It’s hard to miss Mearl Bergeson every other Tuesday at Recovery Café. Initially his height might catch your eye – Mearl is strikingly tall and handles a mop with lithe grace – but as he turns and you glimpse his face, that’s what makes an impression. Mearl simply beams. And it’s not just cheerfulness but … Continued
On February 6th we hosted our annual Faithful Friends Gathering at the Café. This gathering is a time to thank the donors, volunteers, community members, and Recovery Café Members who have made long-term commitments to our healing and life-changing work. The event, highlighted by a moving talk from Killian, an awards presentation to a few … Continued
Thank you to everyone in our community who rallied with us to attend the King County Behavioral Health Legislative Forum! We were thrilled to have more than 50 people attend and represent Recovery Café to celebrate recovery and to encourage our elected officials to support Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder services. Among many highlights, Recovery … Continued
Love and Transformation: One Cup at a Time By Ashley Dykstra Michael King has been pouring espresso for more than 20 years and after attending a ‘Coffee Hour’ tour, held on the first Thursday of each month, he decided to volunteer his craft to Recovery Café. “Being a barista allows me to perform many acts … Continued
The Power of Visual Storytelling On a slightly cloudy Saturday afternoon at Recovery Café, the ten or so Members who sat around tables spread throughout the room seemed timid. They were looking at the prompts on the whiteboard in the first of two Visual Storytelling Workshops hosted at the Café by Erika Berg, figuring out … Continued
Thank you Japanese Presbyterian Church! Weeding the entire parameter of the Recovery Café building and parking lot, removing 4 feet of ivy off the top of a 16 foot wall, trimming the trees, bushes and decorative grasses that are a part of our landscaping, and spreading 15 yards of wood chips in one day … Continued
Welcome Jesuit Volunteers! We are proud to introduce to you the new Jesuit Volunteers joining us at Recovery Café! Samantha Walshak will support our operations team as Radical Hospitality Coordinator and Emily Tormey will recruit, lead and retain volunteers as Volunteer Coordinator. Both were selected for their high levels of compassion for others, integrity, and … Continued
By guest author: Natasha Vhugen Every Wednesday at 12:30 pm, exactly when our 5 minutes of meditative silence commences, Pete Wickstrand enters Recovery Café. The Café enters a silent trance like that of a temple during this time and one feels that calming presence deepen when Peter enters—our Minister of Presence is here. Mr. … Continued
On Tuesday, February 9, we honored three individuals that have gone above and beyond to help our community at our annual Faithful Friends Gathering. We are humbled to receive the support of Vince Collins, Diane Tomhave and Anne Frantilla. Thank you to everyone that came to celebrate these three amazing people! Please read how each … Continued
On the surface, it’s not obvious. It’s not obvious why the bright-eyed, cheerful woman before me is such a natural fit for the role of Minister of Presence here at the Recovery Café. Until just a couple of years ago, Mary Ann Knowles was a homemaker, capably running a comfortable household in one of Bellevue’s … Continued