Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Pinkham

After learning about recovery coaching through Project HOPE, a collaborative effort of Healthy Acadia and the Ellsworth Police Department to help those seeking recovery to find treatment, Kim Pinkham signed up for Healthy Acadia's Recovery Coach Academy. She recently reflected on her experience as a volunteer recovery coach and how meaningful it has been for her. 

I spent some time watching family members struggling with addiction. Other family members tried to help, but relationships got strained and I was left feeling confused. I was confused about why all of this was happening. Where did we go wrong? 

I talked to my sister about this and we decided to look into Project HOPE through Ellsworth Police Department. We learned that they help people seeking recovery get connected with a community member, an “Angel”, that can help them find what they need for a better life. It was then that we got involved. 

Through monthly meetings with Project HOPE, I met the three wonderful women that were a part of the reason that I became a recovery coach: [Healthy Acadia staff members] Debra Matteson, Denise Black, and Donna Mitchell. My sister and I both became recovery coaches through Healthy Acadia's Recovery Coach Academy in September 2017. The training was the best, and it was there that I learned how I could make a difference in someone’s life who is struggling with addiction. 

I got matched with my first recoveree in March 2018. I’ve worked with several since then, and while there have been some heartbreaks along the way, most coaching relationships have been positive and inspiring. Sitting with them and talking about their lives, cheering them on, and encouraging them is great. Helping them accomplish their life goals and seeing their smiles has been very rewarding.   

Participation in the Recovery Coach Academy and Project HOPE training gave me a much better understanding of addiction. I enjoy the relationships that I have with my colleagues at Healthy Acadia and enjoy recovery coaching. 

Kim Pinkham has been a recovery coach with Healthy Acadia’s community coaching program since 2018.

Recovery Coach Academy is free and open to anyone seeking to learn more about substance use disorder and is also the first step toward becoming a recovery coach. Learn more about the program and/or register for an upcoming session here.