Hoa Mai
Director of Peer Services
Recovery Innovations of Arizona
When I was a boy growing up in Vietnam I always dreamed of living in the United States. I had seen many appealing American television shows like Dallas and I Dream of Genie and heard many rock and roll songs such as the Beatles and Elvis Presley. In 1980, when my parents asked me (out of 8 other siblings) if I wanted to go to America, I quickly jumped at the chance. I did not know my leaving Vietnam would involve a horrific 8-day escape on a tiny boat with more than a hundred people. Little did I know the events of this journey would change my life forever. It was during my escape that I experienced genuine hope. The power of hope was the light that kept me alive in my most desperate moments. In fact, my most desperate moments became my finest moments because I fought and fought and did not give up or give in to the potential deadly situation that I was in.
A fishing boat rescued my boat which now had about 40 survivors left on it. I lived in a refugee camp in Hong Kong for 2 years. Everything was beginning to look up for me. A Catholic Social Services Agency sponsored me to come to the United States. When I first arrived in the states I lived in an orphanage in Peoria, IL, and then I lived with a foster family for two years. I was very grateful for the many blessings in my life. They are more than what I deserve. I wanted to apply my life experiences professionally, in the social services field. I went to school in San Jose California and in New York. After graduating from college, I went into the social services arena. I worked as a case manager, social worker, and site director for various mental health organizations both in Minnesota and Arizona. Due to the nature of my work I still had this feeling that something was missing, because I didn’t have the opportunity to contribute my life experiences as inspiration and hope to connect with people, those who had similar life experiences that I had.
Things started to change for me when I had the opportunity to work on an initiative with Gene Johnson and Lori Ashcraft from Recovery Innovations to bring recovery practice into my clinic site. I was inspired by Recovery Innovations’ commitment to the recovery movement, and by its mission statement: “To create opportunities and environments that empower people to recover, to succeed in accomplishing their goals, and to reconnect to themselves, others, and meaning and purpose in life”. I found that Recovery Innovations demonstrates a genuine care and love for people and these organizational qualities attracted me.
I came to work for Recovery Innovations in 2005 and I believe I have found my professional niche working here. I currently work as a Director of Peer Services. Our services strive to promote wellness in all aspects of people’s life. Working at Recovery Innovations has been a wonderful experience for me. I have a passion to promote and develop programs that foster recovery and promote self-determination. My vision for the future is to be an active part of transforming the behavioral health system into a self-directed and peer-based approach where recovery is the expectation.