By Pat C.
Fifty-five students graduated or moved to different programs in June. Their exodus allowed the possibility of further consolidating the remaining students into six family units. But it also raised the question of what these units would be called.
Families two and three combined, leaving a reason for the families to change their names. The new names are Betton House, Lake House, Mann House, Smith House, Wilson House, and Talbot House. Each house was named after a person in recovery who portrayed hope that sobriety is possible.
Betton House is named after Betty and Tony Argiros, founders of The Family Foundation School. After finding recovery in Brooklyn, Betty and Tony decided that their family needed a change so they moved to the Callicoon area. Their three children also got involved in Twelve Step work. The Argiros’ family soon realized that helping others was very important to their recovery. With this in mind, Betty and Tony opened their house to anyone who needed help; their house became known as The Family. As the population of the house increased, the community became known as The Family Foundation School.
Lake House is named after Handsome Lake, a religious leader of the Iroquois people. As Lake grew older he witnessed the gradual deterioration of his society which led him to drinking. Lake had a series of visions warning him about the dangers of drinking. One day he realized that he was out of control and that he needed help. He threw himself into recovery and soon began helping others. Lake preached against drug abuse and other evil practices such as witchcraft, sexual promiscuity, quarreling and gambling. He dedicated his life to these principles and his teaching still remains a compelling force among the Iroquois today.
Mann House is named after Marty Mann, the first woman in Alcoholics Anonymous. Mann’s drinking began in her late teens and quickly began to endanger her business, family, and her life. One day she realized that she couldn’t live the way she was living anymore and attended her first AA meeting. Despite several relapses in her first year of recovery, Mann renewed her commitment to recovery and it eventually worked. Once experiencing the serenity that comes with recovery, Mann dedicated her life to helping others, especially women.
Smith House is named after Dr. Bob Smith, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Soon after he started drinking, alcohol began to take a toll on his life. After multiple visits to hospitals and psychiatric units, Smith ran into the other co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson. Smith and Wilson began to realize that they could help each other not drink if they shared their experience, strength and hope with other people. Over the course of Smith’s life he helped more than 5000 alcoholic men and women, and set the foundation for people in recovery today.
Wilson House is named after Bill Wilson, Smith’s co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Drinking controlled Wilson’s life and led him to many hospitals and psychiatric units in order to help him recover from tremors and other negative effects of drinking. Many doctors said that there was no hope for Wilson and that he would drink himself to death eventually.
But Wilson teamed up with Smith and began sharing his experience, strength and hope with others. Helping others out and having other alcoholics over to his house to talk about their struggles saved Wilson’s life.
Talbot House is named after Matt Talbot, an Irish ascetic. Talbot grew up around drinking, whether it was at work or home, and he fell in love with alcohol. Eventually, Talbot had no money and couldn’t maintain anything in his life because of drinking.
After sixteen years of drinking, Talbot realized that something had to change and he devoted his life to prayer and daily Mass. He became an icon in the Irish temperance movement, and is an inspiration to alcoholics around the world, finishing his life with 40 years of sobriety.
These role models of sobriety are a perfect base for the new names of the houses at FFS. They really provide hope that recovery is possible if you work a strong 12-step program.
