Meet the newest Makin’ It Happen staff member, Jace Troie! Jace joins us as the Recovery Ready Communities Coordinator, where he will help expand and develop the Recovery Ready Communities focus area. We decided to sit down with him and get to know him more.
Q: What landed you at Makin’ It Happen?
Jace: Originally, I was going to college but ended up changing direction and turned to drug prevention. After that, I worked for a while as a paraprofessional… but I got burnt out there and went back to prevention – this time, suicide prevention and mental health advocacy. From there, I wanted to come back to drug prevention, so here I am!
Q: Why are you interested in the field of prevention?
Jace: My lived experience – I have that personal investment in it. I have been in recovery since August of 2020, so it’s important to me. I saw loved ones living with substance use disorder and always thought, “that’d never be me”, and then it was me. So, it makes you realize how easily it could happen to anyone, and how much of a difference you can make by helping to stop addiction in its tracks.
Q: What are your passions? Personal and professional!
Jace: Supporting the LGBTQ+ community has been a professional passion of mine over the last handful of years, especially in my drug prevention and suicide prevention work. I’ve got a real soft spot for underserved populations, and making sure that services are provided for them. Personally, I’m all over the place – I played ice hockey for 15 years, but I’m also a really dedicated theatre kid! Really anything that sparks joy – rock climbing, woodworking, I will pursue anything that sparks joy.
Q: What would you like to achieve at Makin’ It Happen?
Jace: Community impact. Helping people feel seen and supported – I love anti-stigma work and I’m excited to see how I can contribute to those efforts at Makin’ It Happen.
Q: What are your ultimate career goals?
Jace: I’ve always struggled with this. I love non-profit work because you are following the need in a community. I’ve always struggled to nail down what I wanted to be when I “grow up” because needs change in communities, and I want to be able to be flexible enough that I can help where it’s most needed, but also focused enough that I can still make an impact – so very open-ended.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
Jace: I love hiking, hanging out with my cat, any kind of craft project… I also like to knit, I’m not great at it, but I have a good time doing it!
We’re so excited to have Jace join the team and jump right into prevention again for the Greater Manchester Region!
