Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) are independent, nonprofit organizations led and governed by people in recovery from substance use disorder. To be certified by MARCO, an RCO must demonstrate competency in eleven evaluation areas based on national standards and state statutes. Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting some of the first RCOs to earn MARCO certification—sharing their stories, successes, and how they embody MARCO’s mission to educate, advocate, and mobilize the grassroots recovery movement across Minnesota.
This month, we sat down with Cynthia Baade, Executive Director of Mission Restart in Grand Rapids, to learn how her organization grew out of the grassroots recovery movement and continues to strengthen recovery supports across northern Minnesota.
MARCO: Mission Restart was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when isolation and disconnection deeply impacted our recovery community.
Cynthia Baade: Mission Restart was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when isolation and disconnection deeply impacted our recovery community. I was watching people I knew and loved relapse, while others in recovery began judging or distancing themselves. The compassion and connection that recovery depends on were fading, and I knew something had to change. I began reaching out to people who believed in the same vision to bring hope, understanding, and peer support back into our community. Together, we formed a board of directors and began researching what it meant to become a certified Recovery Community Organization (RCO). By January 2021, Mission Restart officially became an organization. We partnered with the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence to ensure we were built on strong, ethical, and legal foundations. Soon after, First Call for Help donated our very first phone line, allowing us to launch a 24-hour volunteer peer support line. That phone line became a lifeline for people across our community, connecting anyone who needed to talk with volunteers who understood recovery because they lived it. What started as a simple idea during a crisis has grown into a trusted organization helping individuals at every stage of recovery find a new way to live.
MARCO: Do you have any advice or tips for someone just starting grassroots efforts in the recovery community?
Cynthia Baade: Yes, keep reaching out to those who came before you and connect with other leaders in the recovery community who can support and guide your efforts. Collaboration and mentorship are everything in this work. And most importantly, don’t give up before the miracle happens. Building something meaningful takes time. It took me four years before I really started to see the fruits of my labor. In those early years, I knew we were making a difference, but it wasn’t until year four that Mission Restart grew from an all-volunteer effort into a staffed organization. Stay consistent, stay humble, and stay connected to your “why.” Every conversation, every person you help, and every small step forward is part of something bigger than you can see in the moment.
MARCO: What is the most rewarding part of working in recovery for you?
Cynthia Baade: For me, the most rewarding part is watching the light turn on in someone’s eyes for the first time, seeing that moment when hope returns. Watching people go from feeling broken and lost to healing, rebuilding, and living their best lives is something I’ll never get tired of. It also reminds me of where I came from and how far I’ve come in my own journey. Every time I see someone take that first step toward healing, I’m reminded that recovery is possible for anyone, and that’s what keeps me going.
MARCO: How do you see RCOs best collaborating to build an ecosystem of recovery?
Cynthia Baade: I see RCOs as the bridge and the voice for people in recovery, connecting individuals to the services, resources, and supports they need to truly thrive. The current system has gaps, and many professionals within it are already overworked and stretched thin. RCOs can help fill those gaps by meeting people where they are, providing peer-led support, and working alongside treatment providers, crisis teams, and community organizations. When RCOs collaborate instead of compete, we create a stronger network that moves systems forward faster and ensures that no one falls through the cracks.
MARCO: What are the biggest tools your organization offers to people sustaining their recovery?
Cynthia Baade: That’s a tough one, but honestly, I’d say one of the biggest tools we offer is the opportunity to give back. At Mission Restart, we believe that purpose and connection are powerful parts of long-term recovery. Our events, volunteer roles, and community projects are designed so people can get involved no matter where they are in their recovery journey. Of course, our ongoing peer support is also a huge part of what we do, walking alongside individuals as they grow, rebuild, and find stability. But it’s the combination of support and service that really helps people sustain their recovery. When someone discovers they can use their story and their experience to help others, that’s where lasting healing happens.
MARCO: Could you tell us more about the service area(s) your organization specializes in? How and/or why did your organization develop this specialization? What is something you are most proud of?
Cynthia Baade: Mission Restart provides ongoing peer recovery support services that meet people where they are, leaving space for everyone in recovery, no matter what stage they’re in. Our services include a 24-hour peer support phone line that works alongside crisis lines such as 988. This collaboration allows individuals calling in during moments of crisis to be directly connected with someone in recovery who understands and is ready to listen without judgment. We’ve assisted with more than 50 transports to detox and treatment centers, helping people take that critical first step toward recovery. But what we’re most proud of is our partnership with the Itasca County Crisis Response Team. Traditionally, crisis teams do not respond when someone is actively under the influence. Our co-response model bridges that gap. If the crisis is primarily substance use-related, our peers take the lead; if it’s a mental health crisis, the crisis team leads. We lean on each other’s strengths and knowledge to make sure no one is turned away. This collaboration happened naturally. We were already located in the same building and often shared participants, so we began responding together — and it worked. What started as a simple partnership has grown into a model we believe can strengthen crisis response systems everywhere.
MARCO: What does “building a recovery-oriented future” mean to you?
Cynthia Baade: To me, building a recovery-oriented future means creating a world where people always have a safe place to turn, even if they’re not ready to stop completely. It’s about meeting people with compassion instead of judgment and ensuring they’re safe, supported, and seen. It also means building systems that don’t shut people out because of their past. People with criminal records or substance use histories deserve access to the same resources and opportunities as anyone else: housing, employment, treatment, and community support. A recovery-oriented future is one where every person, no matter where they are on their journey, has access to the help they need to heal and the hope they need to keep going.
MARCO: How do you see RCOs best serving Greater Minnesota?
Cynthia Baade: RCOs are uniquely positioned to serve Greater Minnesota because we understand the realities of rural life, limited resources, transportation barriers, and the stigma that often keeps people from asking for help. We can meet people where they are, both literally and emotionally, and provide person-centered peer support that fits the community, not just the system. In rural areas, recovery often depends on connection and creativity. RCOs can bridge the gaps between treatment, crisis services, housing, and community supports by building relationships and trust at the local level. We can bring culturally responsive, grassroots recovery services to places that might otherwise go without. When RCOs across Greater Minnesota work together, we can strengthen the state’s recovery ecosystem, making sure no one is left behind simply because of where they live.
MARCO: What does it mean to you to be a MARCO-certified RCO?
Cynthia Baade: Being MARCO-certified means that, as an organization, we’re not only operating legally and ethically, but also in alignment with the values and best practices that truly support the people we serve. It shows that we’re part of a larger network of organizations across Minnesota that are working together to strengthen recovery supports statewide. For me personally, it’s a big milestone. I’m a woman in long-term recovery and have been a Peer Recovery Specialist for six years, but I’m still learning what it means to run a growing nonprofit. Having MARCO as a resource (especially one that’s local to Minnesota) gives us guidance, mentorship, and a sense of connection that’s invaluable. I’m really looking forward to seeing how MARCO can help connect RCOs across the state. Mission Restart’s 24-hour phone line reaches people from all over Minnesota, and being part of this network means we’ll be able to make warm handoffs and link callers to recovery supports right in their own communities. MARCO certification reminds us that we’re not doing this work alone, we’re part of something bigger that’s changing how recovery looks across our state.
