Long Time Community Leader Stepping Down From This Minnesota Organization

TURNING THE PAGE

Major John Donovan, the Founder of The Recovery Community Network, will be stepping down from his leadership position and passing the baton to incoming Board Chair, Rik Lundgren. "I have been with the organization now for nearly a decade and it's time to let new energy and ideas take the agency to the next level," said John, according to a recent press release.

Ten years ago, Major Donovan had a vision of making more recovery options available for people in central Minnesota. Major Donovan, as a person in long-term recovery, saw too many heartbreaking cases of people wanting help with their substance abuse issues, and not knowing who they could turn to. He was determined to do something about it; and that HE DID.

He also wrote a book about recovery called,  "A Soldier's Recovery Journey," a collection of over 50 essays on youth, war, and recovery.

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BUILDING A NETWORK

Major John Donovan started building his Recovery Community Network. John has been a guest on WJON for years, once a month, sharing with people the numerous locations available for help across central Minnesota, now including meetings for people who speech Spanish, meetings exclusively for women in recovery, and meetings for Native Americans. I have interviewed John and remember when he had only a few meetings to mention. Now there are meeting locations, there are special events for Veterans and so many opportunities for people in recovery and those that support them, to be a part of.

Many special events are happening throughout the holiday season that I hope our community members in recovery will take advantage of. It's a great way to get through the holiday season with support. You can find the calendar of events on the Recovery Community Network website.

Recovery Community Network is now open 45 hours a week, employs a staff of nine people, and provides services for hundreds of people who are living with or seeking help with a substance use disorder.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Donovan recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Chemical Health. The award is bestowed every year to an individual who has made an incredible mark on recovery and the recovery community of Minnesota.

I wish Major John Donovan the best of luck in his future endeavors and want to thank him for taking on such an important task that has the potential to change so many lives for the better.