By Dawn De Busk 

Staff Writer

BRIDGTON— More than 150 people brought amessage of hope and recovery to the streets. 

The group — many donned in purple or wearing the custom-made purple ribbon T-shirts — travelled a route in Bridgton from High Street to Shorey Park to Elm Street and then to Depot Street, where everyone walked through Pondicherry Park.

The 2nd Annual Recovery-Remembrance Walk is an event which combines the celebration of sobriety and the observance of a person who did so much for the recovery community, Dr. Peter Leighton.

Leighton dedicated his time to helping people with Substance Use Disorder. He did this through his position at Crooked River Counseling in Bridgton.

Lakes Region Recovery Center (LRRC) hosted the Recovery Remembrance Walk on Saturday, and it drew a much bigger crowd in 2022 than it did last September.  

“We think the event went great. There were over 150 people.The turnout was wonderful. The weather was beautiful,” according to LRRC Communication Specialist Candy Greenberg. 

“This year was a testament to how much we learned and improved upon the first walk in 2021. It was wonderful to see so many families with children walking, enjoying the lunch and games after, and taking advantage of the bounce house and water toys,” she said.  

“The ceremony at Dr. Leighton’s park bench was a moment for us all to remember how much he meant to us at LRRC, and to the recovery community,” Greenberg said.

Theresa Dumond, of Denmark, credited Leighton with helping her with her recovery journey — one that has led to volunteerism and her new job as the Resident Recovery Coach at LRRC.

“He was the beginning of my sobriety honestly. I came to Bridgton. He started me on my journey of Suboxone. And now, I can recover and actually give back,” Dumond said. 

She reflected on the sorrow of having lost Leighton. 

“It is a sad thing to think that somebody who was so big in the recovery community (died). He was helping out the whole world. God worksin mysterious ways. He (Peter) obviously had to be an angel for someone else,” she said. “You are not promised tomorrow, especially in recovery. So, it brought up a lot of feelings.”

On the other hand, Dumont experienced joy and a feeling of camaraderie as she walked with friends and co-workers. 

“I loved that. We were walking down the street yelling, singing songs, saying, ‘Honk for recovery.’ There were more people so there was more to celebrate,” she said.

After the walk, other activities took place on the lawn of Crooked River Counseling near the Bridgton Hospital. A free lunch was provided. 

Peter’s wife Kimberly Leighton spoke first.  

“I wanted to just share a couple of things on how my husband’s legacy has inspired me to do a few things, and what I am doing,” she told the group. 

“I have a child-life practice for children and families that are grieving, that have experienced trauma, or have transition difficult whether going through divorce or family separation because of substance use disorder of a parent. I work with these wonderful children in the community here at Play Warriors,” she said. “I absolutely love what I do. It was Peter who helped inspire me to make that happen and to pursue my dream which I am doing now,”   

Silver Linings is a new program she would like to start offering to the care-givers of the children with whom she works. 

“Silver Lining — even if you are grieving and going through a lot, and it is a shit hand you’ve been dealt, there is always a way to look at it in a more positive way,” she said.  

During the afternoon, other people shared stories about Peter including his sponsor Ed Stevens, a client named Harold and several employees from LRRC. 

When Kim Leighton stopped at the bench during the walk, she commented on the opioid overdose statistics and the work that still needs to be done. 

“He (Peter) would be really disappointed that we lost more than 630 people last year to addiction in Maine. He would be really frustrated. He would be really mad,” Kim said. 

She gave kudos to LRRC for having the recovery coach program.

“The recovery center is here with open arms welcoming so many recovery coaches that they have been trained and are going out into the community,” she said.   

In addition to that, LRRC aims to raise public awareness about substance use disorder. 

Prior to starting the walk, Greenberg told the crowd: “We are celebrating recovery. We are fighting the stigma. We are celebrating community. We are ready.”

LRRC Executive Director Tracy Martin echoed the idea of fighting the stigma. 

“Visible is important. It’s okay to be in recovery. It’s okay to have a mental illness. We are all struggling with something,” Martin said.