The West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network is hosting its 2nd annual state conference Friday, Sept. 24 in Lewisburg, West Virginia, at West Virginia Building Annex, located on the state fairgrounds. This year’s conference will revolve around the theme of music, while being focused on students. The first 150 registrants will have the option to receive a free ticket to the Healing Appalachia music festival, which will take place at the concert venue on the state fairgrounds on Sept. 24 and 25. As the conference ends at 3 p.m., concert gates will open.

The event will feature well-known speakers, including Dr. Maggie Moore, who has used Appalachian instruments to lead music therapy sessions in the Mountain State. Current conference sponsors include West Virginia SADD, Ascension Recovery, Community Connections Inc., Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities, Red Oak Recovery and Healing Appalachia.

The goal of the conference is to highlight that higher education is for everyone and that through collegiate recovery programs students can find success with their recovery and educational goals. The West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network is offering a $500 scholarship to a student in recovery, to be used at any West Virginia higher education institution. The recipient will be recognized at this year’s conference. To access conference registration, the student award application, and sponsorship form, visit www.marshall.edu/crn.

Susie Mullens, who serves as project coordinator for the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network, is looking forward to this year’s event.

“We are so grateful to be collaborating with Healing Appalachia and Hope in the Hills to incorporate music into this year’s conference,” Mullens said. “Recovery is about healing and connecting, and music provides an opportunity for both.”

The West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network is a project of the Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern West Virginia, a higher education collaborative chaired by Marshall University. For more information on the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network and its initiatives, contact Mullens by e-mail at mullens20@marshall.edu.