Katey, Volunteer Coordinator, Des Moines RCC
A transformative impact.
Volunteering with Full Circle Recovery has had a profound and transformative impact on my life. What began as a desire to give back to the recovery community evolved into a deeply personal journey of growth, healing, and empowerment. Through my time as a volunteer, I gained not only valuable skills and experience but also a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth.
The supportive environment at Full Circle Recovery provided me with the encouragement and confidence I needed to step into new roles and responsibilities. I was given the opportunity to develop leadership skills, connect with others on similar paths, and contribute meaningfully to a mission I wholeheartedly believe in. Over time, this experience helped me discover strengths I hadn’t previously recognized in myself.
Today, as the Volunteer Coordinator, I carry with me the lessons I’ve learned and the compassion I’ve received. Full Circle Recovery has played an essential role in shaping the person I am today, and I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve and grow within this incredible community.
Dominic, Volunteer
Be a part of something.
I have been volunteering here at Full Circle since January of 2024. Full Circle has become a huge part of my recovery. This RCC has given me a solid foundation in my recovery. The center has given me a safe comfortable place where I can go. I can always go to Full Circle to help others, just be of service and get out of my own head. From just cleaning, taking out the trash, showing people resources or just being someone people can talk to. I love being able to talk to other like-minded people. They all help guide me through my emotions, obsessions, and situations in my life whether they know it or not.
The staff also has had a major positive impact on my recovery. They're all a great support for me today. I'm so grateful for the growth I have gained here. I'm extremely grateful for the feeling of just being a part of something. I have heard so many stories that prove miracles can happen at Full Circle. I work a 12-step program, and I know I have to give it all away to keep it and spread the message of hope to other addicts. Full Circle has given me a place where I can do that. A place where I can share my good and bad experiences and they can help others.
Hearing others' experiences helps me as well. I have gained a passion for others and a passion to assist them to navigate their emotions and reality in front of them. Helping guide others out of a hopeless state of body and mind that I was in gives me purpose. I feel good just being there and just doing my best to make others feel welcomed by just saying hello and introducing myself. Full Circle is a multiple path to recovery center. I have dabbled in other meetings and been able to pull a lot of other principals to add to my main path of recovery.
I have gained a lot of solid friends that actually want to see me win. I feel confident in my recovery with these new healthy relationships. I have gained a whole community to help me fight my battles today!! Fridays are my favorite days going for Friday Fun Night and hanging out with others. We have so many laughs proving that we may not be all together but together we can have it all!! We definitely still can have a good time in our recovery especially with Full Circle.
John, Volunteer
Service is a powerful tool.
I volunteer at Full Circle Recovery Community Center as part of my sobriety journey, and it’s a commitment that keeps me grounded and connected. Giving back to the recovery community that helped save my life reminds me daily of where I came from and how far I’ve come. I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to work with people who are incarcerated. Many of them are struggling with the same things I once battled—addiction, shame, hopelessness—and I consider it a privilege to bring a message of recovery and hope into those spaces.
Working with people in jail or a prison setting, I don’t see inmates—I see people who still have a chance to change. I share my experience, strength, and hope with them, not from a place of judgment, but from a place of understanding. I’ve seen the light come on in someone’s eyes when they realize they’re not alone and that recovery is possible. It’s humbling work, and it reminds me that service is one of the most powerful tools I have to stay sober.
