Akron Life December 2022

in Just A Dad’s movement, such as Debbie Constant and Vicki Monsour, who volunteered at trunk or treat after attending the premiere. “It was awesome seeing so many kids and their stories in recovery, how Kenny helped them, how Kenny helped himself,” Constant says. The Just A Dad movement and Lambert’s story of addiction and recovery in Kenmore really hit home for Monsour. “I used in this area too,” says Monsour, 61, who has been sober for eight years. “So for him to make this movement here, … it’s really special.” Success is crucial — lives are at stake. “I’ve lost a lot of friends through addiction,” Lambert says. He and Amelia used to spend time with one father and his son, and the dad died of an overdose. With drug use, Lambert knows it could be anyone. “If I never got sober, I’d definitely be dead. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he says. Relapsing could mean not only risking death but also leaving Amelia without a father — so he keeps doing the work. Although she is just 5 years old, Amelia knows about her dad’s history of addiction. She’s been going to meetings with him since she was 11 months old and saw the documen tary. While he has been open with her about the challenges, he wants to show her that you can overcome anything and that anyone can make an impact. “I hope that she takes away the positive stuff, that she can be a light, that she is a light in the community,” he says, “and that she can do anything that she puts her mind to, and her dad will support her 100 percent.” Monsour says Lambert’s approach to recovery is different than others she has heard. To her, meetings for organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous could be triggering. Hearing

people share their stories and focus on their struggles made her feel like using. “In the documentary, they told their story, but they didn’t dwell on that,” she says. “They didn’t dwell on where they were in the past. They look toward the future and what they’re doing now to change their lives.” Envisioning the future is exactly what Lambert hopes people are doing. “I was actually at one point wanting to leave Kenmore, and I heard Kenny say that if all the good people leave Kenmore, there’s nobody left to help bring the community back,” says Watson. “So I decided to buy a house and plant my roots.” She’s now been in Kenmore for 15 years and is hoping to keep impacting the com munity through Just A Dad. Lambert aims to not only inspire people to change, but also to prevent kids from going down the same path he did. He hopes to cre ate entrepreneurial opportunities for kids in Kenmore and to teach kids the importance of avoiding drugs, something he is already doing by showing kids the documentary when they come to the store. “We’re in a tough neighborhood, and so when good things like this are happening ... nothing bad is happening,” Watson says. “The bad stays away because there’s such a light right here.” Through Just A Dad, Lambert hopes to con tinue bringing that light. “When I was in addiction and ran the streets as a kid, I took so much away from the com munity,” Lambert says. “That’s why I feel like I was placed here, is to change the environ ment and change the community.” And so, looking toward the future, he stays. justadadfromakron.com

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