From Chaos to Community: Celebrating Kimberly Hamm’s CPRS Certification

Some wins hit different—not because they look shiny on paper, but because you know what it cost to get there.

This week, we’re celebrating Kimberly “Kim” Hamm for earning her Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) Certification—a milestone that represents hard work, deep healing, and a whole lot of courage. Kim’s achievement isn’t just about adding letters after her name. It’s about the story behind those letters: a life rebuilt, a purpose discovered, and a commitment to walk alongside others who are still fighting their way out.

In Kim’s own reflection on her journey, she shared that before CPRS training, life didn’t feel steady—it felt like survival. She described being overwhelmed by challenges tied to mental health and substance use, with days marked by addiction, incarceration, family pain, and housing instability.

That kind of chaos can convince someone there’s no future—just more of the same. Kim openly shared that she felt hopeless and couldn’t imagine life getting better.

But here’s the part that makes her story powerful: it didn’t end there.

Healing that turned into purpose

Kim shared that over time, with support from recovery-based programs and her family, she began to heal and found stability for the first time in more than 20 years.

That’s not a small sentence. That’s a whole comeback.

And as that stability grew, something else grew with it: a desire to give back. Kim described how her journey planted the drive to support others facing similar struggles—not just as someone who “understands,” but as someone who can stand beside them as a mentor and advocate.

That’s the heart of peer support. It’s not “I fixed my life, good luck with yours.” It’s “I’ve been in that storm too—let me help you find your way through.”

Building experience in the field

After beginning her recovery, Kim started working in a treatment setting with women and children—work that didn’t just inspire her, but confirmed her calling.

When you’ve lived through the hardest parts of life, you don’t always get to choose what you care about. Sometimes your experiences choose it for you. For Kim, that experience strengthened her passion and made it clear: this is what she wanted to do.

That’s when she learned Voices of Hope could support her through the certification process.

And in a full-circle moment, when she met with a Voices of Hope peer, she found out we were hiring Peer Recovery Specialists. Kim shared how grateful she was—not only to begin CPRS training, but to be hired by the same organization that had once met her where she was during active addiction.

That’s what community looks like when it’s real.

The CPRS program: turning lived experience into leadership

Kim described the CPRS program as truly transformative—not just educational, but life-changing.

It gave her purpose and helped her turn lived experience into a meaningful way to support others in the same community where she once struggled. Kimberly Hamm from Chaos to Com…

She shared that through the program she gained:

• Hope

• Confidence

• Belonging in a supportive community

Kim also kept it real about something that matters in this work: peer support is powerful, but it can be challenging, and it requires awareness of burnout.

That level of honesty is part of what makes Kim such a strong peer—because she doesn’t romanticize the work. She respects it.

She explained that she developed essential skills in advocacy, mentoring, and ethical peer support—and that by drawing from her own recovery journey, she’s able to reduce stigma, build trust, and support others in a way that makes healing meaningful for both the person receiving support and for her, too.

That’s the magic of peer work when it’s done with integrity: it helps people rebuild their lives while reminding them they’re not alone.

The strengths Kim brought with her

CPRS training didn’t create Kim’s heart—it sharpened it.

Kim shared that even before entering the program, she came in with strengths shaped by lived experience and recovery: empathy, resilience, and the ability to connect with others in a genuine, nonjudgmental way.

She described already understanding the importance of listening, being present, and communicating with compassion.

And she entered the program with a strong desire to advocate for others and support people navigating their own recovery.

That’s not something you can fake. That’s character.

The skills she gained: professional growth with boundaries and impact

Kim also shared something important: she didn’t just “learn more,” she learned how to turn her strengths into professional skills—skills she said she never had before.

Through the CPRS program, she learned how to:

• Maintain healthy boundaries

• Practice ethical, responsible peer support

• Strengthen listening skills even further

• Respond effectively during crisis situations

• Deepen advocacy skills at both the individual and system level Kimberly Hamm from Chaos to Com…

She summed it up beautifully: the program helped her transform personal recovery into a meaningful, professional tool to support others.

And now she’s living something she used to hear but couldn’t fully understand—“a life beyond my wildest dreams.” Kimberly Hamm from Chaos to Com…

“Healing gave me more than stability…”

Kim has a quote that hits home for her, and honestly, it captures the entire spirit of peer support:

“Healing gave me more than stability; it gave me a voice to lift others from the chaos I once knew.” — Kimberly Hamm

That’s not just a quote. That’s a mission statement.

Because peer support isn’t about perfection—it’s about transformation. It’s about taking what tried to break you, and using it as fuel to help somebody else breathe again.

Congratulations, Kim—this is your moment

Kim, we’re proud of you. Proud of the work you put in. Proud of the honesty you carry. Proud of the way you show up—not just for yourself, but for the community.

Your CPRS certification represents knowledge, skill, and professionalism. But more than that, it represents a woman who refused to stay stuck in the story that pain tried to write for her.

You did the work. You earned this. And the people you’ll support because of it? They’re about to be blessed in a very real way.

From all of us at Voices of Hope Maryland: Congratulations, Kimberly Hamm, CPRS. Keep leading. Keep shining. Keep lifting others—because your voice matters now more than ever.

Want to learn more about our CPRS training program or peer support services?
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