FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. (September 25, 2023) – No matter what the pundits say, celebrity endorsements carry weight with the public, especially when related to issues affecting millions of Americans. Even more powerful and rare are celebrities stepping up to share how their faith played a pivotal role in a situation.
For those in recovery, battling active addiction or caring for and serving those in recovery, keynote speaker Darryl Strawberry’s words resonated Sunday evening during the Under the Harvest Moon Gala.
Hosted by Open Door Re-Entry and Recovery Ministry, Strawberry wasn’t the four-time Major League Baseball world champion, legendary All-Star, high flying, fast living celebrity known to baseball fans around the world.
Before a sold-out crowd at the Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa, Strawberry was a humbled man, a person transformed by the grace of God, an addict in recovery, whose powerful testimony was an endorsement for trusting God and having hope.
His challenges echoed those of so many others who had shared their stories at galas of the past, and the impact of turning to faith for guidance and salvation.
“I’m just a guy that’s been saved by grace, was full of darkness, sin, drugs, alcohol, money, women, fame, and met Jesus. He turned my whole life around, and I became a man,” said Strawberry. “I’m not just a normal person that’s walking around and saying I struggle with things. I don’t struggle. I’m not a victim of what happened to me, I’m an overcomer.”
Strawberry’s message is one that anyone facing challenges can take to heart.
“They have to come to the point of surrender. Faith has always been here, but our country has taken faith out of everything. If you take faith out of everything guess what you get? You get darkness. That’s what we’re looking at. Our young people don’t know who they are, committing suicide, using drugs, trying to fill that empty void that’s on the inside,” he said.
Setting the Example
Growing up as a young man in New York, Marc Dwyer looked up to Darryl Strawberry and his accomplishments as a professional athlete and saw a role model. On Sunday night, Dwyer looked up to him for his candid testimony and reverence for the impact God has had on his life.
“I’m a Queens boy, grew up there, went to Queens College in Flushing which is where Shea Stadium was. My father used to take me to Shea Stadium to watch Mets games. Darryl was the ushering in of the Mets becoming good again after 13 years, from 1973 to 86 when they were the jokes of the league,” recalled Dwyer.
“He brought my team back, so I was a very big fan. (I was) just really saddened to hear the life that happened to him and Doc Gooden. When I heard him speak tonight, he said words, he spoke a language of how and what Christ has done for his life, and understand that because God did the same thing for my life. I come from the streets of New York and I came very close to not being here today, many times. So, I know, when I hear somebody talk about the Lord of their life, I know what they are talking about. It was really refreshing to hear that.”
Others in the audience were just as moved by Strawberry’s story. Active in the community to assist those in need, members of the Rotary Club of Flagler Beach attended the event, and shared their appreciation for his honesty.
“It was a great event, and it’s great always coming out here and seeing people doing the right thing, on the road to recovery and actually hearing Darryl Strawberry tonight,” said Club President Roy Sieger.
“It was so great to hear about his experiences and how humble, even though he’s been a great baseball player for all those years, but he is nobody without God and that guidance, so that was very inspirational.”
Club member Sandra McDermott was impacted by his “raw, real” story.
“He was a very empowering speaker. No longer a proud man because Jesus Christ is the center of his life, and that makes him the success that he is now, in reality,” shared McDermott.
Recovery’s Front Lines
On the front lines of the recovery landscape, Karen Chrapek, executive director of the Volusia Recovery Alliance, was recognized by Strawberry for her work across the region.
“Karen loves people. I’ve seen her in action for many years, working with people who have struggled with addiction and her love for them to get them help has always been the most important thing,” said Strawberry.
“It’s never been about her, and I wish there were more people like that, that work in this field and understand that. It’s not about how much we know, it’s what we show to people, that’s what has made a difference with Karen and separates her from so many other people.”
Humble herself, Chrapek has more than 30 years in recovery, and her compassion for those she serves is a beacon of hope.
“Events like this cast a light that recovery is possible and should be expected. It’s so important that people understand that this is a brain disease, and that there is hope,” said Chrapek.
“The hope is that more people, because of events like this, will break down stigma and really understand that it’s okay to ask for help and to come into recovery. Every time someone who’s bigger than life like Darryl admits about the struggles that he’s had and what he’s done to overcome them, it makes it easier to ask for help. If he can do it with all his celebrity, and maintain humility, because humility is the antidote for shame and guilt, him being that kind of person that humbly tells his story, opens the door to others to get help.”
The annual Under the Harvest Moon Gala is one of the major fundraisers for the Flagler County-based Open Door Re-Entry and Recovery Ministry, led by Pastor Charles Silano. With an inspiring, transformational story of his own, he has seen continued success as more than a peer leader, serving as a community leader.
He was honored when the Mets Hall of Famer accepted his invitation to speak.
“I think the evening went spectacular. His message was spot on as far as the recovery process and what a person’s needs are, but also what the community can do to help that recovery process,” said Silano.
“He’s a man of faith, so he’s bold about the gospel. He’s preaching from experience as well as from the Bible, that’s actual knowledge right there,” he said.
“I’m so happy to have met him. I just took a chance, I called, and he responded. It’s a wonderful ministry, he pours his heart out. We got to spend some time together and we’ve become really close already, so I’m looking forward to this ongoing relationship.”
Never one to seek accolades, supporter and friend David Ayres, president and general manger of Flagler Broadcasting, commended Silano on his work in the community.
“I’ve never heard of a program with a 100% success rate. That is just astounding. The system, if people follow it and do it, they will be 100% successful. That’s almost unheard of in a recovery type of format. The fact that it is faith-based is so much more than other medical-based ones that are band-aids. This is the entire healing of a person,” said Ayres.
“Pastor Silano, I think, a lot of times, he’ll never pat himself on the back, but that’s something we all need to do, and recognize how blessed we are to have somebody like him in this community for all he does. Open Door Recovery, it’s really on the grow. This was an awesome event tonight. Darryl Strawberry coming in will take Open Door to the next level.”
The event raised more than $90,000 to help support projects and programs through the Open Door Re-Entry & Recovery Ministry.
