MOSES LAKE — The Eastern Washington Home Grown Leadership Summit will come to Moses Lake on April 18, to equip people who have lived through hard times to help others through them. 

“It’s aimed toward folks with lived experience with mental health and substance abuse recovery,” said Alyssa Jomei, executive director of Peers Empower Peers, which is hosting the event.  

The Eastern Washington Home Grown Leadership Conference is designed to find the next cohort of leaders in the areas of mental health and substance abuse recovery, not because they’re professionals in the field, but because they know those things from the inside. Those are the people who make up Peers Empower Peers, Jomei said. 

“They've walked the walk and they're finding purpose in being able to go back and give hope and empower others on their journey,” Jomei said.  

The keynote speaker for the summit is Raymond Gregson, who speaks openly about his struggles with addiction, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression.  

“He’s an incredibly inspirational human being,” Jomei said. “His whole demeanor is just contagious. He does a lot of work for youth and fathers and (has) such deep passion for the work.” 

There will also be a panel of local peers who have experience with substance abuse and mental illness, and have turned those experiences to use guiding others. The event is an opportunity to prepare others to lead as well, said Nokey Pando, one of the panelists. 

“The leadership summit is designed for peers, advocates, and community members with lived experience of substance use recovery and mental health challenges, and who feel called to make a difference in our community,” Pando said. “In order for me to be a homegrown leader, the way that am it’s because there was somebody else doing it. I do this to share my experience with the community, give people different perspectives. But the biggest (reason) is to pass the torch. If I'm not saying or doing something or showing somebody what it is to be an advocate, to be a community leader, to be a leader of any sort, then we're we're letting that fire go out.” 

The summit runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there’s a catered lunch, Jomei said. There is no charge, but attendees are encouraged to donate what they can. Attendees can register through the QR code. 

“My biggest hope is that people start to identify themselves as leaders,” Jomei said. “I think there's this idea out there that leaders are somebody up above us. Something that we model in the peer world is that we're standing together and that leadership is from right where we're at.” 

    Scan this QR code to register for the Eastern Washington Home Grown Leadership Summit.