that’s part of our mission statement.”
Raphael’s likely will provide a handful of partial scholarships each year for its roughly $20,000 program, in which participants become state-licensed cosmetologists who can provide hair, skin and nail services after completing the 1,800-hour program. Solace would provide the other half of the funding.
Solace also has reached out to MCCTC to see what opportunities it can offer with its adult-education programs.
“We’re honored that they came to us to help reach out ... and provide this service to the community,” said county Superintendent Ron Iarussi.
“We’re going to sit down and explore options and all available resources that we might be able to come across to help some of these folks out that have a connection to Solace of the Valley,” he said. “Both organizations have agreed that there’s a need to work together.”
The county career and technical center offers a variety of adult-education programs, with courses that range from industrial technology to culinary and restaurant management.
“Our interests are to provide people with an opportunity to learn a skill that makes them marketable. And we want folks to stay in the area,” Iarussi said.
In addition to new career scholarships, Solace plans to increase the number of treatment scholarships it offers. The organization will give away six treatment scholarships next year, Ungaro said.
“You obviously aren’t going to save the world, but if you can help one or two people a year and give them the boxer’s chance to survive, it’s worth it,” he said. “The biggest way to eliminate the stigma associated with people struggling with addiction is to have some success stories, and to have those people become productive citizens, paying taxes and working.”
Updates and application information will be posted on solaceofthevalley.org.