Our Success Stories/Results
About four years ago, back in 2020, I heard about Free Agents 4 Recovery where I met Darnell when I was in treatment. Darnell has been a big part of me staying sober and pushing me through my life. I often say if I wasn’t in recovery I would be in jail or dead. Darnell has taught me many things at Free Agents 4 Recovery including budgeting and how to handle my finances.
Today, I love spending time with my two children, cutting hair, cooking and helping others going through their recovery transition. I have been at my job for three years and I am a supervisor. I got my license, a new car and was able to purchase my own home.
About four years ago I heard about the Free Agents 4 Recovery meeting, and I was introduced to Darnell. Over time I built a recovery relationship with him, and we would get into intimate talks about recovery. Darnell played a big part in my recovery journey. Because of the skills I learned at Free Agents 4 Recovery, I now have a full-time job, my own apartment and purchased a car.
I met Free Agents 4 Recovery in 2021 when I was in treatment. I went through the recovery coach training at Free Agents 4 Recovery and learned how to help others in recovery, went through the budgeting class and recovery is a process seminar at Free Agents 4 Recovery. Since then, I have given my life to Christ and have guided other individuals to Christ. Being in recovery has given me the opportunity to have my own place and a good job driving a truck for a local produce company for the last year.
Someone I know who found success at Free Agents 4 Recovery introduced me to them about 30 months ago in 2022. At Free Agents 4 Recovery, I related to Darnell’s story because he was someone who had a similar background as I do and was able to turn his life around and become successful. Darnell was willing to work with me and I decided to turn my life around. At Free Agents 4 Recovery it is your choice to change, and you aren’t forced to do it. Because of the support I’ve received I had a job as a manager in fast food and now I’m making even more money working at a factory. I also volunteer around Free Agents 4 Recovery.
When I met Free Agents 4 Recovery I had just come to Northeast Ohio from Cincinnati and was living in a van. Someone I knew told me about Darnell and he helped me out with food, housing and a job. After being clean a couple of years, I took the peer supporter training and in my 3rd year of sobriety I became a peer supporter, got by CDCA and then was hired by one of the biggest treatment centers in Summit County. I am thankful my wife stayed by my side through everything and I have been able to mend my relationship with my children and have a relationship with my grandchildren. On of my favorite things to do is going to my grandchildren’s activities like baseball, football, track, etc. Today I still stop in and visit Free Agents 4 Recovery and a sponsor many young men in early recovery.
I found out about Free Agents 4 Recovery six years ago. I would attend meetings and fellowship with others in recovery. Since then, I have worked my way up into a management position in operations at my job. I have lots of hobbies: writing poetry, journaling, sudoku, arts/crafts, baking with my daughter, shopping/couponing, puzzles, diamond arts, making jewelry and lacing tennis shoes in different ways. My daughter was one of my biggest supporters and even attended meeting with me. Now my daughter even works with me. Most importantly, sobriety has helped me repair broken relationships.
My mom introduced me to Free Agents 4 Recovery in 2016 and through my struggles Free Agents 4 Recovery has never given up on me. My sobriety gave me a whole new way of life. I’ve learned boundaries and more sustainability with my money. The 12-steps with the help of my sponsor has helped me get rid of old trauma to make room for me to handle the problems I may run into today. I had gainful employment but kept working until I found the job I really wanted which helped me develop patience which is a result of working the 12-steps.
My advice about Free Agents 4 Recovery is to work the 12-steps, give it one year, I did and it changed my life for the better. Today I help others in recovery, go on nature hikes, I like fixing my car, spending time with my kids, cleaning and organizing and playing sports like softball and flag football.
I started coming to Free Agents 4 Recovery about 4 years ago. I went through many losses over the last couple years with the death of my mother and a close cousin and I’m grateful for the support and services I have received from Free Agents 4 Agency. The recovery support meetings have helped me understand addiction so much more which allows me to help my adult children and their relationship with their father who has a substance use disorder. More recently, over the last year, I have used the mental health services offered by Free Agents 4 Recovery to help me understand and gain recovery tools for my mental health. I have lived experience with emotional abuse, co-dependency, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Another way Free Agents 4 Recovery helps me through my recovery is by helping with administrative tasks at Free Agents 4 Recovery which helps me feel useful and that I am serving others behind the scenes. I am grateful for the mentorship by Mr. Howard and I am very happy I found Free Agents 4 Recovery because it has allowed me not only work on my own mental health but has also allowed me to help others by becoming a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist, a Certified Family Peer Support Specialist, a Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant and certified in Mental Health First Aid Adult USA.
Another way I have helped others is by publishing “The Wellness Journal” under the name Linda France which you can find on Amazon. Because of Free Agents 4 Recovery, today, I have started my own Life and Business Coaching practice and I plan on continuing to help others with their mental health by offering workshops and tools for their recovery journey.
I met Free Agents 4 Recovery two years ago. Mr. Howard helped me talk to my sons and interact and communicate with them better in a way that they could understand me better. As time passed, I started attending the support groups and social events which are what I like most about Free Agents 4 Recovery. They have also helped me transition my mental health care to them from the V.A., which is more convenient for me since I don’t have transportation.
The quality of relationships I’ve made in the groups at Free Agents 4 Recovery are real. The staff and others that attend the activities never judge me and they welcome me with open arms. There is always someone willing to help me when I am down and struggling. Free Agents 4 Recovery is always available for me to call for support, and I can reach out any time and someone is always willing to help. The groups have helped me with my self-esteem and the younger people that attend now listen to me and come to me for support.
Free Agents 4 Recovery is also very understanding and supportive with my mental health issues. I am so grateful for Free Agents 4 Recovery and the help they have given me. Today because of the help they have given me I now have a healthy relationship with my children, I am proud of the person that I have become. Thank you, Free Agents 4 Recovery!
I heard about Free Agents 4 Recovery and I knew they were from my community. I explained to Darnell I needed housing and was having trouble finding a place since I was a felon and just released from prison. I became part of Free Agents 4 Recovery’s Rebound (Re-entry) program and Darnell advocated for me at my apartment building, which had already denied me, and was able to get me an apartment. Even without funding, Free Agents 4 Recovery helped me with my deposit for my apartment. I explained to Darnell that having my own place will help me re-unite with my son and become closer to him.
I began fellowshipping with Free Agents 4 Recovery at their meetings, activities and fundraisers. My son and I went to Sky Zone, canoeing and other family friendly activities at Free Agents 4 Recovery and have become re-connected and have a closer relationship now.
I started meeting with Darnell and he shared his story with me, which I related to. I told Darnell that I never wanted to go to prison or sell drugs again. He looked at me and told me that I would have to put in the work and I would be pulled out of my comfort zone. I assured him that I was willing to do the work. Over a period of time, I developed tools to help me cope.
After several months, Darnell shared that he seen a lot of growth and it was time for me to give back. It was at that point he asked me to speak with the kids at a State Juvenile Center where he would speak to the kids weekly. I agreed to go. Full of nervousness and anxiety, stepping inside a Juvenile prison that I was once in, he looked at me and told me, “Relax, we are just visiting” and he gave me a big smile. During the visit and sharing my journey from being inside that very jail and looking at the kids as their whole disposition change, I could see looking out at them as a connection started to take place. I swear it’s a blessing to know leaving there having shared my will not to go back to prison and change my life, that just touching one of them, made it all worth it. Me of all people, looked at Mr. Howard and said, I want to go back again and talk to the kids.
Today I’m on the Roster for Free Agents 4 Recovery to go back into prisons, juvenile facilities and other settings sharing my experience of strength and hope. It’s an honor to be a part of Free Agents 4 Recovery giving back to where I once was. I took the 40-hour training of recovery coaching and I am set to take the State Certified exam to be a Certified Peer Specialist in the State of Ohio. Giving back is a beautiful thing, I still have struggles and thoughts, but today I have tools to cope and make proper decisions so I don’t have to deal with consequences.
The first time I met Free Agents 4 Recovery was seven years ago. I have no knowledge of what addiction was and I ignored my mental health because of the stigma that was associated with it. Darnell explained how it could have impacted my life in the future. My story begins like this, I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, came from a very old-fashioned upbringing where how you felt were never discussed. Growing up not able to express my feeling made me thinking this was normal. Once I started having conversation at Free Agents 4 Recovery, I needed to address my mental health. I attended the “Stigma Training,” afterwards Darnell and I began having conversations about how it feels to live with stigma, more so in the minority community where we are taught to conceal and hide trauma and emotions.
Over the years, I have fellowshipped with Free Agents 4 Recovery and in time I came out of my shell and connected with a professional therapist that is helping me to unpack years of PTSD. I am a survivor of 9-11, I was in One World Trade Center when it was hit, by the grace of God I am able to tell my story today. I have gained tools to help me cope with my mental trauma that I endured on that day. In the last several years Free Agents 4 Recovery helped me transition, being able to leave the house and interact with peers for support, on this traumatic day September 11th.
Prior to that day, I was daily drinking and after 9-11 my drinking became severe as well as developing a shopping addiction. My self-esteem, failed marriage and the inability to function on Wall Street, I decided to make the move to Ohio, little did I know that everything I was dealing with would follow. With the support from Free Agents 4 Recovery my transition this past few years has been phenomenal. Darnell suggested me taking NAMI Peer to Peer training which I have completed and I am an alumnus today. I have successfully accomplished Ohio Integrated Peer training and I am an Ohio Peer to Peer Specialist. Today I am enrolled at a University working toward my BA in Psychology in Mental Health with the goal of completing my Masters.
I have never seen a program that offers everything from resources, activities, fellowship, education and peer recovery support. Free Agents 4 Recovery has given me the tools to continue my successful journey in my path to recovery. If you are looking for a place where you can feel comfortable and be part of a family, Free Agents 4 Recovery is the agency to seek. It also made me realize that yes, you can recover and be part of society and be successful.
I met Free Agents 4 Recovery two years ago at Kent State where individuals were fellowshipping in recovery. Mr. Howard was very outspoken about being in the community helping individuals without any funding or help. Mr. Howard made it very clear that he was all about recovery. After having a short conversation with him I made a decision to get to know this man. We talked about recovery and ways of helping people. I was already volunteering in the community. I really clicked with the holistic way Free Agents 4 Recovery did things. I started to volunteer and help out with the meetings, activities and fundraisers. The whole staff at Free Agents welcomed me with open arms. My daughter and I went to Free Agent’s social activities like putt-putt, canoeing, Sky Zone and more. I would have never been able to connect with my daughter or spend the time that I do with her without Free Agents 4 Recovery. The relationship with my daughter today is phenomenal and I want to thank Free Agents for their role in connecting us.
I attended Free Agents 4 Recovery’s “Recovery is a Process” workshop and I am set to do peer support training in the Summer of 2021 at Free Agents 4 Recovery. I also work a faith-based program and I have started my own outreach for the homeless. Free Agents 4 Recovery also supports this outreach. If you ever want to get a hold of me, I will be at a Free Agents event or fundraiser as posted on this website; the Big Book and 12-step Discussion group on Wednesday from Noon to 2pm and Thursday night’s AA Meeting from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
I met Free Agents 4 Recovery through my mother who referred me to this organization whom she had heard about. While I was locked up my mother contacted Mr. Howard who filed a motion for an early release which was granted. I immediately went to Free Agents office when I was released and met with Mr. Howard. Darnell shared with me that he would customize a program for me and we would work on my triggers and barriers in recovery as long as I did the work. Immediately we went to work and I had shared with them I had multiple cases in multiple counties. Free Agents transported me to each of these counties as I began to address the courts and prove my accountability and changing my life. Over the months, Mr. Howard and I would go to lunch and talk about future goals and plans. There I began to learn what recovery is and I began to address my barriers. Having lost friends to addiction in prison, I myself put in the necessary work to prevent that.
Getting my GED was very important to me and Free Agents 4 Recovery worked with me and paid for all my testing even though they did not have any funding, and I passed. I remember Mr. Howard sharing with me that “Dreams do not have expiration dates.” When asked to write about Free Agents and myself, I shared with Mr. Howard, absolutely! I also let it be known that I am in welding and drafting school to better myself to become even more of a productive individual in society. I am getting ready to buy a car too, none of things would have happened if I was still in active addiction. I lost several friends and close individuals to me in addiction but in recovery I have learned and gained so much. I will forever promote Free Agents 4 Recovery.
I met Free Agents 4 Recovery while I was in the shelter for homelessness. As I watched Mr. Howard help another individual, I asked for help too. I began to network with Free Agents 4 Recovery and Mr. Howard and I would talk about my issues with drinking. I also shared with Mr. Howard the health issues as a direct result from years of drinking. I also shared with him I wasn’t going to be able to connect with him after a few days because my phone plan would be up. Mr. Howard put me in Free Agents 4 Recovery’s phone program so that I could connect with my doctors, employment opportunities and Free Agents 4 Recovery. Mr. Howard took me on several interviews while I was in the shelter, seeking employment.
It seemed as though I was getting kicked to the curb, and I explained everything to Mr. Howard. He then called the agency where I received help for mental health services. After a few days, the ball got rolling and I asked Mr. Howard to be there when the mental health services came out to talk about housing and other issues. Mr. Howard assured me he would be there, he actually ended up arriving before the advocate from the mental health agency.
Mr. Howard and myself speak on a weekly basis sometime three or four times a week. He always calls to say “Hey how you doing?”, “Hey, how are you feeling?” and always, always, asks “How is your recovery?” I appreciate this man for all he has done. Periodically, this man will stop by with gift cards or food baskets for me from Free Agents, just because, not because I asked for it. Free Agents 4 Recovery is very different from other agency’s where it seems like services end, yet their services are ongoing. I truly understand what is said about recovery being a life long journey. Free Agents 4 Recovery has been beside me ever since I met Mr. Howard.
I met with Free Agents 4 Recovery in 2015 at the bottom of my addiction, I can remember it like yesterday, Mr. Howard told me “Anything you focus on you can accomplish.” I shared with Mr. Howard that I was going to be going to prison as a direct result of consequences of drinking and drugging. Mr. Howard assured me that Free Agents 4 Recovery would correspond with me and they did. For my 5 months in the county and 12 months in prison I received correspondence from Free Agents 4 Recovery. This talk was about recovery, lifestyle changes and to learn to think differently. I embraced and welcomed the new ideas. When I was released from prison, Mr. Howard personally helped me with housing and transitioning from street life and old behaviors.
Mr. Howard looked at me one day and told me that everything about Free Agents is holistic and it’s about working with an individual wholly and not just parts, so that they will be well. Mr. Howard told me that I had to work on more than just my drug issues. He looked at me one day and said “You need to address your mental health.” At first, I was embarrassed and didn’t want to be associated with this. Mr. Howard talked to me extensively about the stigma of African Americans and people of color not wanting to be associated with a mental illness. He said that even he sees a counselor and it helped. Over a period of time and multiple conversations, I began to see that I needed to think outside the box. Free Agents put me in situations that I had to think. Mr. Howard also told me being a Veteran, he could get me into services to address issues that I have, which I did. And to this day, I address all my behaviors, mental health being one of them.
As Free Agents 4 Recovery began to work with me, they helped me complete all the VA paperwork that was necessary to file my service-related claim from when I was in the Air Force. Moving forward, Mr. Howard is the liaison/advocate that works with my attorney. I am very grateful to have met Free Agents 4 Recovery, they’ve done things for me that no other agency has considered doing. They go above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen from other companies. If you’re a Veteran and need assistance, I recommend Free Agents 4 Recovery.
I met Free Agents 4 Recovery when I was 16 as a Junior in high school. My mom introduced me to Mr. Howard but I didn’t think I needed his help. He would try to talk to me and I would give him a smart remark back. I am very grateful he kept working with me because I am in a much better place now. I struggled with having an African American dad and a Caucasian mom. My dad’s family is very dysfunctional yet my mom’s family is normal. It caused a lot of confusion and depression for me in high school. Darnell explained to me that he has family members that were also bi-racial and he had conversations with them about how that affected them as they grew up, so I slowly started to listen to his suggestions.
Through-out high school there were times I was very depressed and there were multiple days I didn’t go to school and I was at risk of not graduating. There were a lot of days I got to school and I didn’t want to even go in. It was at those times my mom would reach out to Darnell and he would talk me into going to school and I would finish those days. Darnell promised me life would be better with a high school diploma and he guaranteed he would be there at my high school graduation. As promised, Darnell attended my graduation.
After graduation I enrolled in college and I struggled, Darnell shared with me that everyone’s path is different, the key statement he shared with me was not to look at what others were doing but to figure out my own journey. With the help of Free Agents 4 Recovery, my mother and I found an agency near where we lived but I struggled with that and the medications that were prescribed. I gave up and my mom immediately reached out to Free Agents and again we had conversations. I had issues with Caucasian therapists and trust issues, Darnell helped us find a therapist that understood African Americans and getting services. In our community, we are looked upon as crazy when we receive services. Darnell shared with me when you find something that works to stick with it and not to care what other people think.
My goal is to be a business owner, and I set out to do it one step at a time. I graduated in February 2020 from Casal Aveda Institute in Advanced Manicuring and as promised Darnell was at my graduation. I am currently studying Advanced Esthetics to further complete another business goal. Today, I take my daily medication, take time out for self-care and I’ve developed hobbies I like doing. I appreciate everything that Free Agents 4 Recovery has done in my life and I truly love giving back when I have an opportunity to work in the office at Free Agents 4 Recovery.
I met Free Agents 4 Recovery while I was in treatment, as Darnell would visit on a weekly basis. I begun to pull him to the side and question him about recovery, about life and how to sustain sobriety. I could go into a long-drawn-out conversation, but I told him I was 31 years old and the last job I had was at Dominoes pizza at 16 years old and I didn’t want to return to the streets for income. Darnell assured me not to worry about employment but to focus on gaining tools and learning as much as I can about the disease of addiction.
Today I truly understand what it means, I understand the statement “Just for today” and “One day at a time” is what he taught me recovery is all about. Free Agents helped me transition from treatment to sober living, in fact the last week of treatment, I had an interview with a company and Darnell sat in on the interview and I was offered a position where I was making $19.80 per hour. I hadn’t working in 15 years. Nervous and scared, Darnell told me to relax when the interviewer stepped out of the room. When we left the interview, Darnell took me to a bank and I opened up an account because the company I was going to work for required direct deposit.
As I transitioned, at sober living, Darnell would do weekly budgeting with me. I saved up over a few months and bought a car. He has helped me with people, places and things, the biggest part of recovery. I can hear him right now, “Birds of a feather, flock together.” It’s an awesome feeling to be able to buy my three kid’s clothes, taking them out on an outing or just taking them out to eat with hard working, honest money. I have reconnected with my family and I’m deeply involved in my music and I will know I will prosper one day as a result of my commitment.
This man is a driving force in helping individuals turn their life around. I had a relapse after a year, Darnell picked me up from the hospital and told me “So we start over.” And we did just that. Within a few weeks, Darnell had me working at a company making $17 per hour. And for months he talked with me every day. I learned accountability from Free Agents 4 Recovery. I appreciate everything this organization has done for me.