The Women’s Recovery Center established the Champion for Recovery Award in 2017 to bring awareness to the opioid crisis and substance use disorder. We are honoring those making a positive impact in the field and saving lives. Former award recipients include Dr. Joan Papp, Emergency Medicine Physician and Director of the Office Opioid Safety, MetroHealth; Scott Osiecki, CEO of the ADAMHS Board; and Doctors Patty Stoddard Dare, and Miyuki Tedor, co-creators of DrugHelp.care. Last year's award recipient was Vince Caraffi for his work to found the Cuyahoga County Opiate Task Force and leading a $13.2 million grant awarded to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health from the U.S. CDC Overdose Data to Action Grant.
This year, we are honoring Erin Helms for her work in the SUD recovery housing community and work with the Woodrow Project and Briermost Foundation. Erin Helms is the Executive Director at The Woodrow Project, recovery housing for women. She is an independently licensed chemical dependency counselor in the State of Ohio. Ms. Helms completed her undergraduate education at The Ohio State University and earned her master’s degree in Addiction Counseling at Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies. She has been employed in a variety of settings ranging from the Franklin County Health Department to work as a primary counselor in both the inpatient and outpatient settings at Glenbeigh Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. Erin is passionate about advocating for persons in recovery. She is a Board Member of The National Alliance for Recovery Residences, member of the Faces and Voices of Recovery Public Policy Committee, Cuyahoga County Opiate Task Force, Ohio Recovery Housing Treasurer, and Northeast Ohio Recovery Residence Network board member. Erin will be honored at our 2022 Miracles of Recovery Breakfast that will take place September 22, at Windows on the River.