Kelly Hall is a resident of Port Angeles. She grew up in an unstable single-parent home, a survivor of abuse and neglect. She was determined to break this cycle of abuse and started her own business in our downtown area when she was 19. She also enrolled in college in the hopes of earning a degree in English. Reading had always been an escape for her and she achieved and maintained a GPA of 3.8. Even though she worked hard, slowly she began to spiral downward. She found herself in an abusive relationship which mirrored the abuse she had experienced as a child. Without support and encouragement and professional help, this cycle of abuse often perpetuates itself. She married and had a son in 2008. During the birth of her son, she was injured and placed on opiates for pain and became addicted. After two years of addiction, she attempted to stop her drug use on her own only to substitute one addiction for another, methamphetamines. She and her son were left homeless and without a car and soon he was removed from her care. Through this gut-wrenching experience, she was given the gift of a message: “An addict, any addict, can lose the desire to use and find a new way to live.”
She became motivated to go to detox, treatment, and she moved into Oxford House, and engaged in Lift Court services through DCYF. She attended parenting classes, participated in anger management and outpatient treatment services, and started to attend self-help meetings. She got a sponsor through Narcotic Anonymous. She worked through the twelve steps and became a sponsor herself. She worked with other addicts. She used her pain and experience to become of service to others. She says, recovery has lived up to its promises. She’s found a new way to live and, as promised, she states, “I have lost the desire to use.” Throughout her recovery, Kelly has sponsored other women and established women’s self-help meetings. Her most important change is being able to be the mother her son deserves by providing stability, love, wisdom and security. She proudly says her son is the kindest, most genuine person she’s ever met. In 2020 she started doing outreach for a local nonprofit organization. It was through this work she found her passion for social work. For most of her career she managed a team of certified peers who provide outreach services to the chronically homeless. In March of 2022, Kelly worked to develop the Hope (Help, Opportunity, Prevention, and Education) program. As the Hope Program Manager, Kelly works in partnership with the Clallam County Jail to provide medication for opiate use disorder (MOUD) and reintegration support to people who are in confinement.
In 2021, Kelly began her journey to become a Social Worker by attending college. Kelly maintains a 4.0 GPA and is often recognized for her academic achievements. Kelly is not eligible for financial aid and pays for her education out of her pocket while working full-time. She is enrolled in an on-line Bachelor’s of Social Work Program through Walden University and plans to continue on to get her MSW. As you can tell by this narrative, she is an excellent writer. Wendy and I met her and presented her with the Live Your Dream financial award of $2000 in January. I can say we were both very impressed with her persistence and resilience. I would like to have Kelly come forward so that you can meet her and we can recognize her achievements.