photo by: Contributed photo

Organizers and some attendees of the National Recovery Walk event pose for a picture at South Park on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023.

Recounting his journey from Lansing Correctional Facility to mayor of Leavenworth, Jermaine Wilson’s message to attendees of Saturday’s Recovery Walk at South Park was to never allow your past to define you.

“Learn from your past, but don’t live in it,” Wilson said, telling the Journal-World that his words of encouragement were well-received. “People told me the speech was very inspiring and gave them hope to help them along their journey of becoming sober.”

photo by: Contributed

Leavenworth Mayor Jermaine Wilson attends the national Recovery Walk event at South Park on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023.

Wilson said that his outlook on life changed after joining the prison fellowship program while incarcerated for a drug conviction.

“Don’t allow the perceptions of others to become your reality,” he said.

photo by: Matt Resnick | Journal World

A luminary display was set up at South Park on Saturday, Set. 9, 2023, honoring those who have succumbed to drug addiction.

Designed to increase public awareness in the realm of mental health and addiction recovery, the event was hosted by the Douglas County government in observance of National Recovery Month. The event, which included a walk around the park and a luminary display, also promotes and supports “evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible,” according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.