How We Started . . .

2008 ~ Mary Drew was raising 3 kids, working 4 jobs, and was a high-functioning alcoholic.  In March of 2008, Mary began her recovery from alcoholism and founded Reality Check, a 501c3 nonprofit in Jaffrey, NH, to combat the drug and alcohol abuse and death she and her children were seeing in schools and the community.

2016 ~ After meeting in her kitchen for 8 years, Reality Check was awarded a White House - Office of National Drug Control Policy, 5-year Drug-Free Communities grant to provide drug and alcohol prevention education to two school districts.  

2018 ~ Through the generosity of Bob Sourek & LuAnn LaFreniere and RALI, we bought our current location housing our prevention offices and recovery community center.

2019 ~ Awarded a Recovery Friendly Workplace grant through Governor Sununu's office to show employers strategies to support employees with substance use issues.
~ Awarded a contract from NH Bureau of Drug & Alcohol Services & HarborCare to provide peer recovery services.
~ Awarded a Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 4-year Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) grant to address underage drinking.

2021 ~ Awarded a 2nd 5-year Drug-Free Communities grant administered by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, to continue prevention education to schools and communities in the Eastern Monadnock region.
~ Awarded a 2nd Recovery Friendly Workplace grant through Granite United Way to continue and expand recovery-friendly services to Monadnock Region employers.

2022 ~ Awarded NH’s first 3-year Building Communities of Recovery grant through SAMHSA to mobilize community resources to increase long-term recovery for people with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.

VISION ~ MISSION ~VALUES ~ PHILOSOPHY

Our commitment to serve is driven by personal experience with trauma, addiction, mental health challenges, suicide, and deaths due to alcohol or drug complications. As of 2023, 75% of the staff are people in recovery.

VISION People and communities build meaningful social connections and a sense of belonging with people of all ages to promote overall healthy living.
MISSION Holistically reduce drug and alcohol use, addiction, and death by overdose, and the related social and economic costs to youth, adults, families, and businesses, by providing comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction services.
VALUES
Respect - Everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
Equality - Everyone has the right to acceptance without biases.
Integrity - Practice ethics, personal responsibility, and professionalism at all times.
Compassion - Treat everyone with empathy, patience, and sensitivity.
INCLUSION Reality Check works with people of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, religion with diverse experiences and backgrounds and create new programs to meet diverse needs. 
PHILOSOPHY We are only truly successful if we help others be successful. We practice a “Pay it Forward” philosophy and believe acts of kindness rekindle a basic instinct to care for others, replacing individualism and competition with resiliency and social connection. We believe these actions will create positive social change for generations to come .

BOARD of DIRECTORS

Mary Drew, MEd, MS, Founder & CEO, Chair
Mary began her recovery in 2008 and later that year later founded Reality Check. Mary was the 2009-2011 Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration’s NH Prevention Fellow assigned to the NH Bureau of Drug & Alcohol Services, and was an Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist for 12 years. Mary holds an MS in Community & Counseling Psychology, an MEd in Counseling Education, and a certificate in Non-Profit Management. She is a trainer of SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Prevention Training Skills and Prevention Ethics, the Prevention Research Institute’s Prime For Life, and of the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy. Email: Mary@RealityCheckNow.org

Larry Schwartz, Board Member
After a engineering career in aerospace, Larry moved to finance and in 2005, began a free IRS-sponsored VITA tax return preparation site Larry has been providing financial counseling to low and moderate income families for 18 years. In 2002 he came to NH and has served on 9 volunteer boards, and the Hancock Board of Selectmen. In 2015, The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce named him as their Man of the Year.

Amber Dewey, MSN, RN , NP-C, Board Member
As a nurse practitioner, Amber has spent the last 20 years working to prevent disease and improve the health and functional status of people. Amber worked in the pain management field conducting evaluations and it was here she witnessed the devastation following untreated addiction. Amber hopes to use her skills, talents, and knowledge to help others manage their substance use or avoid it altogether, and to use her marketing and blogging skills to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

Mark Hower, MBA, Board Member, Recovery Coach
Mark has been on many nonprofit boards including executive, financial, and development roles. He is in long-term recovery and helps others find sobriety. Mark did international sales and management for start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, predominantly with technology companies as clients. Mark has a BA in Economics & International Relations, Bucknell University and an MBA from the University of VA. As a person in long-term recovery, mark enjoys giving back to help others seeking recovery.

Gene Calvano, Board Member & Treasurer
Gene has been a SCORE mentor for 10 years and is the District Director for SCORE in NH and VT. He was the founder of a computer database software development company specializing in pathology labs and grew to more than 400 installations worldwide. Gene worked in system engineering and sales for IBM Corp. and sales management and marketing for Digital Equipment Corp.. Gene has been a board member of several non-profits and is currently also on the Board of Families Flourish Northeast.

Rob Koch, Board Member
Rob was a professor and Director of Outreach Education at FPU and served four years in the US AirForce. He was a Creative Arts Therapist and counseled poly-drug addicted teens and adults. He was a substance abuse counselor at Beech Hill, Naukeag, and Whispering Pines Hospitals, and had a private practice. He is an actor and director with Actors’ Circle Theatre and The Peterborough Players and has been in recovery for 39 years.

Tausey Wolfe, MBA, Board Member
Tausey is the Behavioral Health Manager at Monadnock Community Hospital and provides psychiatry and therapy services, focusing on addiction and intervention to manage mental health issues and addictive behaviors. Tausey holds a BS in Psychology from Juniata College, and an MBA in Healthcare Administration from Franklin Pierce University. In his spare time, he is an instructor at the Crotched Mountain Ski Area.  

Denny Hylton, MBA, SHRM - US ARMY, Board Member
Denny has over 30 years of private and public experience in Human Resources where he was responsible for organizational effectiveness, strategic planning, and talent development. In his career, he served as HR Director for the Associate Director Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency, and is retired from the US Army. As the father of a son who struggles to find recovery, he hopes he can help shape programs that support individuals like his son on their own journey to recovery. 

Don Guiou, MPS, CISSP, Reality Check Security Advisor & Former Board Member
He is a former technology executive with cyber-risk certifications and holds an MPS in Technology Management. Don is currently a cybersecurity risk advisory consultant for an Oregon firm. Don freely supports Reality Check’s technology infrastructure keeping it free from cyber attacks and current on regulations regarding internet safety and cyber attacks. Don readily gives back to make recovery support available to other people, as it was made available to him over 22 years ago.

If you have experience in fundraising, donor cultivation, health, legal, substance use disorders, or sustainability
and would like to be a board member, email Mary@RealityCheckNow.org or call 603.532.9888.

STAFF & CONTRACTORS

Catherine Todd, Director of Finance & Grants Manager
Catherine began as a volunteer with Reality Check in 2016 and in 2017 become the Financial Director for Reality Check, responsible for all federal, state, county, and community-level grants management and reporting, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and human resources management. Catherine’s passion is working on projects and events supporting young women who need extra guidance to be successful, and is currently researching ways to better serve this population.
Catherine@RealityCheckNow.org

Sarah Desaulniers, BA, CHRM, CPS, Director of Prevention Services
Sarah works with three school districts and communities within the Monadnock Region offering strategies to prevent and reduce youth substance use, and adults over time. Sarah has worked as an emergency department diversion specialist and a prevention educator of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. She holds a BA in Psychology and is working on her MBA. In 2023, Sarah became an Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist for the state of NH.
Email: Sarahd@RealityCheckNow.org

Nina Decot, Intake Specialist
Nina has worked within the human service field for 20 years and began working in recovery and behavioral health after her own dependence on opiates ended in 2011. Nina has worked with the homeless population in Middlesex County, MA as a case manager for over 90 cases, and as a community outreach member. Nina is passionate about showing people struggling with addiction that recovery is possible, and is working toward securing her Certified Recovery Support Worker credential.
Email: Nina@RealityCheckNow.org

Sarah Johnston, BS, CPS, CRSW, Recovery Coach Supervisor
Sarah was the director of a Drug-Free Communities grant for several years, has extensive experience in the mental health and addictions field, and developed Reality Check’s first emergency department on-call recovery coach program. Sarah is an International Certified Prevention Specialist and a Certified Recovery Support Worker. Sarah is also a CRSW Supervisor and provides supervision to recovery coaches seeking their Certified Recovery Support Worker credential.
Email: Sarah@RealityCheckNow.org

Mia Elliott, LCMHC, Drug & Alcohol Counselor
Mia has worked in the mental health field for almost a decade, working with children, families, and adults in many roles. Mia currently has a tele-health private practice, Balanced Minds, PLLC in Marlborough, NH. Her passion lies in helping people create a life for themselves that is fulfilling and purpose-driven. Mia received her undergraduate degree at Keene State College in Behavioral Health and her MS from Southern NH University, specializing in clinical mental health counseling.
Email: Mia@RealityCheckNow.org

Ross W. Davidson, LCMHC, MLADC, Drug & Alcohol Counselor
Ross studied art and psychology at UCA, and graduate studies in counseling psychology at the CA Institute of Integral Studies. He is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Masters Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.  For the past 17 years, Ross has been helping people reclaim their inner peace, joy, and authentic self. In recovery for 36 years, he has a deep understanding of the recovery process and maintains a personal 12-Step practice, including daily prayer and meditation. 
Email: Ross@RealityCheckNow.org     

Randy Herk, BS, Director of Recovery Services
Randy has been in the Human Services field for over 20 years working across prevention, treatment and recovery. He enjoys bringing others into the outdoors to reconnect with nature and build skills. He helped launch nationally recognized programs in Youth Leadership and Prevention, Entrepreneurship and Resiliency.  He was a Project Manager for Connect (Post-overdose outreach) with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office Opioid Task Force.  He looks forward to building new partnerships in the Monadnock Region and helping to increase services in our communities. 
Email: Randy@RealityCheckNow.org

Nikki Allen, BA, Family Resource Navigator
Nikki has been in the Human Service field for over ten years working with youth and families providing behavioral health support in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She has experience working in public and private schools and provided in-home services as an Applied Behavior Analyst and Behavior Specialist. Nikki was also a Registered Behavior Technician through the BACB, has over eight years of crisis prevention intervention training, and holds a BA in Psychology.
Email: Nicole@RealityCheckNow.org