{"id":856,"date":"2019-10-30T13:36:25","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T17:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/?p=856"},"modified":"2019-10-30T13:36:25","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T17:36:25","slug":"vermonter-of-the-month-gary-de-carolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/vermonter-of-the-month-gary-de-carolis\/","title":{"rendered":"Vermonter of the Month:          Gary De Carolis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/Gary-and-TJ-posed-2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/Gary-and-TJ-posed-2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/Gary-and-TJ-posed-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/Gary-and-TJ-posed-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/Gary-and-TJ-posed-2-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Attorney General T.J. Donovan with Gary De Carolis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This is a monthly series in which&nbsp;the Attorney General will feature a Vermonter doing exemplary work in their community. Have someone you think should be featured? Email&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"mailto:AGO.CAP@vermont.gov\">AGO.CAP@vermont.gov<\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When\nreflecting on his 35+ year career in service to others, Gary De Carolis, Executive\nDirector of the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County, said, \u201cI\u2019ve had a\nblessed career.\u201d But the way we see it, Vermont has been blessed to have Gary serving\nas an advocate and leader in the fields of mental health and substance abuse. That\u2019s\nwhy Gary De Carolis is our October Vermonter of the Month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over\nhis career, Gary has served as a mental health counselor, children\u2019s mental health\nprofessional, the Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental\nHealth, the Chief of Children\u2019s Mental Health at the Center for Mental Health Services\nwithin the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA),\nand a consultant focusing on how best to serve children in custody in the\ncontext of their family and community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Gary serves as the Executive\nDirector of the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County where he has\ntransformed the Center from a staff of three with a budget of $175,000 to its\ncurrent staff of 15 with an annual budget over $700,000. Under his leadership, the\nTurning Point Center has expanded its footprint and broadened its scope of\nservices to better serve Vermonters seeking recovery. On average, the Turning Point\nCenter serves about 3,000 visiting guests each month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gary gave us a tour of the Turning\nPoint Center\u2019s new location on South Winooski Avenue in Burlington and talked\nwith us about his work as an advocate and counselor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What\ninspires you, or drives your passion for your work with the Turning Point\nCenter?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m inspired by the people\nwho walk through our door every day. Talented, bright, courageous people. I\u2019m\nin awe of them. To know that you live with a disease that you must be perfect\nwith\u2014one errant drink, one puff on a joint, or one pain killer for a broken\nlimb\u2014can set you into a spiral that could last for years. Courage doesn\u2019t begin\nto speak to the incredible strength that I\u2019ve witnessed for some 7 years now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What\nis the most rewarding aspect of your work with the Turning Point Center?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What I find most rewarding is\nto see someone walk through our doors with a sense of little hope for a better\nlife and over the weeks and months watch as they grow in strength to the point\nwhere the light of hope glows in them. It happens almost every day here.\nProviding a safe space, filling it with people in recovery to support our\nguests, and enriching it all with wonderful services are the ingredients for\nmiracles to happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What\nis the most challenging aspect of your work with the Turning Point Center?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What is hard is when someone\nis so overwhelmed with their life that it is hard, if not impossible, for them\nto focus on their recovery. Lack of housing probably is the biggest determinate\nin keeping someone in the cycle of active drug use. Also, trauma histories can\nbe so difficult to work though. We constantly recommend therapy as a part of\nsomeone\u2019s early recovery so that trauma doesn\u2019t end up being the boulder in\ntheir recovery path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other challenge, that is\na part of all non-profits, is raising enough funds to make all of this work!\nOur staff works very hard and deserves a decent income with benefits. We have\ncome a long way from when I began 7 years ago but we still need to go\nfurther.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The\nTurning Point Center of Chittenden County has grown under your leadership. What\nare some of the changes?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve\nplaced recovery coaches in the emergency department at the University of\nVermont Medical Center, and created a New Moms in Recovery Program for women\nseeking sobriety and maintaining custody of their children. We also have a\nwonderful Employment Consulting Program to make sure that all our guests who\nwant to work get a job. All these efforts have had tremendous success. We have\na wonderful team of recovery support specialists that greet each guest when\nthey enter the Center to ask them how they are doing in their recovery, what we\ncan do to support them and make referrals to other agencies for services.\nFinally, we have an elite team of 15 recovery coaches that are available for\nanyone who wants a more intimate relationship with someone in recovery as they\ngo through their unique recovery journey.&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What\ndo you want Vermonters to know about recovery? Do you feel there is stigma that\nneeds to be confronted?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I want all Vermonters to know\nthat recovery is not only possible, but that it happens every day. Please take\nthe time to get to know someone in recovery. Listen to their story. Ask\nquestions. I know you will come to see, as I have, that people in recovery are\namazing, insightful, and determined people who we are fortunate to have as\nfamily, friends and neighbors. They are gentle, but tough souls and we are\nbetter for them being in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What\nadvice do you have for other Vermonters looking to make an impact in their\ncommunity?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is always a tough\nquestion for me. We are grateful for the many people who donate to our Center.\nIt is so helpful in allowing us to offer all the services we do. Also, recently\nwe finished a capital campaign to buy our first building and renovate our space\nto work as a recovery center. I am so humbled by the community response to our\nasking for financial assistance. When people walk through our door, they all\nsay this space is so respectful and dignifying. That is what we were aiming\nfor! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For others, I recommend that you use your talent to help broaden people\u2019s understanding of addiction and recovery. Some Vermonters are amazing writers, some our phenomenal artists. When I\u2019ve seen those skills unleashed in this field it has transformed people who experience their gifts. I\u2019m thinking of Bess O\u2019Brien\u2019s documentary Hungry Heart or Kate O\u2019Neil\u2019s articles in Seven Days and the obituary she wrote of her sister Maddie who was addicted to opioids. The group Twiddle who write songs about addiction. There are so many ways to help. Serving on our board or various committees of the recovery center is yet another way of helping.  I always like Dante\u2019s quote \u201cIn times of crisis may the hottest place in hell be reserved for those that declare their neutrality.\u201d Get involved, and make a difference. It does matter.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-new-moms-room--1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-858\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-new-moms-room--1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-new-moms-room--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-new-moms-room--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-new-moms-room--450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Attorney General T.J. Donovan with Gary De Carolis in the Maddie Linsenmeir Room at the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/turning-point-center-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/turning-point-center-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/turning-point-center-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/turning-point-center-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/turning-point-center-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Murial outside of the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County&#8217;s new location on South Winooski Avenue in Burlington, Vermont<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-group-posed-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-860\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-group-posed-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-group-posed-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-group-posed-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/files\/2019\/10\/YES-group-posed-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Community meeting at the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is a monthly series in which&nbsp;the Attorney General will feature a Vermonter doing exemplary work in their community. Have someone you think should be featured? Email&nbsp;AGO.CAP@vermont.gov. When reflecting on his 35+ year career in service to others, Gary De Carolis, Executive Director of the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County, said, \u201cI\u2019ve had a&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/vermonter-of-the-month-gary-de-carolis\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Vermonter of the Month:          Gary De Carolis<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4519,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[609805,505445],"class_list":["post-856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-turning-point-center-of-chittenden-county","tag-vermonter-of-the-month","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":861,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856\/revisions\/861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}