3 Stories of Community Connection to Celebrate the Holidays

As we approach the end of 2022, we are honored to center the voices of Murray, Arieana, and Faiz, three community members who have found healing, acceptance, growth, and inspiration at The Center. Each of them has unique experiences with our community—whether as participants in our substance use recovery programming, career services for LGBTQ+ young adults, or our annual AIDS bike ride Cycle for the Cause—but they all discovered that The Center changed their lives for the better.

Murray Hill on Dignity and Respect in the Recovery Community

I’ve been in showbiz for over 35 years, but it hasn’t been all stardust for me. My offstage life has been challenging. I have struggled with depression, PTSD, and—when I was old enough to start—alcoholism. During years of addiction, while I kept up appearances in public, my private life got darker and darker. I ended up in a rehab facility, but for somebody like me, it was a nightmare. I was immediately discriminated against for being queer and being trans. I desperately needed to find an outpatient program that would work for me, but there were obstacles at every single turn. Then, I heard two words that changed the course of my life: “The Center.”

Photo: James Patrick Miller

Areiana Shares her Experience of Growth and Leadership

At The Center, I feel safe enough to unapologetically be all aspects of me. I can show up as my younger self and heal my inner child, and can also be more mature and flourish into a young adult. Growing up, I was bullied for being flamboyant and living in my queerness. As I’ve gotten to know myself more over time, and through the leadership opportunities at The Center, I’ve learned to not care about how people take me. It is very refreshing and feels good to let that guard down.

Faiz Discovers What He is Capable Of

It is remarkable what you’re able to do when you have the support you need. When I joined Cycle for the Cause, The Center’s 275 mile Northeast AIDS Ride, I genuinely did not think I would be able to do it—and by the end, I rode every single mile! That was only possible because of The Center’s support from start to finish. I can’t stop thinking about it. And I wonder to myself: “What else have I assumed I could not do? Maybe I just didn’t have the support I needed to try.” The Center has rearranged my thoughts on what I’m capable of with the right support.

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