The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery

02/18/2026

We asked: “What words would you use to describe how you felt leaving Recovery Day 2026?”

One word rose up again and again:

PROUD.

Proud of lived experience.
Proud of community.
Proud of progress.
Proud of the courage it takes to keep showing up.

Recovery Day 2026 wasn’t just an event. It is a reminder that when we come together across systems, sectors, and stories, something powerful happens. We leave a little more connected. A little more hopeful. A little more certain that change is possible.

To everyone who joined us, shared space, spoke truth, listened deeply, and built alongside us — THANK YOU! Your presence matters. Your voice matters. Your journey matters.

As we continue building a systems of care landscape rooted in compassion, collaboration, and lived experience, we carry this word with us (and we hope so do you).

Proud. 🧡

02/17/2026

When you left Recovery Day 2026, how did you feel?

Here are some of the words you shared:

✨ Hopeful
✨ Thankful
✨ Inspired
✨ Refreshed
✨ Celebrated
✨ Energized
✨ Knowledgeable
✨ Heart-filled

Reading these reminds us why we gather.

Recovery Day is for everyone - people with lived experience, families, providers, advocates, policymakers, community leaders - all of us working toward a stronger, more connected recovery ecosystem.

If you joined us - either in the room, or virtually - we’d love your feedback as we look ahead to what’s next.

📝 Take a few minutes to share your thoughts: https://forms.gle/BBbMTkLzpHN1waEH9

Thank you for showing up. Thank you for your voice. Thank you for being part of this movement.

02/09/2026

Honoring Katy Leffel!

Trailblazers don’t just improve systems, they connect what was never meant to be siloed.

This year, we are proud to honor Katy Leffel with the Dr. Mark Depman Trailblazer Award at Recovery Day 2026 recognizing her groundbreaking work at the intersection of maternal health, substance use care, and child- and family-serving systems.

Named for Dr. Mark Depman, a visionary leader known for pushing boundaries and centering compassion, this award recognizes individuals who challenge status quo thinking in service of better outcomes. Katy’s work exemplifies that spirit. Building bridges between clinical care, community supports, and child welfare systems so families can receive care that is coordinated, humane, and responsive.

Her leadership has helped reduce stigma, improve access, and ensure that parents are met with support rather than punishment, especially during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

Katy reminds us that systems work best when they are designed around people, not processes, and we’re honored to celebrate her impact.

🔗 Learn more: vamhar.org/rd2026

02/08/2026

Honoring Isaac Dayno

Recovery doesn’t begin or end at the doors of treatment, and it cannot succeed without the legal and carceral systems at the table.
At Recovery Day 2026, we are honored to present the Peter Mallary Legislative Champion Award to Isaac Dayno, recognizing leadership that has fundamentally strengthened how Vermont supports recovery for justice-involved individuals.

As Vermont’s public policy lead for the Vermont Department of Corrections, Isaac has worked to align correctional systems with community standards of care; ensuring that recovery is not interrupted by incarceration or reentry. His leadership has helped embed peer recovery coaching across Vermont’s prisons and probation and parole offices.

Isaac has also championed:
✨ System-wide access to medication for opioid use disorder, including Suboxone.
✨ A groundbreaking federal waiver expanding Medicaid coverage during incarceration, ensuring people leave custody with active insurance and continuity of care.
✨ Partnerships that opened free college education for incarcerated Vermonters and correctional officers, strengthening long-term recovery and opportunity.

This award recognizes policymakers who lead with courage, collaboration, and humanity. Isaac’s work reminds us that recovery-oriented systems must include — not exclude — people impacted by the legal system, and that true systems change happens when care, dignity, and access follow people wherever they are.

🔗 Learn more: vamhar.org/rd2026

02/06/2026

Recovery doesn’t stop at the clinic door. It shows up in our workplaces, schedules, policies, and cultures.

This year, we are proud to recognize Sara Byers with the Tammy Bushell Recovery Friendly Workplace Award at Recovery Day 2026.

This award honors leaders who understand that employment can be a powerful stabilizing force, when workplaces are designed with humanity at the center. Sara’s work exemplifies what it looks like to build environments where people are trusted, supported, and able to bring their full selves to work, including their recovery journeys.

By championing flexibility, compassion, and authenticity, Sara has helped redefine what “professionalism” can look like. Not as perfection, but as care, accountability, and belonging. Her leadership reminds us that recovery-friendly workplaces are not a “nice extra,” but a necessary part of a healthy, resilient workforce.

We’re honored to celebrate Sara’s commitment to people, dignity, and culture change, and the ripple effects that kind of leadership creates.

🔗 Learn more: vamhar.org/rd2026

02/05/2026

Lifetime Achievement Awards at this year's Recovery Day

🎉 Join us in celebrating Dr. Kimberly Blake for her lifelong commitment to harm reduction, low-threshold treatment access, and compassionate care informed by lived experience.

🌟 With decades of service expanding substance use disorder care and person-centered systems, Dr. Nels Kloster is a powerful force for healing and community care.

Let’s honor these two incredible human's leadership! See you NEXT WEEK!

02/04/2026

🎤 Featured Voices & Speakers at Recovery Day 2026

✨ We’re honored to welcome Senator Bernie Sanders! His voice for dignity, equity, and expanded access to care strengthens our shared mission. Join us in celebrating his commitment to people in recovery.

✨ A champion for Vermont and recovery-forward policies; Senator Peter Welch will share remarks at Recovery Day! We’re grateful for his leadership in advancing compassionate systems of care.

✨ We’re thrilled that Congresswoman Becca Balint will speak at Recovery Day 2026! Her advocacy for health, community, and accessibility makes space for every voice.

✨ Dr. Rick Hildebrant brings insight from the Vermont Department of Health as part of our State Leadership reflections - a vital perspective on public health and recovery support.

✨ Representing Governor Phil Scott’s office, Monica Caserta Hutt will reflect on state-level prevention, partnership, and progress in recovery-oriented care.

✨ As Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, Rodgers brings leadership and community focus to our dialogue on recovery systems.

✨ Mike Pieciak, Vermont State Treasurer, will share reflections at Recovery Day - a reminder that recovery is essential to healthy families and communities.

We are deeply grateful to each and everyone of these crucial voices. Join us in uplifting and celebrating the continuum of care across Vermont on February 11th.

More info:

RECOVERY DAY 2026Recovery Day is a celebration, a convening, and a call to action.Each year we gather to honor the many pathways to recovery from substance use, mental health challenges, and co-occurring conditions — and to affirm a shared belief: recovery is real, recovery is possible, and recove...

02/03/2026

We had the honor of joining 802 Scoop on their podcast this morning, and we’re so grateful for the space to talk about recovery, community, and what it really means to center people and connect systems.

Huge thanks to the 802 Scoop team for lifting up these conversations and using your platform to amplify voices that matter. 💛
Give it a listen and share the love!

Vermont Foundation of Recovery

02/02/2026

ASL interpretation will be provided throughout Recovery Day 2026.
We are deeply committed to creating a welcoming and accessible experience for all participants. Everyone belongs at Recovery Day, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support access and inclusion.

Join us Feb 11th! More info: vamhar.org/rd2026

02/01/2026

What a day, what a team, what amazing people showing up for Mental Health Advocacy!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Mental Health Advocacy Day 2026! We’re grateful to our co-hosts, Vermont Care Partners and The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery, as well as our co-sponsors, and to everyone who braved the cold weather to show their support – you are the ones who made this event a huge success!

This year marked the most-attended Mental Health Advocacy Day, with over 300 registered attendees in person and via livestream! It was inspiring to see so many passionate individuals coming together in support of change toward more humane mental health care that prioritizes accessibility and dignity. Often, decisions that impact the lives of individuals experiencing mental health conditions are made without considering their perspectives. Mental Health Advocacy Day amplifies the voices of those most affected.

Highlights of the day included:

- Hearing powerful stories of recovery and hope.
- Keynote speeches from Rep. Daisy Berbeco and State Treasurer Mike Pieciak on reclaiming mental health in Vermont.
- Recognizing the outstanding achievements of individuals in the mental health community.
- Lunch and policy table talks with legislators.
- Resolution by the House Chamber recognizing January 29 as Mental Health Advocacy Day.
- Testimonies throughout the day.

We would like to give a special shout-out to Laurie Emerson, who will be retiring from the Executive Director position at NAMI Vermont at the end of June 2026. Laurie received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedicated years of service at NAMI Vermont. Since 2012, she has worked tirelessly to make sure the community we serve receives excellent support and services. Laurie’s compassion and empathy shine through her work, and these qualities have allowed her to build strong partnerships and unite advocates throughout the state. We wish her all the best on her next journey!

If you attended the event, we want to hear from you! Please complete the evaluation form: www.namivt.org/advocacy-day-evaluation.

Missed the event? Don’t worry! Watch the recording of the morning session here: www.orcamedia.net/show/2026-mental-health-advocacy-day-live.

01/30/2026

We came to the Statehouse to advocate…
…and also to prove that mental health advocates bring the best energy 😆📸

Advocacy day agenda:
✅ show up
✅ speak truth
✅ build momentum
✅ take one “we did it!!” photo that captures the exact energy 😄📸

Huge gratitude to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and stood with us. We’re proud to have co-hosted this day with our partners NAMI Vermont and Vermont Care Partners. Working together for a Vermont where mental health care is accessible, human, and rooted in dignity.

🎥 Watch the recorded livestream here:
https://www.orcamedia.net/show/2026-mental-health-advocacy-day-live

01/29/2026

At Recovery Day 2026, we center people - not as case studies or statistics, but as whole human beings.

Kimber King brings clarity, courage, and deep integrity to conversations about lived experience, parenting, and how systems respond when people are navigating vulnerability. Her voice challenges us to examine the real stakes people face when deciding whether it’s safe to ask for help.

Kimber speaks not because it’s easy, but because it matters. Stories like hers help us see where trust is built, where it’s broken, and what it takes to repair it.

Her message is a powerful reminder that compassion, and humanity are not abstract ideals - they are essential conditions for safety and healing.

Join us 2/11/26 to hear Kimber and others share about what it means to Center People & Connect Systems.

Register and learn more: vamhar.org/RD2026

Recovery Partners of Vermont