HYER CALLING FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH FIVE ICF-TRAINED COACHES TO HELP GUIDE BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS IN RECOVERY THROUGH OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYMENT

PHILADELPHIA, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyer Calling Foundation, Inc.'s Chairman and General Counsel, Kevin Hyer, announced today a collaboration with and addition of five International Coaching Federation trained volunteer coaches to its slate of resources to benefit both businesses and individuals in their journey to hire and/or seek employment for those in recovery.

With a focus on reducing the stigma of substance abuse addiction—both in helping businesses to hire employees in recovery as well as helping individuals in recovery find successful employment, the Hyer Calling Foundation offers no-cost customized programs that include career counseling, job placement assistance, career coaching during the first year of employment, grants to acquire continuing education and certain legal services performed by outside attorneys at the Foundation's expense which make it easier for clients to reset their professional lives.

The Volunteer Coaches are from across the U.S. and include: Dr. Alison McBride (Wake Forest, NC) Liza Rodriguez (New York, NY), Erika Hall (St. Louis, MO), Dana Morgan (Philadelphia, PA), and Cathy Armstrong (Cornelius, NC). Volunteer Coach Bios are below.

Established in Philadelphia by labor and employment attorney Kevin Hyer and his family for the purpose of reducing and ultimately eradicating the stigma of substance use disorders in the workplace, the Foundation raises funds to provide the gold standard in no-cost career counseling and related services that insurance does not provide for so that those in recovery can get back on their feet professionally as quickly as possible, as well as encouraging businesses to hire employees in recovery.

Hyer, himself in recovery, is passionate about the need to give back, the importance of addressing workplace stigma connected to substance abuse and recovery and the fact that everyone deserves a second chance.

"The truth is, especially now as we emerge from the pandemic and continue to deal with the Great Resignation, the recovery community offers the American business community a huge untapped resource," said Hyer. "Employees in recovery are enormously grateful to have a second chance at life and as a result are loyal, hard-working and dedicated employees. And the Foundation offers them the tools they need to return to the workplace and live productive, meaningful lives."

In addition to offering personalized coaching and guidance to individuals and businesses, the Foundation is able to help with job placement assistance through its network of employers, so they are able to make a tangible difference on all sides.

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 "Coming out of treatment," said Hyer, "there's very little to help those in recovery address the stigma associated with addiction or recovery. How do they enter back into the workplace? Something had to change.

"There's no doubt some employers are hesitant to hire a recovering addict," Hyer adds. According to Better Addiction Care, the relapse statistics are but a sobering reminder of how fragile the recovery process can be.

• 90% of heroin users relapse.
• 90% of people with an alcohol addiction relapse.
• 88% of methamphetamine users relapse.
• 71% of marijuana users relapse.

Yet while Hyer knows fully the statistics are daunting, "That's what drives our mission and the importance of what we do. We tackle these issues head-on, offer assistance, solutions, a fresh start  and hope."

The average cost to assist an individual ranges from $5,000 to $23,000. To donate go to https://donate.thehyercallingfoundation.org/ or call 757-773-4588. The Hyer Calling Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization.

For more information, please visit www.thehyercallingfoundation.org. For media inquiries or interviews please contact Nina Zucker Associates at 610.457.4387 or [email protected].

HYER CALLING FOUNDATION VOLUNTEER COACHES

LIZA RODRIGUEZ grew up in Brooklyn, New York's Bedford-Stuyvesant section, the grandchild of farm workers from Puerto Rico who immigrated there to raise a family. The multicultural community helped her to recognize and value different perspectives, as did witnessing the negative impact that poverty, poorly funded education and drug addiction has on a community.  With the support of a non-profit organization in East Harlem, Liza earned academic scholarships, completed a bachelor's degree from Amherst College and graduated with honors in Latin American studies and economics.

From working in financial data management on Wall Street to non-profit educational programs, Liza developed her career in Human Resources Management with several Fortune 500 companies, continuing her education with a fellowship from Dow Chemical Industries culminating in a master's degree in organizational development and design from Villanova University.  Liza has 20 years of professional experience with counseling and coaching others from all walks of life, and is currently a regional human resources professional for a leading foodservice services company.  Her HR experience in consumer product goods, distribution, manufacturing and non-profits has provided her opportunities to coach and counsel executives as well as front-line employees.  Currently completing an International Coaching Certification (ICF) as an ICF member, Liza is committed to lending her talents to those who seek to improve their ability to navigate personal and professional challenges, providing professional counseling in resume development, networking and tackling job interviews.  

ERIKA HALL, a 12-year civil servant and an external coach for the Defense Information Systems Agency. She is a Program Manager in the International Solutions office, at the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency, where she also coaches fellow NGA colleagues. She completed her Coach

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training program with Group Works in 2021, and is dedicated to helping people grow as human beings, achieve their goals, and find joy in their lives through coaching. 

She holds a B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Religious Studies, and Psychology from Virginia Polytechnical University, a Master's in Human Services: Family Counseling, and a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management, from Liberty University.

Erika was trained and served as an Air Force Mediator in the European Combatant Command (EUCOM) during her years stationed in the United Kingdom, as the Technical Executive for the NGA Support Team to the Joint Analytical Center for EUCOM. She's also worked as a Program Manager at the NGA college developing curricula, and mentoring facilitators. During her years as a Federal Contractor she worked at the Director of National Intelligence-Open Source Center.

A native of northern Virginia, Erika is a resident of the St. Louis area where she runs a busy household with a husband, three children, two dogs, a cat, six chickens, and a handful of bee hives.  Erika is no stranger to the realities of addiction as her brother-in-law runs a rehab center.

DANA MORGAN, MBA, SHRM-SCP has been working in the HR, People and Culture space for over 20 plus years both in the Public and Private sector. Dana, based in Philadelphia, PA, has served in Criminal Justice, Healthcare and Tech over the course of her career and has had the pleasure of working locally and globally across 6 continents.  She has been an Executive and Career Coach for the past 5 years and is currently pursuing her ICF PCC credential. Making an impact in people's lives is her passion and Dana is a dedicated volunteer for various charities as a way of giving back.

ALLISON MCBRIDE was born and raised in the mountains of North Carolina.  With a passion for both education and children, she works as a pediatrician at Wake Forest School of Medicine.  In this role, she has found great joy in helping others find success and recently completed training as a leadership coach.  Married with two teenage sons, Allison has experienced alcohol addiction with family members and both Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder with pediatric patients.

CATHY ARMSTRONG is currently Assistant Vice President, Sr. Strategic Human Resources Business Partner at Atrium Health, where she partners with executives and the business to connect HR strategies to operations, helps shapes leadership team culture, leads advisory transformation engagements, provides informal coaching through influence, and helps leader develop their change capability and leadership effectiveness.

She joined Atrium (the largest employer in Charlotte, NC, and one of the largest public non-profit healthcare organizations in the nation with 70,000 teammates, 900 care locations, and more than 10 million patient encounters annually) in November 2012 as Assistant Vice President of Workforce Relations in Human Resources, providing both strategic and tactical HR leadership to over 16,000 teammates. Prior to joining Atrium Health, Cathy was a Senior Human Resources Manager at Amazon.com, Inc., in Lexington, Kentucky, where she partnered with the senior leadership team and operations to support the growth, productivity, and people strategies.

Cathy launched her Human Resources career in the manufacturing and operations industry. She has held various leadership positions with increasing responsibility at Ingersoll Rand Company in Davidson, North Carolina; Molson Coors Brewing Company in Elkton, Virginia and Graphic Packaging

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International in Charlotte, North Carolina and Malvern, Pennsylvania.

A native of Chester, PA, Cathy received her MS in Organization Development and Leadership from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA and her BA in Political Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, NC. Cathy is currently participating in the Coaching Leader Program, through Groupworks, to achieve her coaching certification. In addition, Cathy completed the University of Michigan Human Resources Executive Program and is a certified facilitator for PDI 360 Assessments. She currently serves on three boards - The Charlotte Building Initiative (CBI), Child Care Resources, Inc., and Braveworks.

A believer in giving back to her community, Cathy is engaged in several internal and external mentoring relationships with key talent at Atrium Health, in partnership with the Women's Executive Leadership Group. A mom to two teenagers, Cathy and her family reside in Cornelius, North Carolina.

SOURCE Hyer Calling Foundation, Inc.