Collegiate Recovery Week
**Note: The 2026 schedule is being developed and will continue to evolve. Check back regularly for updates!**
What is Collegiate Recovery Week?
The Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) was founded on April 15, 2010 and has since recognized April 15th as Collegiate Recovery Day. As the number of programs have grown, so have the celebrations and so now, we celebrate Collegiate Recovery Week – creating a full week of programming, social media campaigns, and opportunities to build connection! It has become an annual celebration that brings together students, staff, alumni, and allies to honor and uplift recovery in higher education. Collegiate Recovery Week highlights the strength, resilience, and joy of students in or seeking recovery while raising awareness about the life-changing impact of Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs). Throughout the week, campuses and community partners host events, share stories, promote advocacy and belonging, and amplify resources that support recovery-friendly learning environments.
Each year features a unique theme and toolkit – explore past and current campaigns through the yearly Collegiate Recovery Week pages linked here:
Note: While ARHE’s archived Collegiate Recovery Week toolkits currently date back to 2023, Collegiate Recovery Week has a history stretching back as long as ARHE itself. For years, schools across the country have led grassroots advocacy – hosting events, sharing stories, and showing visible support for recovery on campus – and those collective efforts have helped shape the collegiate recovery movement we know today.
#WearPurple on April 15th!
Every year, on April 15 (Collegiate Recovery Day), we invite you to Wear Purple in support of students in recovery and the campuses working to build recovery-supportive communities. Whether you’re a student, staff member, alumni, family member, or ally, wearing purple is a simple but powerful way to show that recovery belongs in higher education. Snap a photo with your friends, campus team, or program space and share it on social media – then tag @collegiaterecovery so we can celebrate with you, amplify your post, and spotlight the incredible recovery movement happening across campuses everywhere.
Showcase your photos and selfies on social media using the hashtags:
#WearPurple, #CollegiateRecoveryWeek, #CollegiateRecoveryDay.
Tag @collegiaterecovery in your photos and we will like and share them on our socials as well!
Grassroots advocacy efforts like Wear Purple day matter because visibility changes culture. When campuses publicly recognize recovery, it helps students feel safer when seeking support, encourages new conversations about wellness and belonging, and challenges the harmful stereotypes that keep people isolated or silent. Small actions – like wearing a color, sharing a post, or telling a story – build collective momentum that raises awareness and counters stigma. Together, these visible moments remind students and communities that recovery is real, recovery is possible, and recovery is something to be honored – on every campus, every day of the year.
If you’re looking for the perfect purple outfit for April 15, make it count – grab official ARHE Collegiate Recovery Week merchandise and help fuel the recovery movement at the same time. Our purple fundraiser gear can be purchased online and direct-shipped straight to your home or campus, making it easy to show up in style wherever you’ll be celebrating. Even better: each year ARHE releases special edition designs, so if you love collecting meaningful merch (and want this year’s limited look), don’t wait – place your order today and wear your support proudly!
Note: 2026 gear will be available February 1, 2026!
Collegiate Recovery Quilt
The Collegiate Recovery Hope Quilt is an ongoing, community-built initiative that celebrates the strength, resilience, and creativity of collegiate recovery programs across the country. CRPs are invited to contribute a 14” x 14” square that represents their campus community – creating a growing quilt that serves as a powerful visual symbol of solidarity, support, and shared purpose within the recovery movement in higher education.
Over time, each square added becomes part of a living legacy that honors the stories, traditions, and impact of programs fostering recovery and wellness on college campuses. The Quilt is showcased at the ARHE Annual Conference and will continue to evolve as more programs contribute. Programs can participate by mailing a CRP-branded t-shirt (which can be cut to size) or a custom-designed fabric square.
To submit a square, mail it to P.O. Box 1541, Kennesaw, GA 30156 and email mack@collegiaterecovery.org so we know to expect your contribution.
Support Collegiate Recovery
Collegiate recovery programs are changing lives – but most are built on passion, not funding. While colleges and universities are often assumed to have deep resources, collegiate recovery programs are frequently chronically underfunded on their campuses. Yet students still show up, and so do all of the professionals who work to support them.
ARHE is a national nonprofit (not affiliated with any one institution), and our work is made possible primarily through memberships and donations. Your gift helps ARHE grow the movement by expanding tools, training, advocacy, and technical assistance – so more campuses can build recovery-supportive communities and more students can thrive.
Monthly donations are especially powerful: even a small recurring contribution creates steady, reliable support that helps ARHE plan ahead and respond quickly to emerging needs. If you believe recovery belongs in higher education, please consider donating today – because with sustained investment, we can make a future where collegiate recovery exists on every campus.