Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties (FORDO) have established a Turning Point center in the City of Norwich, located at 24 East Main Street. A grand opening will be held on Monday, May 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon. (Photo by Sarah Genter)

NORWICH — The Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties (FORDO) have been working over the last few months to establish a Turning Point center in the city of Norwich. From 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 23, FORDO will be holding a grand opening and open house event, and a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon, at the Norwich Turning Point center, located at 24 East Main Street in Norwich.

"If you want to stop by and check it out then we would encourage that," said FORDO Program Coordinator Deborah Roberts. "We’ll have some things set up outside too so that might even draw some community members in. The more the merrier. We should have plenty of refreshments and things like that, we’re going to have some music playing, cornhole out front, and a tent where people can take pictures. So it should be a pretty fun event."

FORDO is a nonprofit organization that supports addiction recovery through support, advocacy, and education. The Norwich Turning Point facility will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"There will always be someone in the building that can have a conversation with you, help you learn more about what else is going on in the community, what other resources are out there, and then obviously recovery coaching as well, and those are like those one on one sessions where people can come in and talk openly about their recovery," said Roberts. "We don’t report usage or anything like that, so it’s really a place that people can be vulnerable."

She explained that while FORDO helps individuals recover from addiction to illegal substances, they also provide support and services for those struggling with alcohol and marijuana addiction.

"We do a lot of recovery around alcohol. You know, AA was our first meeting that started. So that was kind of actually our foundation really," said Roberts. "Since marijuana is being legalized now, people are struggling with alcohol, with marijuana. We don’t just work with people who are struggling with meth or heroin, we obviously work with those legal substances as well."

For those looking to utilize their services, Roberts said their door is always open for those who want to stop by, or individuals can call ahead to learn more and set up an appointment.

"They can call if they want to set up something ahead of time. Sometimes it’s just the process of stepping foot in a building is really intimidating, so if they want to call first and find out more about how the process works then they can do that. If they want to stop in they can do that as well," she said. "It’s really just a large room with a few offices, so it’s not scary or anything like that. We’re going to have a TV and everything, and we’ll have coffee, we usually have snacks. So it's really just a place where people can come and get what they need and not feel intimidated or pressured or anything like that."

In the future, Roberts said they also hope to implement recovery-based community meetings such as AA.

"We are looking to obviously have some meetings as well, and those will come in time as we get a little more established," said Roberts. "I know my boss is really hoping we can get an AA meeting started on Thursdays. So when we get the official word about that we’ll start making fliers and postings and things like that."

The center will also be offering Narcan trainings, and Roberts said anyone looking to learn how to use it are welcome to reach out to the Turning Point facility. At Monday's grand opening event, a tent offering Narcan trainings and distributing Narcan will be set up as well.

FORDO currently has two other Turning Point centers, located at 22 Elm Street in Oneonta and 84 Main Street in Delhi. Roberts said she hopes the centers have helped to end the stigma around addiction, and made communities feel safe.

"I feel that they’ve had a major impact in the community. I would like to think that the community members feel safer knowing that we're doing the best we can to help people in their struggle, in both communities," she explained. "So I think we’ve just impacted the community by hopefully making it feel like a safer place, and then also reducing some of that stigma, and being there to advocate for people."

For the Norwich Turning Point center, she hopes it will serve as a welcoming environment where individuals can get the help they need, without feeling judged or intimidated.

"My hope really is that people will just kind of stop in at their own leisure and they really see what it’s all about, and they leave there feeling better than they arrived," said Roberts. "If they’re struggling or have questions, they can come to a place where they don’t have to feel judged or scared to ask anything. We have pretty much heard it all."

More information about FORDO can be found on the Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties, Inc. Facebook page, and on their website, recoverydo.org.