Dr Sonny Lara is the Founder, Executive Director of the Firehouse Community Development Corporation. For the past 25 years he has been recognized as a Gang Expert by city and state officials, as well as receiving a host of awards, letters of support and has received media coverage for his endeavors in the community. The Firehouse is a part of the City of San Jose, Mayor’s Gang Task Force. Providing gang intervention, crisis response and leadership to at risk youth. Firehouse provides many benefits to the community including decreased crime, homicide, graffiti and vandalism. Under the leadership of Dr Sonny Lara the Firehouse has succeeded in transitioning individuals and families into the mainstream as contributing members of society.

Mark Lundholm

Mark Lundholm has performed in all 50 states and 10 foreign countries. From world-renowned musicians, heads of state, fortune 500 companies to rehabilitation centers and convicted felons, Mark has truly entertained on the world’s stage. He’s appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, A&E, CBS, and NBC. Mark wrote and performed his own one-man show off-Broadway in New York City reaching critical acclaim, and in his spare time created the now staple DVD series ‘Humor in Treatment’ and the Recovery Board Game.

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Mary Beth has been clean and sober for 26 years. She is a board member for LifeRing Secular Recovery. She regularly speaks on behalf of LifeRing and develops relationships with organizations supportive of the multiple pathways approach. Mary Beth also is a board member for She Recovers Foundation. She is a founding member of She Recovers Support for Legal Professionals and is active in the She Recovers Sharing Circle Bay Area. Mary Beth had an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, I Beat Addiction without God, where she described building a personal recovery plan by combining ideas from Secular Organization for Sobriety, now LifeRing, Women for Sobriety, and Narcotics Anonymous.

Board President for the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center. From Gabrielle: Recovery has been a discovery of who I am as a person, an LGBTQ+, and where recovery can happen among the bigotry in and out of the recovery process. Integrating all of the elements of who I am is the spiritual experience I did not expect. Becoming whole is not easy in a scattered world.Recovery has been a discovery of who I am as a person, an LGBTQ+, and where recovery can happen among the bigotry in and out of the recovery process.

Mr. Rivers is a Native American Cultural/Spiritual Leader and advisor to the Indigenous inmate population(s) at the County, State and Federal Prison(s) in Arizona and Central California. Providing spiritual and traditional guidance and healing to incarcerated Native men and women. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Northern Arizona University (NAU), and a Masters in American Indian Studies from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Currently, Mr. Rivers is native american cultural liaison for the Indian Health Center in Santa Clara Valley, with over 25 years of sobriety

Cherine will be speaking about her experience as a young person in recovery, including the challenges and resources, and the overall landscape for young adults. She went on to co-found the Phoenix home group, and is now married and found success as a small business owner.

As a young artist in recovery, Chelsi Whiting uses her expressive art to channel and process emotions into a healthy outlet. With heavy subject matters such as mental illness, addiction, and trauma, she hopes her visualizations help others as much as herself. https://www.instagram.com/chels_eye_art/