DECEMBER Spotlight: RECOVERY CITY

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Our charity for the month of December is Recovery City. We asked Lisa Olivieri, filmmaker, a few questions about her film and why donations will be so important this month. Check out what she had to say!

  1. Tell us a little about your organization. 

I am an independent filmmaker living in the Boston area. For the past two and half years, I have been filming Recovery City, a documentary about what recovery looks like for women. We have been following four women from Worcester:  

  • Christine, who has been fighting to reclaim her four children from the state’s custody.
  • Bridget, who leads “Women’s Space” meetings at Everyday Miracles, a peer recovery support center.
  • Worcester Police Officer Janis and recovery coach Rebecca, who go into the hardest hit areas in Worcester, offering help and support to those suffering from substance use disorder.

  1. What’s the mission of the organization?

The goal of the film is to put a human face on addiction and recovery and to highlight the ways that women struggling with addiction can be stigmatized and marginalized. 

  1. Why is the work you do so important?

It is important that people in recovery are recognized as valuable members of society. In particular, women in recovery are often treated in ways that alienate them from family and loved ones and this increases their chances of relapsing. The film focuses on women because they are often judged more harshly than men, which makes their pathways to sobriety harder.   

  1. How will donations from TQC help this month? What specific things will donations support?

We are honored and excited to receive a donation from The Queen’s Cup!  This donation allows me to pay my editor and producer who have been working alongside me during this process.  

  1. How can someone get involved with your organization?

Email me: [email protected]

  1. Why is Worcester and its community special to the organization?

I decided to film in Worcester because I felt the vast array of support networks and treatment options in the city could provide ample opportunities to tell this story. I was blown away by how quickly the community embraced and supported this project.   

VIEW THE RECOVERY CITY TRAILER BELOW: