VIDEO – A TRAILBLAZER –

Dec. 2023 –  U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today honored Virginian John Shinholser on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for his dedication to Virginians seeking recovery from substance use disorder. Shinholser recently announced his upcoming retirement as President of the McShin Foundation.

Since 2004, John has served as the President and Co-Founder of the McShin Foundation, a substance use disorder recovery organization that provides lifesaving resources to Virginians who are struggling with substance use disorder. These services range from medical detox to sober living — and from providing peer-to-peer mentorship to advocating for more support for re-entry services in jails and in prison.

John is a leader in this space — and he, from the day I first started in politics, wanted to make sure that helping those with substance use disorder was a priority of mine.

Last year, John marked 40 years in recovery himself. He achieved sobriety while he was serving in the United States Marine Corps in 1982 — and he never looked back. For decades, he has used his own story to empower others: to help them, to help their families, and to sustain their recoveries.

He has treated substance use disorder as the illness that it is. And with his philosophy that substance use disorder is an illness — it is not a character flaw, he and his wife Carol McDaid have reached tens of thousands of Virginians. They have saved lives, and they have saved families.

He might be retiring from leading the McShin Foundation, but I know that he is far, far, far from retired when it comes to making a difference in our community.

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