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Savoring Second Chances on ‘Small Business Saturday’

This Saturday, November 24, is Small Business Saturday, a day to celebrate small businesses and all that they contribute to our communities. The Office of National Drug Control Policy joins in this effort to support small businesses, and we extend a special “thank you” to businesses that give people in recovery the second chance they rightfully deserve.

Gwendolyn’s Café is a small business in Fort Myers, Florida, that knows the value of hiring someone in recovery. Owner and operator Gwendolyn Howard started the restaurant in 2010 and has since hired about 20 people in recovery from drug or alcohol abuse. Howard made these hiring decisions because, as a recovering alcoholic herself, she knows that a past addiction does not determine the quality of someone’s character.

Howard changes lives by providing job opportunities, an important step for people in recovery as they join society as sober citizens. Best of all, with a steady job and a life free of substance use, many of Howard’s recovering employees benefit further by getting back their children, family, and friends.

We thank all of the small business owners across the Nation who, like Howard, support people in recovery. Tweet with us on Saturday to show how you are honoring #SmallBizSat and people in #recovery.