Celebrating Our Maine Recovery Core Interns
Article contributed by Kristé Sprague, Maine Recovery Core Program Director, Ph.D., RCP-F
Join us in celebrating the incredible work of our Maine Recovery Core (MRC) interns! These dedicated individuals are at the heart of our mission to support people at all stages of recovery, foster community connections, and bring hope and compassion to every interaction.
From coaching and advocacy to creating safe spaces for healing, our interns are making a real difference across Maine. Their commitment to learning, growing, and uplifting others inspires us every day.
Thank you, MRC interns, for your hard work, your heart, and the positive impact you bring to the recovery community!
In recognition of National Intern Appreciation Day, I took the opportunity to ask the members of our Maine Recovery Core team how the program has impacted or inspired them. Their responses are shared here with their permission.
“MRC has given me the skills and knowledge to be able to give back to my community and help support those in need.”
“Being an MRC intern has taught me the importance of responding to stigma and misinformation surrounding recovery.”
“MRC Internship has provided healing to not only my community, but to myself as well.”
“Being an MRC intern has helped me grow as a person and shown me how powerful genuine connections are in recovery.”
“Recovery is not about perfection; It’s about persistence. Every small step forward is a victory worth honoring.”
“I love being able to give back to others what was so freely given to me; to come full circle is so rewarding!”
“Being a recovery coach means walking alongside individuals on their journey.”
“I entered this internship unsure and unseen. Now I emerge—grounded in connection and healing. It was more than experience—it was emergence. I found my light.”
“The MRC internship program has been a wonderful experience for me. I am in my third year of this 3-year internship. I’ve been here long enough to see some people excel when validation, respect, direction, and appreciation are placed in their lives, sometimes for the first time.
I’ve learned that some people in Recovery have experienced life events that many would hope to only read about and come through on the other side empowered with a fervent desire to help those who need the same help. One thing that stays with me is the irony of stigma and the harm it can cause.
Resilience is a necessary component for those in recovery and it’s ironic that ‘stigma’ can actually help in that regard since it may inspire, ‘Oh, yes I can’ (and am)!”
