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The Derry Friendship Center is open from 9am
to 11pm, seven days a week. Along with scheduled
peer support recovery group meetings, the
Center is open to the public as a drop -in center,
and we encourage the community, our members, and
patrons to enjoy the benefits of our services
and the peer support and fellowship this provides,
as well sharing the experience of helping people
initiate recovery. The Center also offers services
such as job search and resume preparation support,
interview skills, computer applications and skills
training, small office services such as help with
social service applications, notary public, and
special programs designed to help a person develop
self advocacy and empower them to develop more
productive, satisfying lives.
Over the past 30 years, thousands have begun
their journey through sobriety simply by dropping
in, talking to our members and patrons and discovering
the resources we make available. For the person
in crisis, staff members are available to direct
them towards the nearest available healthcare
center for detox and other supervised rehabilitation
services. We also are thankful for the endorsement
of area healthcare providers and rehabilitation
centers, as well as the courts, impaired driver
education programs, and public safety and welfare
officials as a source for mandated and recommended
after care opportunities.
In 2005 the Derry Friendship Center became a New
Hampshire State RADAR Affiliate, part of a Federally
Sponsored network of various community health
care services providers that promote Alcohol and
other drug prevention and awareness through educational,
promotional events, and drug free recreation and
life style activities We are also active in number
of community based coalitions and members of Friends
of Recovery-NH, New Hampshire’s largest
recovery advocacy organization.
Introduced in the fall of 2004, our community
outreach forum programs deliver important prevention
and awareness education about the issues surrounding
alcoholism and substance abuse. Many new programs
provide wellness and other important information
that are geared to help people in recovery enjoy
and build a better life.The lecture and discussion,
which is free and open to the public, is geared
towards people in recovery, those seeking to initiate
recovery, and for family members whose lives are
or have been affected, in trying to understand
the impact to a loved one.
The Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation,
registered with the State of New Hampshire as
a charitable trust. It is funded by the combination
of meeting room rental fees from the peer support
groups, Friends of the Center donations, and tax-deductible
personal and corporate donations. The peer support
groups are autonomous entities, relying on modest,
traditional individual support from the attendees
of the meetings. There are no dues or fees for
attending any of these meetings. Individual and
Friends of the Center donations support the drop
in center, the activities and the community outreach
programs, that are also free to the public.
An important point is that, because of the economic
factors that New Hampshire is facing, the loss
of jobs, and the subsequent loss of health insurance,
many recovering individuals rely on the Friendship
Centers’ services and resources as the strongest
and possibly the only, source of rehabilitative
support they have.
A seven member Board of Directors, operates the
Center. Various Committees, Administrative and
Service volunteers support them
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