Our
History

We are proud to be the only peer-founded and operated organization in Wilkes County. More than 50% of our staff, board, and volunteers have lived experience with substance use or mental health concerns. Currently, 100% of our staff and 80% of our Board of Directors have lived experience with substance use, while the remaining members have family ties to individuals impacted by substance use. This peer-led model ensures our services are grounded in the wisdom of lived experience, enhancing the impact of our advocacy and community-building efforts.

Founded in 2016 by our Executive Director, who sought to create recovery opportunities in Wilkes County after having to leave the area for support herself, WRR started with a single women’s transitional living facility. Over time, it became clear that this alone could not meet the complex needs of our community. Today, WRR operates twelve unique programs, serving over 4,000 individuals annually and employing 26 staff members across all initiatives. Our programs
include Phases Transitional Housing, R3 Recovery Center, Wilkes Harm Reduction Collective, Project HOW (Healing Our Workforce), Recovery Friendly NC, Fresh Start Farm, Wilkes Fresh Mobile Market, Hope Warriors, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), Post Overdose Response Team (PORT), Revolution Thrift Store, and Cameron Ridge Treatment Services.

Our programs address the multifaceted needs of people who use drugs (PWUD) and those with substance use disorders (SUD), providing access to harm reduction services, transitional housing, peer support, employment opportunities, and more. In the past year alone, the Wilkes Harm Reduction Collective has served 975 unique participants, distributed 5,414 safer use kits, and collected over 183,000 used syringes for proper disposal. Community-wide, WRR has
distributed more than 5,400 Naloxone kits, resulting in 429 confirmed overdose reversals.

At WRR, we believe in the power of peer support, meaningful employment, and harm reduction to save lives and create lasting recovery pathways. With a budget of over one million dollars, we manage various foundation and state grants, demonstrating our capacity to implement impactful programs. As we move forward, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing equitable access to care and expanding our services based on the evolving needs of our community.

Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc. is funded through a diverse set of funding streams including individual and institutional donations, in-kind donations, foundation funding, and state and federal grants. To date, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc. has appreciated the support of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Federal Funds, NC State Budget Appropriations, McKinsey Opioid Settlement, NC DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services), NC IVPB (Injury and Violence Prevention Branch), CDC (Centers for Disease Control), Appalachian Regional Commission, Wilkes Community Foundation, The
Health Foundation, Inc., Herring Foundation, Kulynych Foundation, BCBS (Blue Cross Blue Shield) of NC, Wilkes County Opioid Settlement, and other foundations across the state.

Devin Lyall is the Founding Executive Director and alongside the organization, has been recognized for many prestigious achievements such as the 2019 recipient of the United Way Great State Hero Award for Crisis Assistance, the 2021 Chairman’s Award from the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, the 2020 Recovery Champion Award through NC One Community in Recovery, the 2022 Harm Reduction Hero Award from Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, the 2022 Todd E. Whitworth National Humanitarian Award, and the organization was recently awarded the National Recovery Community Organization of the Year award in
Washington, D.C. Her story and the work of WRR have been featured in The Economist, the Winston-Salem Journal, NC Health News, Spectrum News, VICE Media, and WRAL Television, and she recently presented her first TEDx Talk.

Alongside Devin is an amazing team of twenty-six individuals who all have lived experiences and create a dream team that is making a significant impact through meeting individuals where they are with love and compassion. Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc. fosters a recovery ecosystem where individuals do not fall through the cracks. Our team serves at the pleasure of our board of directors, of whom more than 50% identify as having lived experiences with recovery. This board meets monthly to maintain internal controls and help guide the services, programming, and growth of the organization.