Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) are independent, nonprofit organizations led and governed by people in recovery from substance use disorder. MARCO is committed to empowering emerging and up-and-coming RCOs through mentorship, education, and ongoing support.

In the months ahead, we’ll be spotlighting some of Minnesota’s newest RCOs—sharing their stories and highlighting how their work supports MARCO’s mission to educate, advocate, and mobilize the grassroots recovery movement.

To launch the series—and in celebration of Pride Month—we sat down with Caitlin Herrity, Board Member and Community Representative of Sonder – Queering Recovery, to learn more about Sonder’s journey and what led to them being a culturally specific recovery community organization.

MARCO: How did Sonder begin? Can you share your story?

Caitlin: Sonder began as a group of displaced queer people from another recovery organization. For me, I was initially involved in the mass exodus but didn’t make my way to Sonder until I was deep in a relapse after previously having 19 months of recovery. I’d been to rehab and IOP, but after growing up with a family in recovery, I felt resistant to AA as the only path. Sonder gave me space to rebuild my recovery on my own terms and in community. It reminded me that healing doesn’t have to look like what we’ve seen before—it can look like us.

MARCO: Do you have any advice or tips for someone who is just starting their grassroots efforts in the recovery community?

Caitlin: Start with care. Really. If your foundation is built on connection, not control—on listening rather than prescribing—people will find you. Don’t rush to scale. Know your values, know your why, and let the community shape what you build. Also, it’s okay not to know everything. Keep showing up with integrity, and let mutual trust be your guide.

MARCO: What is the most rewarding part of working in recovery for you?

Caitlin: The people. It’s not just the connections we make—though those are everything—it’s watching people rewrite their own narratives. I’ve seen shame soften. I’ve seen people realize that harm reduction is still healing. I’ve seen recovery expand beyond abstinence into something personal and powerful. Being part of that reframing is a gift.

MARCO: How do you see RCOs best collaborating to build an ecosystem of recovery?

Caitlin: We need each other—and we need to stop gatekeeping recovery. RCOs thrive when they share knowledge, resources, and referrals without competition. Recovery is not one-size-fits-all, and collaboration helps us reach more people with more pathways. The more we normalize choice, the more sustainable this work becomes.

MARCO: What are the biggest tools Sonder offers to folks sustaining their recovery?

Caitlin: Community. Period. We are powered by our people—by shared experience, mutual support, and brave conversations. At Sonder, recovery is peer-driven, queer-centered, and deeply human. It’s not just a meeting or a resource; it’s a place to land, to laugh, to be witnessed. That’s our biggest tool.

MARCO: Could you tell us more about a service area(s) your organization specializes in? How and/or why did your organization develop this specialization? What is something you are doing that you are most proud of?

Caitlin: Sonder specializes in peer-led recovery support for the queer community, and that’s by design. Our founders were looking for a space that didn’t yet exist—one where queerness wasn’t a side note but a centerpoint. We offer regular peer recovery meetings, community care events, education around multiple pathways, and mutual aid. I’m most proud of the way we hold space—gently, creatively, and with real care. Every meeting is a chance to be seen without shame. Every gathering is a reminder that you don’t have to heal alone.

MARCO: What does “building a recovery-oriented future” mean to you?

Caitlin: It means imagining—and actively creating—a world where recovery is integrated into everyday life, not something separate or stigmatized. It means centering lived experience, expanding access, and allowing recovery to evolve beyond binaries. A recovery-oriented future makes room for all stories, all paths, and all people. Sonder is trying to build that now, one meeting, one voice, one connection at a time.

MARCO: What does Pride mean to you?

Caitlin: Refusing to hide myself in any room—because maybe there’s someone watching who has been where I’ve been and once drowned out their identity with substances. I lead with who I am to find love in the parts of me I once couldn’t look at. Pride is visibility with purpose.

MARCO: How do you see RCOs best serving the queer community?

Caitlin: By showing up as one of us, not just for us. The queer community doesn’t need saving—we need spaces that understand us from the inside. RCOs can serve best by embedding queerness into leadership, programming, language, and care. We’re nothing without each other, and that’s never been more true than in 2025.