Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families

Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families
Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families (CTYF) is a statewide organization established to strengthen Connecticut's prevention, treatment and recovery support services for youth and families. CTYF's mission is to help youth and families facing drug and alcohol problems connect with prevention, treatment and recovery services through a statewide network of peer-to-peer supports. CTYF is a unified voice of people who have "been there" working together to strengthen families and communities, improve policies and practices, and, above all, save lives.
 
CTYF has two staff members who contribute to Reclaiming Futures Every Day: Donna Aligata, Executive Director, and Greg Williams, Co-Director. Their bios are below:


Donna Aligata, Executive Director of Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families

Donna Aligata is a person in long-term recovery, a child from an alcoholic family and mother of four. Because she has much in common with other parents and family members affected by alcohol and other drugs in their families, Donna has worked in the field of addictions and mental health for the past 34 years.
 
In addition to directing CTYF, Donna is the president of Gold Cottage Industries, Inc., a Connecticut consulting agency and is a psychiatric nurse. Over the past ten years, she's written grants that brought in over 33 million dollars in new programs. She has worked with many federal agencies as a facilitator, trainer, and grantee. For eight years, she helped to lead and direct services at "THE CENTER," the State of Connecticut's Addiction Counselor Training Institute, credited with providing 250 courses annually for developing certified addiction counselors to work within the community.
 
Greg Williams, Co-Director of Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families
 

Greg Williams is a 25-year-old young person who has been in long-term recovery from drugs and alcohol since age 17. Through his seven years of sustained recovery, he has coached and supported hundreds of youth and has gratefully watched these young people succeed in sustained recovery and rebuild their family relationships.
 
Also an experienced documentary filmmaker, Greg has been allowed by a vast network of young people in recovery to capture their stories and inspiring messages of hope on video. Recent films include: Central Pride, Mars, and Vinnie. His films have been used effectively as tools in schools, treatment programs, and recovery groups, as well as state policy meetings.
 
Now the films are being used as recovery support vehicles for youth and families to connect via CTYF's new state-of-the-art website. Greg served as the project manager responsible for facilitating the construction and implementation of the website, and now works as the content manager responsible for daily updates. The site has received national attention as an innovative approach to youth and family recovery support.