The 4th annual Art of Recovery Expo will open its doors to the community on September 20, 2008, at the Phoenix Convention Center with a message of hope and help. The Expo is part of National Recovery Month and is free to the public.

Each year a variety of sponsors and exhibitors, everything from coalitions, government agencies and treatment organizations, set up displays at the Expo offering resources, education and hope. Exhibitor and sponsor packets are still open and organizations are encouraged to call or visit the Web site to find out how they can get involved in this great event. The Expo is one of the largest events supporting recovery organizations in Arizona each year.

This year's presenting speakers will be Todd Crandall and Gary Stromberg. Crandall is the founder of Racing for Recovery and the author of From Addict to Ironman. Crandall became sober in 1993 after drugs nearly destroyed his life. Today he competes in triathlons, is a motivational speaker and regularly featured in national media outlets. Stromberg founded an influential music public relations firm in the sixties and seventies and is the author of several books on the dangers of the industry. He has represented such well-known musical artists and sports figures as The Rolling Stones, Muhammad Ali, Neil Diamond and Ray Charles among others.

The Art of Recovery Expo opened doors for the first time over three and a half years ago under the direction of founder Barbara Nicholson-Brown and her husband president Bill Brown. The couple, who faced their own struggles with addiction nearly two decades ago, started the Expo to reach out to addicts, recovering addicts and the community and to help them find resources, education and hope.