Taking the trauma of losing her son to addiction, Janet Parker turned it into passion and support of efforts to save lives, a drive that has been nationally recognized.
Parker was presented on Jan. 21 with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing her work in supporting Penticton's Discovery House addiction recovery program.
Central Okanagan鈥揝imilkameen鈥揘icola MP Dan Albas presented the medal, after speeches by Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield and Discovery House executive director Blaine Russell.
"A lot of families have members that suffer from addiction, and suffer from the loss of those people," said Bloomfield. "Some families handle it in a different way, and they use it as a trigger to light with passion and to work to make sure others don't suffer the same fate. Janet is one of those."
Also in attendance for the presentation were members of Discovery House and its supporters, former MLA Dan Ashton, and Penticton Coun. Helena Konanz.
Russell noted that the contributions Parker makes to Discovery House go beyond just financial contributions.
"Just showing up as a volunteer, she comes to every fundraiser, she brings a lot of people to the fundraisers, she's heavily involved in the board, and just what I love about Janet it's the stuff she does when people aren't looking," said Russell. "I was so happy to hear that she was getting recognition because if it was up to Janet, no one would know about any of this stuff. For us as an organization at Discovery House, we wouldn't be the organization we are right now without her support."
With the support of Parker over the years, Discovery House has expanded, growing in the number of beds it has available for treatment. It has also been able to expand to offer support for those who have finished the initial treatment program.
The long-term transitional housing portion of Discovery House was named Parker Place after Janet's son Colin, and his memory continues to drive her efforts.
"You have to turn pain into something positive," said Janet. " I think about him every day."
Janet said she hopes to see even more beds for treatment and long-term after-care for Discovery House in the future.
"We're reuniting families, we're putting fathers back with their children, sons back with their families, but more importantly, I think we're we're actually helping to save people's lives," said Parker.
Albas was proud to present the award and for the choice of Parker from the nomination committee for the medal.
"When we recognize people like Janet Parker and the work they selflessly do in the community, it does two things," said Albas. "One, it connects us to a sense of obligation to our fellow man or fellow woman, and it also encourages people to reconsider what they're doing.
"Discovery House directly helps people from where they are to transition at a very high rate to a path home. That Janet has devoted a fair bit of her own life and efforts to expand Discovery House's reach, I think is significant, and I think the people assembled here today feel that as well."
Discovery House is currently gearing up for a special fundraiser that will be unveiled later this year as it continues to work towards expanding and addressing the lengthy waitlist it faces.
