Community Spotlight: Sober Squad Helps People Rise To Recovery

Hundreds of people of different ages, lifestyles, and backgrounds gathered at Lum Park on Sunday with a shared purpose: to let people know they are not alone in their recovery.

“Everyone getting together and letting everyone know that you’re not alone in recovery and that we are here for you,” said Amber Casper, Sobriety Walk volunteer.

“We’re going to let the community know that we’re all here for them, get involved, get the family and friends, everybody involved in it,” added volunteer Nick Hines.

The Sobriety Walk was completely free and open to whoever wished to show their support.

“Today we’re just, we’re trying to get out in the community and let people know that we’re here and we’re not going anywhere. There’s tons of programs out there for recovery,” said Sober Squad member Nicholas Awalt. “But with Sober Squad, you don’t have to be anonymous no more.”

The walk was over three miles long and took participants through areas in the community that they felt were the most hard hit by drug and alcohol abuse. The walk was put together by the Sober Squad, a group that was founded in 2017 on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation.

“Basically, there was all these different recovery communities all over the state but nobody was working together, and so we coordinated a lot of different things working together with all these different people and coming together as one unit, all of us that are in recovery,” explained Sober Squad founder Colin Cash.

The Sober Squad puts a variety of sober events such as volleyball tournaments, group dinners, and more.

“Just helping build that healthy community for people in recovery to hangout with and to join in,” added Cash.

Everyone that walked had a different reason for being there, but they all shared the same passion and hope for their cause.

“We’re all coming together and doing it together. It’s a family thing,” added Hines. “Just to let people know that they are not alone and that we’re all here as a family,” said Casper.

Even though Sober Squad has only been around for a couple of years, they are already growing and spreading the message of recovery across the state.

“It’s given me a whole other purpose in life. Giving back to the community, showing them that just because I did live a life in addiction, I’m not a bad person,” explained Awalt. “The biggest thing is just showing the fellow addict who’s still stuck that there is hope.”