Bordentown Rotary Club Young Professionals-Walk 4 Recovery-Love The Addict, Hate The Disease-Covered by Photojournalist Deirdre Ryan
Last night, I volunteered my photography services with my local Rotary Club for the first Walk 4 Recovery(#walk4recovery). We all met at Hope Hose Humane Co. 1 Firehouse, which is literally steps from my home. The night was cold, our breaths made clouds in the air, but the common ground we all stood upon was one to last and encourage.
This walk was also to support those fighting against addictions, which is a disease, their families and friends who are helping them. To get rid of the stigma of addiction.
I saw many who have lost family members, and friends to addiction, a lot of familiar faces. One family here in Bordentown have lost a son and, very recently, lost a daughter to addiction.
Our local police blocked off the streets, making it safe for us to walk. This was all made possible by volunteers, from the t-shirts, the food, everything. Bill Mercantini, our Bordentown Rotary Club President spoke, then Mayor Lynch. Angelique Flynn spoke of her struggles with addiction, who is now 8 years sober. Father Matt Tucker offered a prayer and spoke out at least 50 names of those lost or struggling. This walk was enormous for its the first time, I think about 200 people attended.
Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
The article below is from The Burlington County Times, their reporter, Kelly Kultys and photographer Dave Hernandez, covered the event, as well as The Register-News(which is now back).
http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20181114/bordentown-residents-walk-for-recovery
Bordentown residents walk for recovery
By Kelly Kultys
Posted Nov 14, 2018 at 9:40 PM Updated Nov 14, 2018 at 10:41 PM
The Bordentown Rotary Club and the Young Professional Rotary Club of Bordentown hosted the first Candlelight Walk as a way to help break the stigma of addiction.
BORDENTOWN CITY — “I walk for …” signs covered the backs of hundreds of people Wednesday night as they walked with candles in hand around the city.
The crowd gathered together for the first Rotary4Recovery walk, aimed at helping break the stigma of addiction and recovery.
Dawn Walton, of Mansfield, was walking for her son Boomer who passed away on Aug. 12 after he struggled with addiction.
“It’s great to see everyone come together and support this,” she said.
The walk was organized by the Young Professional Rotary Club of Bordentown, a new group formed out of the Bordentown Rotary, which began earlier this year.
Co-chairs Hillary Moore and Katrina Brophy, both of Bordentown City, said they thought it was important to get everyone together and show they supported those in recovery.
“I personally have lost someone to addiction,” Moore said.
That’s why she said it was important to get a large crowd together to “break the stigma” that those with addiction face.
Bill Mercantini, the president of the Bordentown Rotary, said the event had been a vision of his for a while and he was glad to be a part of the walk for those in recovery.
“I’m walking for Nick,” he said, referring to a family member.
For many of those in attendance, the loss from addiction weighed heavily on their minds as they walked. Michelle Trogdon, of Hamilton, Shannon Sticca, of Bordentown Township, and Chris Millington, of Bordentown Township, said between their family and friends they lost three people to overdoses within a three-week span over the summer.
Millington said it was great to see more than 200 people turn out for the walk.
“It’s so awesome and the thing is, it’s a sad thing and it’s a good thing, we know everyone here pretty much and it’s kind of sad because we’re all so connected,” she said.
For Angelique Flynn, of Burlington City, being a part of the walk allowed her to share her story to try and inspire others in recovery.
“I’m active in the community as a volunteer,” she said. “I own my business, I teach yoga. I am a homeowner and I live a truly amazing life and I’m so blessed to have it. I tell you all of this because this wasn’t always my story.”
She recalled trying to fill a void in her life and never being quite able to do so.
“My favorite thing to use was drugs,” she said.
Eventually, she was able to get into a 12-step program and now has been sober for eight years, but she still sees how addiction is affecting her community.
“The longer I stay clean, the more people I’ve lost,” she said.
Bordentown City Mayor Jim Lynch said the best way to try and tackle the problem is to come together for events like the walk to show that the community members support each other.
“You have no better cooperation than we have right now between the two municipalities (Bordentown City and Bordentown Township),” he said.
Lynch highlighted the work of resident Kevin Moore, who has been active with Bordentown Residents Against Drugs, and currently serves as the Bordentown Township/City Municipal Alliance Coordinator, for his work to bring resources and awareness to those struggling.
Before the walk, a list of more than 50 names of people both living and deceased who had battled or were battling addiction was read so that those walking would have them on their minds.
Here are some of the images that I took the other night:
Toscanos donated their fabulous Mac-N-Cheese!
Hampton Behavior Health Center
Bill Mercantini our Bordentown Rotary Club President. 
Bordentown Mayor Lynch
Angelique Flynn
Hilary Moore of the Young Professionals Bordentown Rotary Club.
Father Matt Tucker
Hilary Moore asking for a moment of silence before heading out.
Once again, thank you all for participating and volunteering. This event I think will be even bigger next year.
Yours In Rotary,
Deirdre
Below is Brielle’s horse, 
After this image, I stayed on to watch some more classes, that were mainly Western, with Lillian. It was fun to relax, chat and of course be around horses 🙂
Terry and the boys with the guys of Eepybird.com and that’s John in the background helping to clean up.
Bill and I 🙂
Our daughter was trying something and it didn’t quite work out so my husband got in his trunk of “Old Stuff”.
This is
Jen speaking to the crowd gathered.
Everyone walked around the block, from Farnsworth Ave, to Walnut St., Prince St. up Railroad Ave., and back to the Veteran’s Memorial on Farnsworth Ave. where we began. The Bordentown Police Department made sure we had a safe and peaceful vigil, thank you so much!
The children got up to start singing.
They were playing music from an iPod(I think) and Kid Rock’s Cowboy played twice. I thought it was funny, because I kind of like that song, but wondered what that had to do with anything.
The two people here in the middle were pretty cool to chat with, we spoke about music and I was digging her boots 🙂
All in all, it was very peaceful, some heated discussions, but that was to be expected.
A young man(he appeared to be of Latino background) from Georgia and this woman were having a discussion about slavery.
He then had to back off and Google 
Here she is with her three fabulous and beautiful friends, just like her 😀 You had just educated someone that day, remember that.
Don’s Johns were locked up in this area. You may have heard or read about someone covering up the logo for the 
People were leaving their signs in places to be noticed, in remembrance…
Mother and daughter….
The sun was setting, the clouds were grey, the light was fading fast. But my lens was fast as well to continue to capture this family in front of Abe Lincoln’s statue at the top of the stairs of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
These two best little girlfriends at the end of a long day with their signs.
The line at the Metro station in front of the Archives Building was long!
Can you see the people waay in the back? Yeah that’s part of the line.
I don’t know where to begin either….
But as a business, I do have to pay my taxes every quarter and every year….
The Onondowa’ga’ American Indians with the Onondaga Nation’s (“People of the Hills”) flag.
I managed to get inside the rally with my backpack, it weighed 25 lbs, on me it was huge, as I’m just 5’0 and around 100lbs. I was super polite and determined to get through the crowd. And then I came to a fence. No one would let me in because even though I had a press pass, I wasn’t able to get the Media Credentials. Security said that I should’ve gotten there sooner. Well I tried, but the crowds were crazy, my bus was parked in MD, and it took longer than expected to get there. I was upset, exhausted, sore and more than anything, disappointed. Disappointed because I wanted to do the very best job that I was asked to do, and I was sooo close to getting to the stage.
So I’m just standing there, catching my breath, figuring out my next move while taking some photos. I then hear a woman say to me, you’re making me feel uncomfortable. Thinking that I had hit her with my bag, I immediately said I’m sorry, that I was with an organization and was trying to do my job of documenting the event. I showed her my pass, and yet she kept talking….I’m very uncomfortable with you and your backpack…I’m still not getting it. I had not been able to eat lunch yet, so I said, I’m sorry what? She said, Boston? Backpack? You weren’t checked in by security, so I’m very uncomfortable with you being here. Once again, patiently I said, politely explained who I was with, etc., and she kept going on and on. Finally I was like, where can I go? You’re making me uncomfortable by saying these things to me, you know what’s uncomfortable? Carrying around my gear, all day, gladly, and not being able to go to a certain point to do my job! Then the other women around me started telling her to be quiet, and that I was just fine, and that we are all here to support one another. She finally stopped, but really there’s always one person….
As you can see, I was really close, and don’t think I wasn’t tempted to make a jump for it. But after much thought, I decided I needed to get out of there as the march was going to start really soon at this point.
So once again, I wiggled out of there, excuse me please, excuse me please, thank you, excuse me please, excuse me please, thank you, until I got out. My name that day was The Excuse Me Please Girl with the Big Camera Backpack….
Back on C St., everyone was filing out, and somewhere the march had started….
I loved this guy <3
Someone was listening to me…
I found another pile of steel to stand up on, so I climbed up and had fun!
This mother and her daughters were chanting, this is what Democracy looks like! This is what Democracy sounds like!
Entire families were there. My aunt, uncle, sister-in law and my niece were somewhere there too! I tried to find them, but phones, and connections didn’t work very well that day.
I loved how people would stop in front of me so that I could take their picture.
Many people were there from Standing Rock. By now I was hearing drums….
Love her sunglasses, Pink Batgirl!
Pure joy….
I actually ran into friends on this busy corner! The woman on the left wearing the green jacket is one of my daughter’s 
After eating, I made my way around, taking more photos….the march has pretty much ended it seemed in this area.
People on the stage were still speaking…
I just followed everyone and found great people and their signs…
I said something funny and wrong to get their reactions…
I took their photos with their cell phones, and then I took one with mine, an even trade…
Of course there was a group of extreme Christians, blaring Bible quotes into a speakerphone across the street. They kept turning up the volume. Everyone gets to have a voice 🙂 
I loved this sign that simply said…Ugh!
This young woman next to me was with her mom who was live Tweeting I think, was shouting out anti-Trump and positive women chants for the crowds. It was really great!
I personally love the Catholics For Choice group….
This was great! A pink pussy cat shaped like a traditional Chinese Dragon used to celebrate New Year’s.
I got my picture taken a few times too!
This woman stopped right in front of me so that I could take her picture, I didn’t have to ask her to do anything.
