Volunteer Spotlight
\nMike<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know I wasn\u2019t the guy who followed the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI bucked and screamed a lot of times at in2Action over the rules and stuff. I didn\u2019t want to go to Bible study, I didn\u2019t want to do anything I was asked to do.\u201d Mike admits that when he first arrived at in2Action in February 2019, he was a piece of work. Now, one year after entering in2Action as a resident, Mike is one of our star volunteers.<\/p>\n
Mike was asked several weeks ago to begin facilitating one of our once\/week \u2018skill drills\u2019 for the Phase One residents. These are practical \u201chow-to\u201d classes that help prepare our men for successful living. He jumped at the chance; in fact, he had already decided he wanted to do just that, so the timing was perfect. Mike\u2019s Thursday skill drill focuses on Life in Recovery \u2013 which is right down his alley, since he can relate so well with the other men, having \u2018been there, done that.\u2019 As he says, \u201crecovery is not for the faint of heart!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike says it\u2019s different now, being on the other side of the fence\u2026now as a volunteer, instead of a resident. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging. You\u2019ve got the ones that participate, and you\u2019ve got the ones you\u2019ve got to pull out \u2013 getting an answer out of them is like pulling teeth.\u201d \u201cI get it now,\u201d he says, suggesting that all the rules and structure make sense to him now, from this new perspective. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging but so rewarding. My reward is the sense that I have an opportunity to reach out to somebody and to help him and to be part of his support system.\u201d<\/p>\n
For some months now, Mike has also been co-facilitating a support group for men and women who have been incarcerated and who are striving to make a new life for themselves in our community. The group is called \u2018Winner\u2019s Circle\u2019 and it meets every Tuesday evening at the ROC (Re-entry Opportunity Center). Some have said it\u2019s the best self-help meeting in town. This is another way Mike is giving back.<\/p>\n
Clearly, Mike is not the same person he used to be. When asked what has brought about so much growth over this past year, he credits the change to two things: 1) the constant and overwhelming \u201ctough love\u201d that was shown to him during his time at in2Action; and 2) the relationships he was able to develop. \u201cNothing else has helped me more than the foundation of relationships I invested in. I made connections with positive people because I was willing to go outside my comfort zone\u2026with people from church, NA, mentors, friends, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps the best word to describe Mike is tenacious. It was his bull-dog determination to turn his life around that has kept him in recovery. Now, he is using that same tenacity to pour himself into the lives of others who need the same kind of support he received. \u201cI know how important it is; we need people. And that\u2019s why I\u2019m clean today because I continually try to give it away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike plans to become a certified peer support specialist. He looks forward to \u201cthe next level of giving back, whatever God has for me\u2026\u201d We are blessed to have Mike still with us at in2Action!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Volunteer Spotlight Mike \u201cWe all know I wasn\u2019t the guy who followed the rules.\u201d \u201cI bucked and screamed a lot of times at in2Action over the rules and stuff. I didn\u2019t want to go to Bible study, I didn\u2019t want to do anything I was asked to do.\u201d Mike admits that when he first arrived […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-volunteer-spotlight"],"yoast_head":"\n