The Freedom Awards are a long-standing tradition of celebrating recovery and honoring individuals who have made a profound difference in our community and are leading exemplary lives in recovery.
Since the Freedom Award’s inception in 2000, when we honored the award’s namesake, Samuel C. Wheeler, this prestigious award ceremony features recipients and their efforts to stamp out the stigma of addiction.
Some of our recent recipients include decorated litigator Harry Wilson and director of the Office of Youth Violence Prevention Antoinette Edwards.
It’s an event that draws local organizations and elected officials to join the celebration and rally additional support for the cause; officials like Governor Kate Brown, former Commissioner Sharon Meieran, and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum have been in attendance.
It’s also an opportunity for Fora to provide updates on its innovative efforts, success stories with patients, and the progress it’s making to help stem the tide of substance use disorders in Portland. For example, detailing the progress and implementation of our new facility in Gateway over the last few years.
Our 2022 Freedom Award keynote, former House Speaker Tina Kotek, said it best: “We can solve the challenges of addiction and we can do it together!”
Today, you can nominate an individual whose recovery story or service work has made a powerful impact in our community. forahealth.org/fa-nom.