Strawberry To Speak

At MCCA Awards Dinner

DANBURY — Yankee baseball star Darryl Strawberry will be the featured speaker at the Midwestern Connecticut Council on Alcoholism (MCCA) annual Awards Dinner December 6 at the Amber Room in Danbury.

Strawberry, who has hit more than 300 home runs for three World Series championship teams, has been in recovery from addiction to alcohol and cocaine since 1995. He once said that hitting a home run is easier than staying in recovery.

“We’ve had sports stars in the past, but to have an active sports hero coming right out of the World Series is a thrill,” said Joe Sullivan, MCCA executive director. Strawberry’s recovery “hasn’t been without its setbacks,” Mr Sullivan said. “But that provides an important message to young people, that it’s better to never start drugs to begin with. At the same time, Darryl provides an example to all of us who get knocked down. He keeps getting back up.”

“I want to reach kids with the message that alcohol and other drugs can take over your life no matter who you are, and destroy everything you’ve ever worked for – your talent, your career, your self-respect, and even your family,” said the 36-year-old Yankee outfielder.

The MCCA Awards Dinner honors local, state and national individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the prevention and treatment of chemical dependency.

For more information on the dinner, or to make reservations, contact Karen Hambridge at MCCA, 238 White Street, Danbury, 203/792-4515.