Endorsement Letters

Jenny Davis

25 years of sobriety is a major accomplishment and cause for celebration. I also know there is much more to the anniversary than reaching a milestone. An individual’s relationship with addiction is personal and each has their own trajectory. I was witness to my dad’s path with his addiction to alcohol which was surrounded by a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. I was grateful to have had Cathy as a friend in that last year of his life before he passed away as a result of his addiction. I could come to her without there being any blame assigned or labels. I was the daughter who truly loved her father, but was also deeply hurt by his addiction. Through those conversations I was able to place my faith wholeheartedly in Cathy as a friend and candidate.

People are not their addiction. They are someone’s dad, mom, brother, sister, friend. They are a human experiencing real emotion. Society tends to admonish the person with addiction as opposed to seeing the complexities of the disease. It is in the depths of despair that people need our support. Not a pat on the back once you have achieved sobriety. Cathy understands this and meets people exactly where they are. We don’t need to label a person based on their struggle, rather identify the ways to help them. We are seeing this now with the struggles that exist today during this pandemic, people lending a helping hand without question. Cathy knows this always to be true and addiction is no different. We all rise when we lift others up.

Cathy is who she is because of her life experience, not despite it. I could not be more proud of her and this accomplishment.

—Jenny Davis

Mike Reilly

Right now there is a lot of darkness. Many people have lost their jobs and are without income. Families are juggling working remotely with homeschooling and keeping their kids away from friends. Social distancing can become isolation. For addicts and alcoholics, this can be deadly. Thankfully technology has provided for other options for the recovering community to maintain connections and meetings. Yet for those without access to the technology the struggle can be real and highlights the existing inequities our society already faces. But even in times of darkness there are bright spots that remind us there is hope. April is one of those months for #TeamSpahr. 

On April 18, 2020, Cathy will have a quarter of a century of continuous sobriety—that’s right, 25 years! The message of “We do Recover” will remind us that even in the darkness there is hope. 

As someone who has watched the ravages of the disease of addiction impact my family and other families, Cathy’s story brings me hope. Her story tells me that when we invest in the recovery of addicts and alcoholics, they can be more than just productive members of society; they can be leaders. For those like Cathy in long term sobriety, who have already weathered trials and tribulations sober and who have had the opportunity to build strong support, staying sober in a pandemic is another opportunity to add to a bank of experiences to share later.

It is Cathy’s bank of life experiences that we need in Harrisburg. 

Cathy’s dedication to sobriety, her moxie to maintain it under any and all circumstances shows exactly what kind of leader she would be in Harrisburg as she fights for working and underserved families in our community. 

—Mike Reilly