For many members, serving with AmeriCorps provides an opportunity to build skills and confidence for a future career before joining college. For others, it can be the opportunity to flip the script and find a new, fulfilling purpose in their life.
That is how Mary Johnson found her calling.
In 2022, one devastating event after another left Mary feeling hopeless and alone. She began spiraling out of control until an intervention at her workplace put her on a path that saved her life.
“That intervention led me to walking – or stumbling, rather – into rehab three days later,” Mary said.
During her recovery in a Richmond, Va., facility, Mary worked for the first time with a peer recovery coach; someone she could relate to and who encouraged her to get her life back on track by sharing their personal stories of recovery.
The experience had such a positive impact on Mary’s recovery that she decided to help others in the same way. In August 2023, Mary took a peer recovery specialist course and passed the proctored exam on her first try in May 2024. She now serves with AmeriCorps as a certified and registered peer recovery specialist.
“Now, I am able to show others that recovery is possible,” Mary said. “I have the amazing opportunity to help others struggling with addiction by using my own life experiences to guide them to a better way to live. It’s a blessing and a miracle to be able to serve my community in this capacity. I thoroughly love and enjoy what I do, and being able to help others is a blessing.”