On February 1, 2025, Lynnhurst resident Jonathan Parke experienced a critical brain hemorrhage and was hospitalized in the Neuro ICU at Abbott for two weeks. After, when he was home recovering from his injury and not able to work, he realized he wanted to find a way to give back to the community. “I felt lucky to be alive,” he says. “I had a lot of time to think. I started focusing on something that had been missing for me, and how I might be able to provide it to others.”
That missing piece: Someone to connect with, who had walked in his shoes, a person with alcoholism, who knew the ups and downs of navigating a sober life while advancing their professional career. Jonathan – himself a person with alcoholism – has been sober for 13.5 years. “What has kept me sober,” he says, “is the ability to be open, to talk about it.”
Jonathan had amazing support from family and friends over the years, but he longed to connect with someone about the challenges he faced professionally. “How could I travel, network, attend happy hours, and manage triggers while not limiting career growth? It’s not an easy thing to tackle, especially early on,” he says.
It was that feeling that led him down the road to starting a support group. The goal: Be a safe space where people can come together to talk about how alcohol or drugs is affecting their daily lives, whether personally or through another friend or family member.
Why a neighborhood support group?
At Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, Jonathan would occasionally see people he recognized from the neighborhood. “There are so many people who live so close to us, but we rarely take the time to connect,” he says. I know there are other neighbors going through the same thing as me, and I want to have the opportunity to connect with them.”
The group – named Recovery Room – meets monthly at the Lynnhurst Rec Center. Jonathan says it’s not meant to replace AA, but to be a hyper-local support tool. “Some folks are hesitant to try AA, but they should still have an easily accessible place of support,” he says. “I try to be as open as possible about my situation, but there are still times I need friends, neighbors, other parents to talk to, to support me, to keep me in check. I want people to know they’re not alone in this situation, and if they’re scared, help is literally right around the corner.”
Everyone is Welcome
The Recovery Room group is open to anyone. The only ask – come willing to share and be respectful of everyone. “Whatever you’re trying to tackle at that moment, just come and talk. No judgement,” Jonathan says.
“Selfishly speaking, this is great for me too! I hope it helps others in our neighborhood, but I’m not going to lie, it’s really good for me also,” he adds. “Vulnerability makes us stronger and I want to enable that strength for anyone in need. This is simply a room to open up safely and feel connected.”
Jonathan and his wife Marissa have lived in the Lynnhurst neighborhood for seven years. Their two children attend Burroughs Elementary. Jonathan is a former Lynnhurst Neighborhood Association board member. If you’re a Lake Harriet regular, you’ve likely seen him out for a run. If not, you’ve almost certainly spotted him walking Violet, the family’s unmistakable French Mastiff.
You can reach out to Jonathan at parkejonathan@gmail.com.