Since the establishment of the original Tom Perry Wellness Center on the Plains Highway and the relocation of the center, post-tornado, to its current East Furlow Street location, several longtime peers and staff have been associated with the mental health and substance abuse recovery program. One such peer, Connie Rutherford, enjoys recollecting early days with Stuart Perry when the program began.

“Stuart Perry is a great man, a great friend, and supporter of mine,” Connie says. “I enjoy calling him my friend.”

The feeling is definitely mutual. Connie works hard on not only her own recovery, but the well-being of others. Between groups and routine chores at the center, she always finds time to plans creative projects for her peers.

“I like to expand my mind and be creative,” she explains. “I am blessed to be able to take magazines, colored pages, and plan design projects for my peer friends. It is fun, and they seem to enjoy the projects.”

In the photo above, Connie Rutherford pulls together magazine pages for another creative project.