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Recovery Corps Member Shares Her Experience at Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit

May 18, 2023

On May 16-18, 2023, a current Recovery Corps member, Breanna Showkeir, and two Recovery Corps program staff, Meagan Barnett and Christina Garcia, attended and presented at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit held in Wisconsin Dells. Their session titled Nothing for Us Without US: An Integrated Approach to Addressing Substance Use aimed to share the unique approach Recovery Corps takes to support individuals in Wisconsin communities, and how other organizations could integrate a Recovery Coach into their programming and services.

Breanna, who is currently serving at Barron County Health and Human Services, did an amazing job at speaking to AmeriCorps and how it has impacted her life. She shared a bit of her story, talked about what a day in the life of her AmeriCorps Recovery Corps experience looks like, and shared why others in the audience could benefit from an AmeriCorps member too.

“Recovery Corps has given me the opportunity to work at a host site in the Health and Human Services field for two years which has been an exceptional experience for me. I have been able to use my Educational Award toward school and the experience from Recovery Coaching helped me excel in my classes. Being a person in recovery out in the community and helping other people like me is something that I will never forget. I want to continue being of service and hope to make a difference in the future.”

~ Breanna Showkeir
Pictured from left to right: Christina Garcia, Breanna Showkeir, Meagan Barnett  

One of the most impactful outcomes of this presentation was the AmeriCorps alumni in the room that felt compelled to speak on behalf of their AmeriCorps experience towards the end of the presentation. Phrases like “AmeriCorps saved my life” were spoken during multiple testimonies. There were quite a few tears shed during this presentation and that is a true testament of how powerful AmeriCorps can be for someone.