The Caron Foundation
What Is The Caron Foundation?
The Caron Foundation is a non-profit group dedicated to providing treatment for drug addiction and alcoholism and has been providing services for over 50 years. The Caron Foundation focuses on offering a gender-specific alcohol and drug addiction treatment program to people from all walks of life and from adolescent to senior years. And, as part of their program, they also strive to recognize those out in the world, striving to raise awareness of drug and alcohol addiction, provide support and treatment, and helping to prevent addictions from starting by educating the public.
The Caron Unsung Hero Award is presented to individuals who help to enhance awareness, education, prevention, and treatment of drug and alcohol addiction treatment, whether they do so as part of their job or organization or out of a personal commitment to battle addiction.
The Unsung Hero Award gives the Caron Foundation, and other well-known drug and alcohol organizations, a chance to recognize individuals who would otherwise not be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication within the drug and alcohol treatment, education, and awareness community. And, in May, 2012, Rachael Goldstein was presented with the Unsung Hero Award from the Caron Foundation for her work in the drug and alcohol addiction field.
In addition to owning and writing this website, Addicted-to-Sobriety.com, and answering questions and providing support to those struggling, I did an unpaid internship at Adolescent Advocates in Rosemont, Pennsylvania for well over a year. As the Foundation’s Community Service Awards Breakfast brochure stated in regard to my participation with Adolescent Advocates:
“Although Rae is a vegan and never eats otherwise, she spent every Friday evening of that year with the high school groups from Adolescent Advocates at Garrett Hill Pizza. Rae is to the point: she’ll tell her best friend, parents, boss or strangers what she thinks if it will help someone. Rae has her integrity intact and helps keep others aware as well. Rae has driven many teens or young adults to meetings. She has shown up when any of the kids relapsed, despite her frustration. The addiction field will be receiving a star when Rae Goldstein picks up her diploma.”
For decades, Caron has been applauded for their expertise in early intervention programs, residential programs, relapse and extended care programs, detox, and outpatient and continuing care, which all started in Reading, Pennsylvania at Chit Chat Farms.
In 1957, Richard and Catherine Caron began opening their home to those who needed help and publishing a supportive newsletter, called “Chit Chat,” for those struggling with addiction. After years of spending time counseling people and providing friendship and understanding, Richard, a recovering alcoholic, and Catherine decided to establish a halfway house for those in need of support. But when the need for help continued to grow, the Carons purchased a hotel in Wernersville, Pennsylvania in 1959. This hotel quickly became one of the first excellent alcohol and drug abuse treatment center options in the United States, Chit Chat Farms.
Today, there are 3 treatment facilities in the Caron family, and regional offices from coast-to-coast to help expand the reach of their drug and alcohol treatment support services. And, for the last 12 years, the Caron Foundation has also publicly recognized that there are people out there, just like Richard and Catherine Caron, who are starting their own movements and making their own marks within the addiction community.
For me, being considered one of them has been quite the honor.