Our mission is to empower individuals and the community to manage and overcome substance use and mental health challenges.

We are a local hub of service to vulnerable and marginalized individuals, many of whom struggle with significant mental health and/or substance use challenges.

We offer a continuum of resources for individuals, their families & loved ones.

Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness became a formal nonprofit in 2015, following several years of recovery advocacy and organizing work done by the organization’s founding members who recognized the value of peer support specialists in supporting individuals navigating their personal recoveries.

Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness was established to provide additional community-embedded access to peer support for those in recovery and seeking recovery. Sunrise provides advocacy for recovery, education to community partners on the value of peer support and continuing education and training for those working as Certified Peer Support Specialists within our system of care. Founding members of the organization include peer support specialists, individuals in recovery and recovery allies working within our communities and behavioral health systems to create a recovery oriented system of care.

In 2022, Sunrise was able to have twice the number of peer supported interactions in one year than we had in our first three years of operation!

From 2016 to 2019, Sunrise had 15,000 peer supported interactions. In 2022, we had more than 33,000 peer supported interactions. Today, Sunrise operates 11 different programs, employs 39+ Certified Peer Support Specialists earning above Living Wages and creates opportunities for numerous volunteers and interns.

Sunrise is recognized by SAMHSA & NC Department of Health and Human Services as a regional Recovery Community Organization (RCO) for the central to west region, spanning from Charlotte to Cherokee. 

In 2017, one year after opening our  doors, Sunrise founder, Kevin Mahoney, was selected as one of Mountain Xpress’s Innovators of the Year. Read more about Kevin’s inspiration for creating Sunrise and his vision for the future.

Watch the video below to learn more about RCOs and the important gaps they fill in our community.