TORCH Assembly

On Thursday, August 31, 2017, the entire Fergus High School attended a substance abuse assembly put on by a non-profit organization called TORCH. The students all witnessed a powerful testimony by Kyle Sweeney, a former Fergus graduate, that moved them and opened their eyes about what can happen as a result of addiction. TORCH is a group that helps anyone dealing with substance abuse get back on their feet. It stands for, “Together Our Recovery Center Heals.” TORCH in Lewistown was created by Derek Gibbs who has dealt with substance abuse himself and is looking to help others cope with it. They hold many events to reach out to our community and all of their time is volunteer.

Several students shared that Kyle’s story was the most heart touching. Kyle Sweeney shared his struggles with substance abuse and everything it took away from him. It took away the one thing that meant the most to him: his son. His addiction had become so bad that family services stepped in and had to remove his son from the home. Kyle needed to clean up his act. He was wrecking vehicles without remembering anything he had done previously because of the drugs. When his son was taken away from him, that was his awakening. Kyle reached out for help. His emotions began to run high when he talked about his son returning back in his arms. He said, “He was the biggest blessing…” Kyle showed all of us that recovery is possible and that it’s ok to reach out.

Taylre Sweeney, Kyle Sweeney’s sister, is the advisor of the Young People in Recovery (YPR) Chapter in the Fergus High School. YPR is a great program that allows younger people to make a difference and cope with their problem without judgment. Anyone can become involved and help with the recovery of others. It is a group that helps change the world by helping all young people have a chance at a new beginning. Taylre spoke to everyone on how she became involved with TORCH and YPR. When Taylre was younger, her father passed away from drinking and driving. She then talked about how her brother’s problems hit a little too close to home. She talked about how while she was growing up and her brother was off drinking or doing other drugs, she felt as if she had no older brother. She had no male figure to help her since her father was gone and her brother was lost in this thing we all call life.

Another active member in YPR is Fergus’s own Kristen Durbin. Kristen is also the new Miss Teen Montana and shared her connection to YPR and TORCH. Kristen said, “It’s a great program to get involved in because you are always supported in what you do. There’s never a feeling of judgment with what you are going through, even if what you might be going through isn’t related to personal recovery.” She had chosen YPR to be her program to represent throughout her campaign. She shared with the audience about how one of her very close friends had chosen substance abuse and how it tore apart their friendship.

Heather Jones spoke about her family’s experience when her brother overdosed on drugs and was gone one morning when she woke up. She went on Facebook that morning and found out something was going on. Unfortunately, her brother had passed away, and at that moment all she could think about was what happened to him. He was sent to be examined and for months she waited to hear the result of her brothers death. She spoke about how she never knew he was struggling with addiction was always a fun, loving person. Heather revealed how her life has changed since her brother’s passing and how she would like to reach out to share her story in order to help others who struggle.

TORCH teamed up with our Montana Attorney General, Tim Fox. TORCH chapter president, James Phelps, talked about how he believes in the organization since he is in recovery himself. Tim Fox spoke about what his office is doing to act upon substance abuse in Montana. He considers the people who have faced their abuse problem one-on-one and recovered heroes. It was great to hear all of the speakers stories and the outcome substance abuse situations may have.