As a person in recovery, Darick has used his personal experience and strength to be an advocate for others in his community. Darick serves as vice president for Project Unity for Life--which provides a home for those in recovery--and holds bi-monthly house meetings in order to discuss goals for the gentlemen living at Unity House. Darick is a successful small business owner and has shown that by working hard and achieving one’s goals, there are numerous possibilities. In other words, Darick leads by example. This summer, Darick took on a new role to form the first ever co-ed softball team for those in recovery, demonstrating that having “clean” fun is a reality. Darick has two beautiful daughters that he is co-parenting and has just proposed to his long time “gal” Krystal. (If you look hard in the Traverse City area, you will see Darick’s familiar face on billboards for the Drug Free Coalition, as well as in commercials).

Addiction is a disease that destroys and overwhelms families. My 23-year-old son Alex lost his battle with addiction. He was an amazing, loving young man with potential and dreams for the future. A Traverse City native and in recovery myself, I share my story in hope that I can change someone else's path and that our community can better support those struggling with addiction. Alex's motto was "Have A Purpose!" My purpose is to be an advocate for recovery and help educate and find solutions.   

Tim has been in the Northern Michigan community since becoming pastor of Advent Lutheran Church in Lake Ann in the summer of 2017. He grew up in Livingston County, attended seminary in Ohio, and was a pastor in Maryland for ten years before moving to our area. A person who loves to make music and spend time outdoors, Tim's commitment to helping people in recovery came from his work as a pastor, providing care to families who have lost loved ones to addiction. He is a volunteer Angel with FAN's Hope Not Handcuffs program. 

A lifelong resident of Michigan, Mark and his family moved to Traverse City in 1982. He began practicing as an attorney in 1980 and served as an administrative law judge from 1994 to 1998. Mark began his work for treatment courts in 2001 with the 86th District Sobriety Court. He also serves or has served on the 86th District Drug Court, the 86th District Mental Health Court, the Grand Traverse Juvenile Drug Court, and the Grand Traverse Behavioral Treatment Court. Mark is a teaching faculty member of the National Center for DWI Courts and the defense attorney representative on the State Drug Treatment Court Advisory Committee. A member of the Addiction Treatment Services board, Mark is a volunteer "Angel" for Hope Not Handcuffs. He is also a volunteer for the Traverse City Film Festival, a facilitative mediator, and a Dr. Who intergalactic crime fighter. His favorite recovery book is The Miracle of Mindfulness by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Beth was a registered nurse in the community for 35 years before retiring as the Parish Nurse of Central United Methodist Church. Beth has a strong faith and enjoys spending time with her friends and family in nature, playing games, cooking, and listening to rock and roll music. A member of the FAN board, she believes all persons have a gift, and aspires to provide hope and healing to families and those who struggle with addiction. 

In 2018, Jesse retired from a 30-year career in law enforcement in county. He and his wife moved to Leelanau County shortly after that. His first experience working with the substance use disorder (SUD) community was with FAN's Hope Not Handcuffs program, where he was lucky enough to be named one of their Angels of the Month. "I tell people that I did 30 years of the handcuffs, now I want to focus on the hope," Jesse says. He is now part of a team of four recovery coaches at Munson Behavioral Health and is primarily responsible for reaching out to patients while they are hospitalized , working to get them into a recovery program that fits their individual needs. Jesse's wife continues to practice as an Occupational Therapist and she and Jesse are the extremely proud parents of two sons, both of whom recently ended five years of service to our country in different branches of the military. Dedicated to making FAN an integral part of northern Michigan's recovery community--for both victims of SUD and their friends and families--Jesse enjoys hiking, biking, and seeking out new adventures in the north. He is also the coordinator of the Preventive Search and Rescue Team at Sleeping Bear.

Born and raised in Marquette County, Ginny has a Bachelor's Degree in Writing (technical & creative) from Northern Michigan University. She is the Sustainability Coordinator at Dial Help, where she began working in 2014 as a Crisis Specialist on the crisis line. She is certified in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), and a Stronger Together facilitator. Ginny is passionate about creating community change in the Upper Peninsula, especially breaking multigenerational cycles of substance use disorder (SUD). She was part of the R-CORP projects Beyond the Save and Facing Addiction through Community Engagement, both of which promoted education and access to resources for SUD. Ginny currently supports Communities That Care coalitions UP-wide, helps oversee the UP Suicide Prevention Coalition, and is part of the Marquette County Suicide Prevention Alliance and West End Suicide Prevention Coalition. In her spare time, Ginny enjoys reading, a bit of gaming, triking around town, and spending time with family and friends. Other interests include disability advocacy, LGTBQ+ rights, anti-racism education, women's issues, and ACEs. She loves the white of winter and green of summer, but most of all that majestic queen, Lake Superior (Gichigami).