Caroline Durava
In April, Herd Strategies is celebrating National Volunteer Month by highlighting local volunteer organizations and opportunities, showcasing ways we can use our passions, values and skillsets to #giveback and lift up our communities. Our first feature of the month is Caroline Durava, associate director of advancement for We Bloom, a local Indianapolis nonprofit focused on catalyzing health in communities.
Since graduating from Butler University and joining We Bloom at its inception as a fundraising and research intern, Caroline’s career has grown with the organization. Over the last five years, she has developed a passion for community building and the grassroots work of We Bloom and its network of recovery centers. She now serves as the associate director of advancement, overseeing fund development, marketing and communications, and new market expansion.
Indianapolis-based nonprofit We Bloom has served as the midwest regional catalyst of a national network of long-term recovery centers. Since 2019, it has helped to implement 14 Recovery Cafés and four youth-focused Discovery Cafés in Indiana alone. This spring, five more Cafés will join the national network, serving as safe places, resource hubs and community centers for anyone on a journey to recovery. Recovery Cafés — like Recovery Café Indy in downtown Indianapolis — provide meals, put on events and host workshops to holistically support their members’ minds, bodies and spirits. “One of the guiding principles of Recovery and Discovery Café Indy is giving back. Giving back and getting involved are crucial to being in a community with one another. It evens the playing field and allows us all to contribute through our greatest strengths,” Caroline said.
The need for recovery resources is at an all-time high. “In the past couple of years, the state of Indiana has seen increased overdose rates, increased suicide rates and increased anxiety, depression, loneliness and disconnection,” Caroline said. By providing ways for members to access treatment and stable housing, helping members reconnect with their families and working with community partners to share resources, Recovery Cafés are responding to the needs of our communities in life-changing ways. “Our Recovery Cafés help bring healing to individuals, but the impact of Recovery Cafés on the community is ten-fold,” she said.
Caroline shared that there are several ways that volunteers can support Recovery Café Indy programs. “Serving in our Café Companion role is a standard way for volunteers to get started on their journey with us - this role allows you to connect individually with members and guests, Caroline said. “This is an essential role in providing the loving, hospitable space that makes the Recovery Café such a unique and positive place. Listening and caring is the way love shines through.” During their visits, Café Companions often sit and talk, play games, read, or do crafts with members. Additionally, volunteers can teach classes in the Café’s School for Recovery or support our monthly Sober Social Events. “Because Recovery Cafés are usually small nonprofits or programs of existing nonprofits, volunteers can really take the space to the next level,” Caroline emphasized.
To keep up with Caroline, follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Follow We Bloom on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit their website; learn more about Recovery Café Indy by following them on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or by visiting their website. Click here to volunteer!
