The Evolution of a Grassroots Addictions Advocacy Organization
The Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance (SAARA) is a community-based grassroots membership organization of individuals in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction, their families, friends and committed community supporters. SAARA's mission is to celebrate, support and advocate for resources and services for the prevention of and recovery from substance abuse and addiction. SAARA promotes social, educational, legal, research and health care resources and services that support accessible, effective and accountable addictions: prevention, intervention, treatment and Recovery.

The evolution of SAARA began with a group of individuals who responded to a sign-up sheet circulated at a Substance Abuse Awareness Week luncheon in Fairfax County, Virginia in November 1996. After several preliminary meetings, the group drafted a mission statement, and shortly thereafter an attorney consumer drafted the necessary incorporation papers. Incorporation as SAARA of Northern Virginia was obtained in 1997 and the organization received its non-profit 501 (c) (3) status in 1998. An early decision was made for SAARA to be as inclusive as possible. SAARA would reach out to the entire community, supplementing and complementing the efforts of twelve-step organizations for those in recovery, family members, and others affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs, and anyone else supportive of SAARA's goals and objectives.

SAARA of Northern Virginia was awarded the first round of funding from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) Recovery Community Support Project (RSCP) in October 1998. At that time, SAARA proposed to develop organizationally in Fairfax County, and then replicate similar local organizations throughout Virginia. Community-based strategies were utilized for organizing and empowering individuals and families to organize themselves and to participate in the development of substance abuse treatment systems at the state and local level.

SAARA's experience as an independent Recovery Community grassroots addictions advocacy organization with an organizing and empowering track record helped to accomplish the initial Goals and Objectives of:
  • Increasing communication within and by the Recovery Community
  • Engaging and empowering recovering individuals and families
  • Involving and supporting the entire continuum of the Recovery Community
  • Providing technical assistance and support to assist Recovery Communities in other parts of Virginia;
  • Increasing stakeholder outreach and coordination to facilitate the interface between individuals, their families and the treatment/recovery systems that serve them.

Receipt of CSAT funding enabled SAARA of Northern Virginia to employ an Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant. The Northern Virginia Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) subleased office space to SAARA in Falls Church and shared their office equipment. By the summer of 1999, Northern Virginia had 501 (c) (3) non-profit status, formal bylaws, and articles of incorporation, a duly elected Board of Directors, and about 150 members. SAARA was able to receive tax-deductible contributions and membership fees. SAARA's active committee structure served to attract new members and involve them immediately in SAARA's mission, goals and objectives.

THE RCSP Track I grant also supported local travel of SAARA's volunteer staffed affiliate development committee. Little by little, interest in SAARA began to increase throughout the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, SAARA's staff worked diligently to improve fiscal accounting and reporting procedures to meet the administrative and reporting requirements of federal grantees. These initially difficult tasks would later prove highly beneficial, as they provided the sound foundation upon which SAARA would build to make the transition from a local to a statewide organization.

As SAARA of Northern Virginia evolved, its Board of Directors redefined the organization's goals to focus on building community understanding and support for the prevention of and recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs through advocacy, education and communication. Advocacy, education and communication are three closely intertwined goals that share many original and current objectives and activities, offering slightly differing perspectives to accommodate the interests and skills of SAARA's diverse membership.

Mobilizing the Recovery Community and Maintaining Authenticity of Voice:
From its inception in 1997, SAARA has recruited, engaged, and retained significant numbers of families with children in treatment and Recovery, adults who were in Recovery and on the staff of organizations providing substance abuse treatment and prevention services, and members of recovery networks associated with alumni groups. Many original objectives and activities were designed to attract members from these populations within the recovery community and to improve outreach to minorities, including gays and lesbians, pregnant and newly delivered women, individuals new to recovery, students and other populations underrepresented in the SAARA membership.

Efforts to mobilize the Recovery Community and develop a network of SAARA affiliates throughout Virginia began to make significant progress in the fall of 2000. Since then, SAARA has been successful in developing affiliates throughout the Commonwealth. As the recipient of the Track I grant, SAARA of Northern Virginia clearly took the lead in the organizational effort to form affiliates throughout the state.

Achievement of Outcomes:
As Affiliates were forming throughout the state, SAARA of Northern Virginia continued its focus on the local community by building an organization and engaging in activities that could be replicated by Affiliate members throughout the state, by the following means:

  • Forming a Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), comprised of the directors of local public and private treatment providers.
  • Sponsoring the development and implementation of U-Turn, a local youth recovery consumer group; provided mentoring services to help them plan and execute presentations at local, state and national events.
  • Developing an Advocacy Mentoring Program.
  • Conducting educational programs in the community.
  • Participating in community fairs, forums and other similar activities.
  • Scheduling monthly meetings that presented resources and providing opportunities for discussion on relevant topics.
  • Developing linkages with other community organizations and coalitions serving individuals addicted to alcohol or other drugs.
  • Providing financial and mentoring services to new SAARA Affiliates.
  • Publishing a summary of local educational resources and services for those who fall behind educationally because of addiction, especially youth.
  • One of the objectives of the original CSAT grant stipulated that SAARA of Northern Virginia would assist communities in the state interested in forming a statewide organization. To this end, SAARA of Northern Virginia also provided the following invaluable services to assist with the development of a statewide organization and increase membership throughout Virginia.
  • Published a bimonthly newsletter entitled "Recovery Advocate" (currently the "Recovery Advocate" is published on a quarterly basis).
  • Maintained a website at www.saara.org .
  • Maintained a statewide electronic database of members with distribution of local data to each of the Affiliates.
  • Sponsored a highly praised and successful Statewide Conference on September 15, 2001, attended by approximately 55 persons, representing all major regions of Virginia (despite the 9/11 disaster).
  • With the Virginia Alliance for the Mentally Ill (VAMI), successfully persuaded members of the Virginia General Assembly to include substance abuse treatment in "Parity" legislation that covers the health insurance needs of the citizens of Virginia.
  • Formed eight SAARA Affiliates in addition to Northern Virginia throughout the State (i.e., Central Virginia in Richmond, Roanoke, Tidewater, Western Tidewater, Prince William County, Loudoun County, Middle Peninsula/Northern Neck and Colonial Virginia in Williamsburg).
  • Formed SAARA of VIRGINIA, Inc. in July 2001 as a statewide organization comprised of member affiliates throughout the State of Virginia.

SAARA outcomes (objectives) included in the original 1998 proposal for RCSP Track I funding had largely been achieved, although from the beginning, grantees were encouraged to modify objectives as their organizations matured. These achievements and specific activities of SAARA staff and members have been documented in quarterly reports to CSAT. Progress has been made with regard to certain larger goals - developing support for treatment and recovery, overcoming stigma, achieving a "place at the policy table" for the recovering community - but those goals continue to evolve. Progress in those areas is most realistically viewed as something to be achieved incrementally and over a long period of time.

Expansion to a Statewide Organization:
One of the major accomplishments of SAARA as a grassroots addictions advocacy organization has been the shift of focus from local interest to statewide advocacy. It became clear that a statewide structure was needed to guide the process and provide an organizational umbrella to achieve SAARA's mission of building community understanding of addiction and support of resources and services for addictions; prevention, intervention, treatment and Recovery through advocacy, education and communication.

From the onset, SAARA of Northern Virginia was instrumental in the formation of a statewide organization. As a successful recipient of an RCSP Track I grant, it built its base in the local community in Northern Virginia and expanded its activities quickly to other communities throughout the state. Using a peer model of "affiliates helping affiliates" (based on the 12-Step Recovery approach); consumer leaders quickly realized that Virginia could have both local autonomy and continue to be active members of a statewide advocacy organization. In fact, the statewide status would enable SAARA to become a visible, credible organization in a relatively short period of time.

The challenge for SAARA was to make the transition from a number of autonomous, geographically diverse local affiliates, to a strong affiliation of organizations. The goal was to form a strong statewide organization, comprised of the SAARA Affiliates, to accomplish the following functions:

  • Provide a governing body and leadership for consensus building regarding future directions and policy.
  • Assume the role of facilitator for statewide activities.
  • Provide adequate resources organizationally and financially for member Affiliates.

The goal was to achieve the preceding in a seamless manner. To that end, a meeting of the Presidents of the nine affiliates was held and the work began for the formation of a statewide organization. As this statewide work unfolded, all local Affiliates continued their own activities in their respective communities. An Organizational Committee was formed and accomplished the following:

  • Conducted several meetings exploring organizational structure for the statewide organization.
  • Drafted Bylaws for distribution to the local affiliates.
  • Organized and conducted a successful Statewide Conference on September 15, 2001.
  • Incorporated into a Statewide Organization.
  • Member Affiliates ratified the bylaws and nominated an affiliate member to serve on the SAARA of VIRGINIA Board of Directors.
  • Formally organized the SAARA of VIRGINIA Board by approving the bylaws and electing officers on July 7, 2001.
  • Applied for IRS approval of a 501 (c) (3) non-profit status.
  • Successfully requested and received in financial support from the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS), effective 12/1/01.
  • Employed an Executive Director - Rick Hauschildt, a former Executive Director of Northern Virginia.
  • Organized Fiscal Accounting Procedures to ensure the proper tracking and responsible handling of finances.

Currently, SAARA of VIRGINIA consists of the following Affiliates; a designated member from each affiliate comprises the governing body as the Board of Directors for SAARA of VIRGINIA:

  • SAARA of Arlington
  • SAARA of Bay Counties
  • SAARA of Central Virginia - Richmond
  • Piedmont Area Recovery Alliance (Charlottesville)
  • SAARA of Colonial Virginia
  • SAARA of Fairfax-Falls Church
  • SAARA of Hampton/Newport News
  • SAARA of Loudoun County
  • SAARA of New River Valley
  • SAARA of Northwest
  • SAARA of Prince William County
  • SAARA of Roanoke
  • SAARA of Tidewater
  • SAARA of Western Tidewater
  • SAARA of Central Virginia - Lynchburg

The Board of Directors of SAARA of VIRGINIA adopted the following mission statement, which is included in the bylaws: "SAARA maximizes the power of the people to advocate for treatment and recovery in order to prevent the harmful effects of substance abuse upon families, businesses, and the community." Membership in the SAARA of VIRGINIA statewide organization is inclusive of anyone who subscribes to the mission statement.

Below are excerpts from the bylaws regarding membership:
SAARA Affiliates are member organizations serving a defined geographic region in the State of Virginia who subscribe to the purpose and missions of SAARA as defined in our bylaws. SAARA Affiliates are formally organized with bylaws have elected officers and agree to meet the requirements of an affiliate as defined in the bylaws. SAARA Independent Affiliates meet the requirements set forth above for Affiliates and also incorporate as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit entity and carry their own Liability Insurance. A category for transitional groups that enables a locality that is in the early organizational stages of becoming an affiliate of SAARA of VIRGINIA is established. Once a locality requests transitional status, it has one year to complete the application process that consists of meeting the requirements stated in the bylaws. There is a category of Individual Membership for persons throughout Virginia not wishing to have a formal involvement with any of the affiliate organizations.

It is important to acknowledge that the President, members of the Northern Virginia Board of Directors were extensively involved in the establishment of the statewide organization. The President of the SAARA of Northern Virginia affiliate was elected as the Vice-President of SAARA of VIRGINIA. Once the statewide organization was established, the President of SAARA of Virginia met with the President of SAARA of Northern Virginia to discuss the final transitional issues between the two organizations. The process of implementing the Transition Plan as approved by both Board of Directors was successfully implemented with the establishment of the SAARA of VIRGINIA office in Glen Allen, Virginia in August 2002.

The SAARA of VIRGINIA Board of Directors as the governing body provides overall coordination and leadership for the state organization. It is a diverse governing body in terms of gender and race and is strengthened by having members in recovery and organizational expertise.

Summary
With the financial and technical assistance provided by the original RCSP Track I Grant, the founders started a local organization in Northern Virginia and built a strong local community base of activities in the recovery community. Those efforts were then expanded that many of the successes into the generation of interest in SAARA, the growth of other local affiliates, and the development of the blueprint for the statewide activities begun and further envisioned for SAARA of VIRGINIA. The very successful implementation of the Track I Grant led to an end product of the creation of a viable statewide organization: SAARA of VIRGINIA.

In December of 2002, through the commitment and support of Robert Johnson, Mellie Randall and the staff of the DMHMRSAS offices, the original funding agreement with the DMHMRSAS was extended for one (1) year. The Funding Agreement provides the support for SAARA of VIRGINIA to continue its efforts in establishing a statewide advocacy organization and in advocating for resources and services for addictions: prevention, intervention, treatment and Recovery.In order to comply with the funding agreement with the DMHMRSAS, SAARA has committed to continue its organizational efforts in the establishment of addi- tional affiliates and associate organizational members and to continue building com- munity understanding and support for the prevention and Recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs through advocacy, education and communication.