At the Bangor Chamber of Commerce Awards this month, the BARN in Brewer's video shows a local couple telling the story of how they lost both sons to drug overdoses.

Congratulations to the Bangor Area Recovery Network for winning the M. Jane Irving Award for Public Service from the Bangor Chamber of Commerce. The annual award goes to a group or organization that has made the Bangor Region's quality of life better. It's a well-deserved honor to an organization that works to help people navigate their journey through substance use disorder. And the BARN, as the center is affectionately known, does it all without any state or federal funding. They rely on the community to help them do their good work.

As part of the award's ceremony, a video is shown for each recipient. In the BARN's video, Dave and Shelley Yankowsky tell the story of their two sons, Adam and Sean, who both lost their lives to drug overdoses. It's a heartbreaking video, but a powerful one that shows the devastating impact on the families who are left behind. Dave and Shelley found support and kinship with the people of the Bangor Area Recovery Network.

Find more information on this amazing organization on the BARN's website and Facebook page, or just stop by 142 Center Street in Brewer and take a tour. They're always open to answering questions and spreading the word about their good works. In a state where there aren't enough recovery centers and addicts often get caught up in the red tape of insurance coverage, the BARN is a beacon of hope. Peer supported recovery programs that are free and open to everyone.

Congratulations to this wonderful organization that is working, quietly, to make it a better world, one person at a time.

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