04/08/2026
When you’re on-site at CARE, give Russ a wave and a smile, he will always smile back atcha!
Meet Russell, a former participant from the Tillamook Hope Center who has become a key member of the recovery community there.
Three years ago, Rusell got in a fight with his wife that left him homeless and disengaged from his family. Drugs had been a part of his story for a while, and while homeless, he went to stay with people in Beaverton. He had a lot of m**h in his system, but it was laced with fentanyl, and Russell recognized it was going to destroy him, but didn’t know what to do to get out of the cycle. The police in Washington County pulled him over driving while he was high, and he thanked the office. He knew this was it – this was his opportunity to get sober.
The judge in Tillamook sent him to the Tillamook Hope Center where he immediately threw himself into using the resources available to him at the facility. He engaged with CARE and Celebrate Recovery. He saved money, worked, and got an apartment. He had an opportunity to work for CARE one month after moving out of the Hope Center. He is now a Recovery Peer Mentor, and is celebrating 2 years clean. He helps look after all 16 of the CARE shelters in his region. “It’s my calling. I wouldn’t want to do anything else anymore.” He went from no community, to being a key part of it. Many of the homeless in Tillamook know him by name, he gets to spend time with his 2 boys – Riker, 28, and Ethan, 16 – who live in Pacific City. He is even still friends with his ex-wife. He feels energized about the direction his life is going.
He emphasized how much Helping Hands, CARE, and Celebrate Recovery changed his life, which he does for the people he works with, and he always asks them the question he used to ask himself.... “are you ready?”
To support individuals like Russell on their journey to sobriety and sustainability, donate today at www.helpinghandsreentry.org/donate
