PRESQUE ISLE and CARIBOU, Maine — Aroostook Mental Health Services Inc. and the Aroostook Rural Communities Opioid Response Program will welcome a former Boston Celtics player to The County to share his recovery journey.
“Chris Herren: Changing the Conversation” will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Caribou Performing Arts Center.
“We are extremely pleased to bring Chris Herren to Aroostook County,” said Erik Lamoreau, AMHC Project Coordinator.
“Chris will do a community talk on Tuesday evening, and on Wednesday, more than 1,500 9th- and 10th-graders from 14 schools will participate in one of two presentations,” Lamoreau said. “Through Herren Talks, Chris has spoken to over one million students and community members, sparking honest discussions about substance use disorder and wellness.”
An extraordinary basketball player, Herren was a celebrated star in his native Fall River, Massachusetts, before graduating from high school. He went on to play at Boston College and Fresno State, two seasons in the NBA — including one with his hometown team, the Boston Celtics — and seven seasons overseas before losing it all to the disease of addiction.
His recovery journey has been documented in the bestselling memoir, “Basketball Junkie,” the Emmy-nominated ESPN Films documentary, “Unguarded,” and in countless local, national and international stories by The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, among others.
Both the community and school events are provided by the Aroostook Communities Opioid Response Program, which includes AMHC, Northern Light AR Gould Hospital in Presque Isle, Houlton Regional Hospital, Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent, The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, Mi’kmaq Behavioral Health Center, and the local recovery community.
Tickets to the community event are free, but registration is required at www.amhc.org.
For questions, contact Lamoreau at elamoreau@amhc.org or 207-554-2352 ext. 104.
