BOSTON, MA July 3, 2023 – On June 6, the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) celebrated 8 years as an organization. At this in-person celebration held at the House of Blues in Boston, Steve Jesi, PAARI Executive Board Member, awarded six individuals the Stephenie Jesi Scholarship for Individuals in Long-Term Recovery.
These scholarships are given in loving memory of Steve’s daughter, Stephenie Jesi. On December 13, 2015, at the age of 33, Stephenie passed away after a long and courageous battle with substance use disorder (SUD). She was a participant in the Gloucester Angel Program, a PAARI program. Stephenie was passionate about helping her friends who were experiencing the same barriers that she was, in fighting the disease of SUD. In honor of her selfless nature and spirit of giving, her family keeps her spirit alive by helping others who are struggling.
Stephanie’s family chose six individuals who have been in long-term recovery for 3 or more years to receive a $1,000 scholarship. In an effort to remove barriers to support recovery, the scholarships can be used for education, housing, transportation, childcare, or debt relief.
“It is an honor to be able to award these scholarships every year in memory of Stephenie,” said Steve Jesi, “When this money is awarded, we are showing these men and women that they matter and that they are deserving of opportunities to help them wherever they are at in their recovery journey. We see them, we hear them and we admire their strength to be where they are today.”
The six scholarship recipients were notified earlier this month, and half of them were able to attend the anniversary celebration in person to share their stories with PAARI law enforcement partners, friends, and family. The six scholarship winners are:
- Olivia Dionne
- Christina Ferriera
- Melissa Foss
- Melanie Huff
- Tyshaun Perryman
- Jason Smith
Read below for more information on each recipient:
Olivia Dionne: Olivia is a 23-year-old single mom who works full-time to support her family. Her mother and her step-father passed away from overdoses when she was 17 years old, so she’s living without much family support. She is in school to improve her economic opportunities which is important because her roommate just moved out and she can’t afford the rent on her own.
In her own words: “Through all of these barriers, I continue to show up for my recovery and try to help others. I am a huge advocate for helping women in recovery. When I heard about this, I figured I would try and give it a shot. It is a tough time right now for a lot of people but I am grateful for the opportunity to even try and fill this out”
In the words of someone who nominated her: “Olivia has a bright spirit and personality, she is a powerful example of a woman in recovery. She is always there to step up and help other people with substance use disorder. She is a single mother and works at a treatment center as a case manager. Olivia has overcome many obstacles in her life. She is a hard worker and goes above and beyond to provide a good life for her son.”
Christina Ferriera: Christina is 33 years old. She began using oxycontin, drinking and smoking cannabis at the age of 14, and by the age of 15, she was using IV heroin daily. She grew up in the system and spent most of her childhood in DCF, DYS, Programs, and juvenile detention. She wants to share her story with people to give them a better understanding of addiction and the life that comes with it. Today she works every single day towards her recovery and to be a better version of herself.
In her own words: “The decision to use one time lead me to over a decade of trauma, losing custody of my children and multiple overdoses. In 2016 by the grace of god a stranger I told my story to, flew me to Arizona to a rehab facility for 90 days. I knew I wanted to stop using drugs but I had no idea how to live life on life terms without the use of any substances. I was desperate. I was broken. I was lost. I am now 7 years sober. I have custody of my children. I am a mother, sister and daughter. I am a dependable woman today. I work in residential treatment for troubled pregnant teen mothers and also as a recovery coach helping those that are still lost and tied down by grips of addiction in the very same city I struggled in. My passion is to help others like that one special stranger who had enough empathy and faith in me to help me begin my road to recovery. To let people know they aren’t alone and if I can get sober -anyone can.“
Melissa Foss: Melissa is a 32-year-old woman who has been in recovery for over five years. She describes herself as in “recovery from every substance, but my drug of choice was heroin and cocaine.” She is a single mother of a four-year-old boy. She has found her calling as a recovery coach for almost a year now and works for CHA, Malden Drug Court, Meridian House, and runs a relapse prevention class in South Bay House of Corrections. Melissa dropped out of college in 2009 because of her opioid addiction and thought she would never go back, but is currently enrolled in the Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation program and just finished her first semester this month.
In her own words: “Besides being a woman in recovery, I’m a great mom (sometimes I second guess it but I know I am), a devoted sister, daughter, friend, and colleague. I am also working on being a more spiritual person which takes some time because I am still healing. I recently passed my certified peer specialist exam and I am able to work with both people in recovery and people who live with mental diagnoses. I am somebody today and that means so much to me.“
Melanie Huff: Melanie just celebrated 10 years of recovery. Her substance use started at the age of 11, which put her in countless situations that fueled addiction even more. She went to prison when she was just 15 years old for shooting the person who kidnapped her for 9 days. Her father died shortly after. She went to prison two more times and got out for the last time in 2020. Since then she has regained relationships with her family and children. Today she works in the mental health SUD field.
In her own words, “This scholarship would be used to help me attain my QMHA and finish my course work to obtain my CADC 1 which would put me in a position to further my career and provide better for my family so that I can continue to pay back my debt and contribute to my community in a positive and productive manner. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this in memory of your daughter. Parents like you are what keep the children lost in addiction trying even when we fail. We love you.”
Tyshaun Perryman: In the words of the person who nominated him: “Tyshaun (Tye) is a leader in Massachusetts recovery communities, having assumed multiple professional and research roles to support the expansion of recovery coaching in the state including working with PAARI. Tye is humble and eager to serve those who are most marginalized and would benefit most from his advocacy, both within his professional role and in the community. He demonstrates the power of what individuals can achieve and give back when given opportunities to thrive in recovery.”
His nominator continues to write, “Tye vulnerably shares his experiences during childhood and active addiction, including involvement with the justice system, and consistently seeks ways to remove barriers to care and resources for others. In doing so and in sustaining his recovery, he has flourished in his personal life and professionally yet he continues to place service to others at the center of his work. At the same time, Tye demonstrates the very real challenges individuals with substance use histories encounter, even after celebrating multiple years of abstinence-based recovery. While his career advances, he still deals with the financial impact of his lived experience like so many of us in recovery do. In addition, he faces identity-based impacts of navigating society in recovery including those related to his race, prior involvement with the justice system, and family substance use (all of which he shares openly to effect change.) This scholarship would help Tye address those disparities in his own life but would further his ability to serve those most marginalized including BIPOC community members that remain the focus of his professional work.”
Jason Smith: Jason recently celebrated five years in recovery. He is a single dad to a four-year-old boy that he has raised since birth. According to his coworkers, “He didn’t run from fatherhood but embraced it much like he does most things in his life.” He currently works in a 14-day dual diagnosis program and helps make up the aftercare department. He is selfless and humble and puts others first. He seeks to better himself by finishing his BA in Human Services which will in turn better the life of his son and help the field he is so passionate about. Despite his busy and sometimes stressful life, Jason continues to show up every day and make his sobriety a priority in his life. He attends meetings regularly, tells his story, gives back to the community, and teaches those around him what one can achieve. Jason is a man of integrity and shows genuine caring.
In the words of his nominator: “Jason is a rockstar!!! His pride in his recovery and his willingness to share his story and journey to benefit others in early recovery is inspiring. He ALWAYS uses all his resources (personal and professional) to support our clients to be the best they can be and to propel them further along on their own path of recovery. Jason goes above and beyond to make sure that each client receives the same compassionate, respectful and excellent care, from the homeless to the millionaires!”
Written by, Isabella Nowak
