Little Rock City Director Kathy Webb and Wolfe Street Foundation both have a reason to celebrate 44 years this year. For Wolfe Street, it has been 44 years since the organization was founded as a safe haven for recovery. For Webb, it has been 44 years since she got sober.
Perhaps it is fitting, then, that Webb was selected as the keynote speaker for the organization’s 2026 Red Carpet Recovery Gala.
“It’s a little anxiety producing,” she said. “It’s pretty easy to make a talk about politics or voting or hunger, lots of different subjects that I always am grateful to have the opportunity to talk about. This one is a little bit different.”
Webb began using alcohol and drugs as a college student in the 1960s and early ‘70s. When a friend staged an intervention, Webb said she was angry but agreed to talk to a drug and alcohol counselor. It was not until a year later, when the former varsity athlete realized the damage substance use had done to her body, that she attended her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting Feb. 4, 1982.
Kathy Webb
“It took a toll on me physically,” she said. “Obviously, it took a toll on me mentally and emotionally and spiritually, as well, but when I had to hold onto my stairwell — I had two steps leading up to my front porch — and I had abused my body so badly I had to hold onto the rail to take those two steps, that kind of was what pushed me over the edge to seek help.”
She said the gala will be her first time speaking about her recovery in front of a large audience.
“I hope that for somebody who might be out there, struggling, that it can help remove the stigma because while there’s not as much stigma today about addiction as there was 40 years ago, I still see that,” she said. “I’ll never forget when Betty Ford talked about her addiction, how much that helped me, and so if it can help reduce the stigma, I think that is important.”
Justin Buck, executive director of Wolfe Street Foundation, said hearing stories of recovery from public figures such as Webb and Fox 16 news anchor Kevin Kelly, who spoke last year, helps change people’s opinions about what addiction looks like and inspires hope in family members that recovery is possible for their loved ones. In addition to Webb, two more speakers will discuss the ripple effect that recovery has had on their lives, he said.
Heather Baker, president and publisher at AY Media Group, honors Fox 16 news anchor Kevin Kelly at last year’s event.
“It’s a great reminder that, first of all, this problem does not pick and choose who it impacts. It impacts nearly every family in the state of Arkansas in some way. Second of all, that recovery is real,” he said.
“The fact is that most people who have a substance use disorder find recovery and so that kind of hope, to see what someone’s done with recovery in their life, I think, can be a huge motivator for people.”
Wolfe Street Foundation Executive Director Justin Buck, from left, emcee Laura Monteverdi and keynote speaker Kevin Kelly pose for a photo at last year’s event.
Now in its 27th year, the Red Carpet Recovery Gala began as an Academy Awards watch party started by some community leaders in recovery who wanted to support Wolfe Street while enjoying one of their favorite pastimes. What was then known as Oscar Night Arkansas eventually became a sanctioned watch party for the Academy Awards.
Viewing the awards ceremony left little time to discuss the mission of Wolfe Street and the success of those who have accessed its services, Buck said, so a few years ago, organizers renamed the event Red Carpet Recovery Gala and shifted the focus to sharing local stories of impact.
“It’s still got that glitz and glam, and we have celebrity guests that stop in, sometimes by surprise, on the night,” he added. “It’s just been a great kind of pivot to recognizing local leaders in recovery and recognizing local stories of impact.”
Not only did the event format change; the Red Carpet Recovery Gala also made the shift to become the first sober gala in Little Rock, replacing the open bars at a typical gala with mocktails and plenty of coffee.
“Since then, we noticed that at the very least, there are more mocktail options [at events],” Buck said. “Other organizations have chosen to take their galas sober or, like I said, at least have more nonalcoholic beverage options for folks that are there. I’m really proud of the way that the event has evolved, has walked closer to our mission and introduced the community to the idea that we don’t have to center fundraising and center celebration on the consumption of alcohol.”
Live and silent auctions, delicious food and mocktails, and stories of inspiration are highlights of the event.
In addition to the speakers, guests can participate in live and silent auctions and listen to live music performed by jazz saxophonist MarQuis Hunt. Buck said he hopes to raise $200,000 to help sustain Wolfe Street’s growing network of programs.
MarQuis Hunt
“When people give at the gala, it has a tremendous impact on our overall budget,” he said. “A gift of $55 supports a peer support session. A gift of $175 supports a week in our recovery residence program, so those gifts make a big difference.”
In recent years, not only has the organization broadened its programs to include peer recovery, recovery residences and youth empowerment, but Wolfe Street has also expanded its geographic footprint into communities such as Hot Springs, Malvern, and Johnson, Conway and White counties.
“No longer are we just providing these resources in Pulaski County,” Buck said. “We’ve figured out what works so people and families seeking recovery have the resources they need to build thriving communities for themselves and others.”
Last year, Wolfe Street provided services to more than 1,800 people in 36 counties. Buck said that during participants’ first 45 days in the peer recovery program, their social determinants of health and recovery capital — resources to help sustain recovery for the long haul — increase 154 percent. Those who participate in the recovery residence program are five times more likely to sustain their recovery at least a year compared to those who have no community support.
The numbers are meaningful not just to those in recovery but to society as a whole. Buck said that for every dollar spent on peer recovery programs, there are $4 saved in the health care system and $7 saved in the judicial system.
“What I hope more than anything is that we can show people that hope is real and effective, that we can show people that there are folks just like them that have these incredible stories of recovery,” he said. “We can show people that are at the very beginning of their recovery journeys that change is possible, and we can show people that have been in recovery for a long time that community is powerful.”
Webb, who has attended meetings at Wolfe Street, said the organization has saved a lot of lives.
“I have friends who have been active in the recovery program at Wolfe Street,” she said. “I think the wraparound services that they offer folks help people who decide to get into recovery and then they have to rebuild their lives. I think that what Wolfe Street is doing in that regard is critical to helping people get that renewed start, and I think what they do with families is very important because it’s a family disease.”
Webb added that she looks forward to hearing about people’s lived experiences at the gala, as well as participating in the auctions.
“Addiction is something that has touched pretty much every family that I know of, and Wolfe Street offers so many opportunities to help folks in recovery not just to recover but to help them with jobs and IDs and getting on that right path,” she said. “I think it’s important for us to serve this very valuable resource that we have in Little Rock.”
AY Media Group is a proud sponsor of the Red Carpet Recovery Gala, scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 18 at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. Doors open at 5:30 a.m. The auction goes live online April 8. To purchase tickets, place a bid or learn more about Wolfe Street, visit wolfestreet.org.
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