Welcome! If this is your first time discovering us, we are Amare, a 501 (c) (3) recovery community organization (RCO). We provide recovery support services for individuals and families affected by substance use like recovery coaching, peer support, family support, education/awareness, and much more.
Today’s article is a brief one and will focus on our team. Prior to 2021, Amare was an all-volunteer staff and it was difficult to keep dedicated recovery coach or peer support volunteers when most of them had families and/or part or full-time jobs. We have been blessed to have an amazing Board of Directors and such a supportive allyship from Riverbend Family Ministries that allows us to have an office in their building.
It is easy to see some of our fantastic updates and smiling faces through our social media posts, highlighting our victories. What we don’t share often is the challenges we face as a smaller organization without many funding streams. One of the hardest causes to raise money for in the nonprofit sector is for adults that need help finding recovery and a healthier way to live outside of substance use. When Amare was able to receive a small grant from the State of Illinois, we were positioned to hire a small staff along with partnering with Recovery Corps, a division of Ampact (formerly known as AmeriCorps).
Our paid staff now includes me, Ty Bechel, and our Recovery Coach, Jason Farley; Jason started his journey with Amare as a loyal board member and is now part of the recovery support staff as an amazing Recovery Coach. He is thorough, kind, and goes above and beyond for the peers Amare serves. As an RCO, Amare is recovery-oriented and person-centered when working with individuals or families searching for recovery.
Our other recovery support staff are quite astounding as well. Rick Richardson is our Recovery Navigator from Recovery Corps and has provided participants with passionate recovery support through recovery coaching and telephone recovery support. Tyrone Hill, our Opioid Response Project Coordinator, has shown great networking prowess with making stronger connections with community stakeholders for outreach and referral efforts.
At Amare, our boots-on-the-ground, meet-them-where-they-are-at approach has been successful in building rapport with individual and family participants. We develop all individualized recovery management plans with holistic and trauma-informed support in mind. The negative impact substance use can have on individuals and families can be devastating and asking for help can be a daunting task. Rest assured, our team at Amare are some of the best and most passionate peer recovery staff any organization could ask for.
If you live in the Illinois riverbend or metro-east and need help or have questions, please contact us at [email protected], 618-251-9790, ext. 207, or 618-741-7669. We are also a Narcan Distribution Center for peers and families. If you would like to donate to our cause, you can mail a check payable to Amare to P.O. Box 384, Wood River, IL 62095 or visit our PayPal page HERE.