Substance Use Disorder

Maryland

Washington

Brooke’s House: Giving New Purpose to Women in Recovery

When Kevin Simmers lost his daughter Brooke to an opioid overdose in 2015, he knew he needed to honor her legacy by carrying out her dream: opening a transitional house for women recovering from substance use disorder. He and his wife, Dana, broke ground on Brooke’s House three years…
Investment in Action
West Virginia

Libera, Inc: Empowering Women and Teens in West Virginia 

In West Virginia, Libera, Inc. is working to help women and teens embody the state’s beloved motto, “montani semper liberi,” or “mountaineers are always free.” Named for the feminine form of the word “liberi,” Libera envisions a Mountain State where every woman and teen is free…
Investment in Action
Kentucky

Letcher

Fahe: Building a Recovery-Friendly Workforce 

In 1980, Fahe was founded to provide access to workforce training and financial resources for locally-rooted nonprofit organizations. Its founding members quickly learned they could “go further together,” and has since grown into a strong network of 50+ nonprofits from six states working toward a…
Investment in Action


INSPIRE 2022 Pre-Application Workshop

Join the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for a virtual workshop to learn more about ARC’s INvestments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative. Sessions will provide applicants the opportunity to better understand the INSPIRE Initiative and what makes a well-rounded application, hear an overview of the key points in…
Event
Alabama

Fayette

Lisa Bright: Breaking Barriers to Recovery

When Will Bright passed away in 2014 from an overdose, his mother, Lisa Bright, knew she had to turn her pain into purpose. She and her husband, Bill, started the Will Bright Foundation to both honor their son and provide others with a safe, supportive environment for their recovery…
Investment in Action
North Carolina

Philip Cooper: Inspiring Change

For Philip Cooper, helping his community recover from substance use disorder is a personal, lifelong commitment.
Investment in Action
Appalachian Teaching Project Students
West Virginia

Clay

West Virginia University Research Corporation: Inspiring Hope in the Mountain State

West Virginia, though improving in many measures, has the most drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people of any other state. Fortunately, the Mountain State also has an incredible host of ARC partners, local leaders, and community members committed to overcoming this challenge. This list includes West Virginia University Research Corporation and the Institute for Community and Rural Health (WVU…
Investment in Action
Kentucky

Knott

Kentucky River Community Care: Building Bridges to Long-Term Recovery

At 39% participation, Eastern Kentucky has the lowest workforce participation rate among ages 18-24 in the nation. This area also finds itself at the epicenter of our nation’s substance abuse crisis, creating a unique challenge for both the health and economic capacity of communities. That’s why a number of organizations, like Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. (KRCC), work every day…
Investment in Action
North Carolina

Wilkes

Wilkes Recovery Revolution: Supporting Fresh Starts in North Carolina

Since 2016, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc. (WRR) has worked to make recovery a reality in North Carolina. WRR was founded by Devin Lyall,  whose own experience in long-term recovery helps inform the nonprofit’s services, peer-driven structure and leadership – including a board of directors made up of over 50% individuals in recovery. WRR’s partnership with ARC began in 2019, when Lyall began…
Investment in Action
Community Recovery Program’s Program Manager Lisa Smith with the Champions award for community collaboration.
Virginia

City of Martinsville

Piedmont Community Services Board: Expanding Community Connection in Virginia

Across the Commonwealth of Virginia, Community Service Boards (CSBs) serve as joint partnerships between state and local governments to meet critical behavioral health needs in every county. Piedmont Regional Community Services Board has long served as one of those entities, providing support for over the last 40 years for over 7,500 individuals each…
Investment in Action
Ohio

Lawrence

Ironton-Lawrence Community Action Organization: Expanding Recovery Ecosystems in OH, KY and WV

The Ironton-Lawrence Community Action Organization (ILCAO) is dedicated to improving the well-being of residents of Lawrence County, Ohio by providing assistance for housing, homelessness, and nutrition, early childhood services, and job training opportunities. Together these services are having a critical impact in a county where economic distress is steadily increasing. Now, with a $500,000 grant from ARC’s INvestments Supporting Partnerships…
Investment in Action
Tennessee

Hamblen

Helping Women Enter the Recovery-to-Work Ecosystem in Appalachian Tennessee

Across Appalachia, developing a ready workforce must include helping workers re-enter and retain employment. Since 2017, the staff at the Helen Ross McNabb Center in Morristown, Tennessee, has been doing just that. The McNabb Center’s Jail to Work program gives women serving in county jails on drug offenses the…
Investment in Action