Perspectives

When peers share their stories, something powerful happens. Stigma begins to loosen. Assumptions are challenged. What was once flattened into stereotype becomes real, layered, and human. Storytelling can also support systems into beneficial changes.

This shift from rules to values gives our team members opportunities to be who they are.

An early “influencer” for me was Henri Nouwen, a priest who spent the last 10 years of his life at L’Arche Daybreak in Ontario, Canada before dying in 1996. Among his many good deeds, he wrote extensively and authored more than 40 books, I own 18 of them. In one of his books, he writes about hospitality and its purpose. “Hospitality , therefore, means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend […]. Hospitality is not to change p

Previously, we talked about playing show-and-tell with Pier 360 Staff, and what resulted was very inspiring. Here we will include Cat's contribution. The photography on this page is hers. She is also a creative writer, and we have featured one of her stories based on her life below. WILDFIRE IMAGINATION by Cat I have loved books as long as I can remember. As a child, my Great Grandmother Dolly would read stories of wonderful adventures to me of every kind, especially the on

Twenty years. March 2026 will mark my twentieth year as the Executive Director of Pier 360. It has been a remarkable experience, and it is because of the peers that have worked here and the peers that have actively engaged in their recovery, both past and present. The thing that has stood out for me through the years is just how creative and resourceful our peer community is when it comes to finding a way to get things done. This is why innovation is one of our Core Values .

Courage shows up quietly here through a staff game of Show and Tell. Instructions: Bring something meaningful to share. A creative project. A passion. A practice that grounds you. A small piece of yourself. Share it online. Sometimes courage looks like holding something close to your heart and saying, “This matters to me.” So far, Pier 360 staff members Vincent , Cat , Allison , Jeannette , and Chiara have shared pieces of what sustains them. Allison shared an original song

In this month’s message, Executive Director Brad Berry reflects on courage as a matter of the heart — the quiet determination it takes to face daily challenges. He invites our community to see and honor the courage in one another, reminding us that connection makes resilience stronger.

Dr. King's dream gestures toward bridges—across race, across belief, across circumstance. Toward a world where peace, harmony, and love are not abstract ideals, but practices we return to, again and again, even when it’s difficult.

Images of reflection and stillness this Winter. Scenes outside with snow and ice reflected in a still lake, a stone that says Reflect on it, a person making a heart with their hands over the sunlight, a pier reflected upside down in a glass sphere, and a Winter scene reflected in a side-view car mirror. Winter invites us into a season of contrast—light and shadow, celebration and remembrance, gathering and solitude. As the holidays arrive, many people feel joy. Others feel g

Every person holds immense value, and deserve to be supported. 6 ways to be more supportive of recovery.

Buried in Treasures based on a book with the same title that addresses how to streamline clutter.