The first time I came here I didn’t know what Intentional Peer Support was, but I felt it. I felt the difference it makes to form real connections with peers versus the distance of being a patient. It was this feeling that drew me back to this community every day for weeks! I started going to any groups I could every day and about a month later I also began working here.

Learning how to be a Peer Support Facilitator has taught me so much about myself. From setting better boundaries, to managing my time better, to how to stick to a routine, to communicating and listening better, etc. etc. Peer support has become such a passion of mine and the greatest teacher I’ve ever had. I love the literature, I love my job, I love this community and my place in it, and I love all of the love folks have for one another.

While I wish I could stay here longer, I am going to be leaving soon to begin a new chapter of my

career. I completed a phlebotomy course this year, and am currently waiting to be placed into an internship. I have grown up with this community over the past 2 years. I started here with no direction, regulation, or sense of belonging in my life. Now I will be leaving here motivated and ex-cited to continue molding a life I love.

I didn’t know life could be something I loved until I started healing, growing, and learning in this community. Peer support didn’t just give me my life back, but gave me a life I didn’t know I could have. My recovery no longer has the restraints and limits I thought it had to have. When I was saving up for my phlebotomy program, I learned I CAN work two jobs. When I took the phlebotomy course, I learned I CAN be successful in school. When times are tough, I learned I CAN have hard feelings and still be ok. Over a year ago, I learned I CAN live my life without a cocktail of medications I have to take every day. During my time here, I learned I CAN make a difference. And my most important lesson I’ve learned is that I CAN have hope and be well.

Thank you so much for all of the love, support, opportunities, and patience you have all had for me! I will never forget that, and I am going to miss being here every day SO MUCH when I leave. I love this community, and my gratitude to be a part of it is infinite ♥ - Carly