10/11/2026
💎🌟 DIAMOND RECOVERY VISIONARY SPONSOR — AXESS FAMILY SERVICES (AFS) 🌟💎
Some thank-you's come with a story. And this one is especially close to my heart. I have been wanting to share thsi story for years but was not siure exactly how to say it.....💜
Years ago, when I first started volunteering with Ohio CAN, I got to meet Mark Frisone, Executive Director of Axess Family Services.
At the time, O.U.R. Place was still just a dream. I hadn't even become a professional Peer Supporter yet. I had this big vision of building a peer-led Recovery Community Organization where people could find connection, belonging, hope, and the support to build lives they actually LOVE.
I remember sharing a little of that dream with Mark at an event planning session.
And I'll never forget what he said.
He told me that *if anyone could make it happen, it was me.* woah huh....... ME?
He also said something incredibly kind about my abilities and potential. I honestly don't think he could have known how much those words meant to me.
Here was someone I deeply respected, a leader of one of our region's major nonprofit organizations, & it sounded like maybe he was telling me that he believed in me?
And somehow, his belief in my ability to do this gave me permission to believe in myself. 🥹💜
That moment *REALLY* stuck with me.
But AFS didn't stop at encouraging words.
They gave me my very first professional position in the peer support field. They supported my vision for O.U.R. Place, and when the time came to hold our very first Sober October celebration, AFS provided the financial support that helped make it possible.
I will NEVER forget what that felt like.
And year after year, they continue showing up for us, contributing at one of our highest sponsorship levels to make Sober October Recovery Fest possible.
This year, we're honored to recognize Axess Family Services as a Diamond Recovery Visionary Sponsor! 💎
Mark, and everyone at AFS, THANK YOU. Not just for your generosity, but for believing in people, investing in their potential, and recognizing what can happen when someone is given an opportunity to turn a dream into something real.
I hope you know that your investment has reached far beyond me. Every person who has found connection, encouragement, recovery support, or a sense of belonging through O.U.R. Place is part of the ripple effect of people like you who believed this could happen.
You helped give a dream its momentum. And that dream has become a community. 💜
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in me, believing in O.U.R. Place, and continuing to believe in RECOVERY!
With so much love and gratitude,
Jess 💜
