What is a CARE Talks Event?

Garrett Hade is a person in recovery from substance use disorder and has worked with a number of national non-profit organizations dedicated to finding solutions to ending the addiction and mental health crisis in our country. He is Co-Founder of The Voices Project, A non-profit organization, dedicated to shattering the stigma associated with addiction and mental health, empower others to share their own recovery stories, and provide on the ground recourses for communities hit hardest by the addiction crisis. To date the Voices Project has had thousands of personal story submissions from people around the world, has a monthly reach of over 4 million people, and has donated tens of thousands of units of Naloxone to communities across the country. 

Garrett Hade is also a founding member of the Recover Advocacy Project (RAP), a network of people and organizations across the country advocating for policies that support local communities. RAP is committed to giving people in recovery, family members, and supporters of recovery the grassroots organizing tools to think and act locally. RAP is working to build a visible and effective constituency in demand of community and public policy-based solutions in response to America’s long-standing addiction crisis. 

In addition to his roles with both The Voices Project and The Recovery Advocacy Project, Garrett is also Co-Founder of Mobilize Recovery, which is a partnership initiative between both organizations. Mobilize Recovery is an annual convening that was spearheaded in 2019. Mobilize Recovery’s mission is to expand policy to support recovery, create connections to supportive services that are vital and life-saving, and to engage affected individuals in meaningful civic action. The initiative convenes advocates with lived experience to build capacity for organized civic engagement with new leadership across the country. Each year, hundreds of recovery advocates are selected to attend Mobilize Recovery to learn innovative strategies and tactics for grassroots organizing. 

Garrett has spent the last five years traveling the country and visiting communities affected – prisons, jails, hospitals, and recovery communities – advocating for better access to care, ethical standard in the treatment industry, criminal justice reform, and access to life saving medications like naloxone. He has provided education and advocacy trainings to detox and treatment centers, sober livings, and community events nationwide – helping to break stigma and provide effective knowledge to help save lives

Courtney Allen’s primary role is as the Policy Director for the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, a grassroots network of people across the state of Maine working to ensure that people in recovery, people who use drugs, family members, and their allies have a voice in their state and local government.

She has also served as the lead field researcher for the Maine Drug Policy Lab at Colby College, working on our project “Women, Drug Use, and Recovery in Maine“. During that research project, she conducted countless hours of fieldwork with women who use drugs and in the Maine Drug Court systems, helping to write and release our report on Maine Drug Courts during the time of COVID-19. Since completing this research, Courtney has agreed to serve as the project advisor for the Maine Drug Policy Lab and help to guide our research moving forward. 

In the past, Courtney interned in Senator Angus King’s D.C. office, operated the first recovery residences in her community, and graduated at the top of her class from the University of Maine – Augusta with a BA in Social Justice. Her undergrad research focused on the intersection of language, recovery, and stigma. She is currently studying towards her master’s degree in public policy at the Muskie School of Public Service and serves on the Augusta City Council as an At-Large Councilwoman. 

Laura Silverman is the founder of Booze Free in DC, The Sobriety Collective, and Zero Proof Nation. Laura's been a booze-free babe and mental health advocate since July of 2007, when at the age of 24 she decided to get help for her drinking -- and she hasn't looked back. Laura's a karaoke rockstar, roller derby girl, nature lover, and treasures spending time with her family and friends. 

Dixie is an alum of The McShin Foundation and walked through McShin's doors in February of 2019. She has sustained her personal recovery ever since the first day she came to McShin. Recovery has allowed Dixie to be granted physical custody of her 5-year old son, obtain a driver's license and move into her own home. In her free time, Dixie enjoys going out to eat, spend time doing fun activities with her son, and getting together with friends for game nights.

Despite a lifetime of incarceration, and 23 years of drug addiction stemming from childhood trauma, Jimmy McGill was able to find and sustain long-term recovery. 

He is the State Peer Recovery Coordinator for the Arkansas State Drug Director’s office and he holds multiple peer recovery certifications. His lived experience has allowed him the chance to lead the development of peer recovery throughout the state of Arkansas. Jimmy is a Trainer of Trainers and has assisted in the training of over 330 peer recovery support specialists. 

He designed and developed the Peers Achieving Collaborative Treatment program, also known as the P.A.C.T Project, allowing Arkansas to place peers recovery specialists inside the Division of Youth Services, emergency rooms, drug courts, jails, reentry centers, and community service centers.

He spearheaded the development of the Arkansas Model of Peer Recovery which has now gained national attention. 

He assisted The Appalachian Consulting Group in developing a prison peer recovery program for North Dakota.

He and his wife are the founders of Next Step Recovery Housing, a non-profit recovery foundation that houses people in recovery. Assisting them with employment and everyday life skills. 

Jimmy was the founding member of both the Arkansas Peers Advisory Committee (APAC) and the Arkansas Peers Achieving Recovery Together (A.P.A.R.T) coalition  

He is currently the Vice chair for Region 6 Peer Recovery Council.

He is a known keynote speaker and advocate for reentry and recovery, constantly fighting against the stigma of addiction.