MARCO is a peer-run organization, led and governed by individuals affected by Substance Use Disorders who have direct experience in Recovery Community Organization (RCO) leadership and programs. Over the next few months we’ll be featuring some of our Board Members and their personal connection to MARCO’s mission to educate, advocate and mobilize the grassroots recovery movement across Minnesota.
Board Member Beth Elstad is the founder of Recovery Alliance Duluth (RAD), the first Recovery Community Organization in Northeast MN, and one of several founders of the Minnesota Alliance of Recovery Community Organizations (MARCO), the first statewide Recovery Community Organization in Minnesota. We asked Beth to share her personal journey that brought her to her role at RAD and MARCO.
Peace and Healing by the North Shore
By Beth Elstad
I grew up on the North Shore, surrounded by the beauty of Lake Superior. I find the most peace and healing near those same waters today. In 1990, I relocated to Hermantown, MN, with my two sons, Bryan and Benjamin. They were the reason for my recovery. With the support of my family, friends, colleagues, and community, I continue to celebrate my recovery of nearly 28 years.
In 2018, while working as the South St. Louis County DWI Court Coordinator, I had the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Recovery Connection Recovery Coach Academy. This experience was transformative. I felt empowered in my recovery and inspired by the community around me. During this intense week of training, I met incredible people and learned about a Recovery Oriented System of Care, Peer Recovery Services, the role of a Recovery Community Organization, and more. It was this experience, and my wish to honor our son Bryan (who I lost to suicide in 2013 while in recovery) that inspired me to develop Recovery Alliance Duluth (RAD). The support of the Victory Fund also largely helped make RAD possible. RAD, the first Recovery Community Organization in NE MN, is led by Executive Director Jenny Swanson and has offices in Duluth and Virginia, MN.
RAD is an important recovery resource in our region, and I am honored to serve as the Board President. In the early stages of RAD’s development, I met an incredible group of RCO leaders, many of whom are my dearest friends today. Together, we brainstormed and networked to bring our vision of a statewide RCO to fruition. This RCO, the Minnesota Alliance of Recovery Community Organizations (MARCO), is now an incredible resource in our state! In addition to my continued involvement with RCOs, I chair The Governor’s Advisory Council on Opioids, Substance Use, and Addiction, serve on The Victory Fund and Neighborhood Youth Services Board of Directors, and participate in the St. Louis County Opioid Remediation Settlement Advisory Committee.
I am grateful for all I have learned on this journey. I believe in an ecosystem that champions all pathways to and of recovery, and I am honored to be part of a movement that supports an equitable Recovery Oriented Future for all.
To learn more about Beth Elstad, read her full bio here: https://marcomn.org/staff-board/