The YAY Foundation is a non-profit group in Durango, Colorado that uses comedy and the healing power of laughter to help people dealing with addiction, depression and physical health issues and making those conversations more approachable. In this episode we talk about the exciting upcoming event called YAY For Recovery!! and my two guests who do so much for our community are Aidan Park, an actor, comedian and author who founded YAY in 2022 and Ben Gross who is the program director. Through grants and sponsorships from many local and national organizations, the YAY Foundation is able to host regular events throughout Colorado and around the country. On Saturday August 9th from 10am - 4pm the event YAY For Recovery!! will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 910 East 3rd Avenue and will consist of a “Day Long Journey to Wellness” featuring sound healing, various workshops, a comedy show and meditations. Recovery can include eating disorders, social media addiction as well as mental health issues and drug addiction. John Bruna, Holly Duckworth and Linda Bond will also be leading the healing sessions and a complementary lunch will be provided by The Soup Palette. Through these workshops Aiden and Ben create a sense of belonging and self worth for the participants. The cost is by donation only and pay what you can.

For more information or to sign up for the event you can visit their website at www.theyayfoundation.org and on Instagram and FaceBook @theyayfoundation.