We believe Jesus Christ makes recovery possible — and that His people are the hands through which that happens. Garrett was a lost sheep. Jesus wouldn't stop looking. RHSH exists to be those hands for every lost person in our community. Volunteering, partnering, referring, employing, or giving: every act of showing up is an act of faith made visible.
Restoring Wichita is built on the conviction that consistent human presence changes outcomes — for people in addiction, in housing crisis, in hunger, and in the particular despair of believing no one is coming. We provide the structure so every volunteer who shows up has what they need to make a difference.
People with lived experience — of addiction, of homelessness, of hunger, of military service and what comes after, of finding your way back from any form of lostness — are our most valuable volunteers. You don't need a credential. You need your story and the willingness to share it. We train you, support you, and match you with someone who needs exactly what you have.
Connect clients with faith communities that welcome them without conditions — and lead or assist our 8-week Faith Foundations Bible study. Church leaders, congregation members, chaplains, ordained ministers, and mature believers welcome. Rev. Harwell trains and supervises all facilitators.
Help clients navigate housing applications, paperwork, and systems. Real estate professionals, housing workers, and anyone with local housing resources knowledge is especially valuable.
Bilingual English/Spanish volunteers are among our highest-need positions. Navigation calls, family outreach, intake support, and community events for our Spanish-speaking recovery community.
Behind-the-scenes support — grant writing assistance, data entry, event coordination, donor communications. Remote-friendly. Flexible hours. High impact on a lean founding-year team.
Accountants, attorneys, marketers, photographers, web developers, HR professionals — donate your expertise directly to the organization building this mission. Pro bono or time-limited engagements welcome.
Short application — background, skills, availability, and whether you have lived recovery experience.
20-minute conversation with our volunteer coordinator. We match you to the right role and confirm fit.
3-hour orientation covering Restoring Wichita's model, trauma-informed approach, confidentiality, and your specific role.
Consistent, supervised, and supported. We check in monthly and stay available when you need us. You are not alone in this work.
We are actively building the MOU network that makes our program model operational. If your organization serves, treats, houses, feeds, or employs adults in southwest Oklahoma — navigating addiction, housing instability, food insecurity, mental health challenges, or any form of lostness — we should talk.
We partner with licensed mental health providers to build a warm referral network for clients in recovery with co-occurring mental health needs. We send you clients who are ready for care. You send us families who need wraparound navigation. MOU-based partnership.
We partner with transitional housing providers to ensure clients discharged from treatment have somewhere to go. Formal MOU agreements, warm referrals, and 90-day follow-up confirmation. Sgt. Maj. Darius Coleman (Ret.), our Housing Director, leads these partnerships directly.
Churches and faith communities are the belonging infrastructure that recovery requires. We partner with congregations willing to welcome clients in recovery — not as a project, but as members. Rev. Harwell leads faith community outreach.
We partner with food pantries, Feeding America partners, and basic needs organizations to build warm referral pathways for clients facing food insecurity. No competing with existing organizations — connecting clients to what's already there.
You do not need to be a professional to refer someone to Restoring Wichita. If you know an adult who is lost — in addiction, in homelessness, in hunger, or simply in despair with addiction — or in recovery and struggling to stay stable — we want to hear from you.
We respond within 24 hours. We do not gatekeep. We do not require documentation or eligibility proof before the first conversation. You make the connection and we take it from there.
Any adult who is lost and needs someone to show up — navigating addiction, homelessness, food insecurity, mental health crisis, isolation, or any combination of these. You do not need to know which service they need. We figure that out together.
Every referral receives a call or email within 24 hours. Every person who comes to Restoring Wichita gets a real conversation with a real person — not a form, not an automated response, not a waiting list number.
This is the standard Carol held the system to when she was fighting for Garrett. It is the standard Restoring Wichita holds itself to for every person we serve.
If someone is in crisis right now:
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357
Free · Confidential · 24/7 · English & Spanish
Employment is one of the strongest predictors of sustained recovery. Adults who are employed at 90 days are significantly more likely to maintain sobriety, housing stability, and community connection. Restoring Wichita's employment program prepares clients for the workforce — and prepares employers for the talent they're hiring.
We work with clients on employment readiness, resume building, and interview coaching before they ever reach an employer. Tyler Mackenzie, our Corporate Relations Director, brings extensive corporate development of corporate community affairs experience and facilitates employer connections directly.
Pre-prepared candidates, direct contact with the Restoring Wichita employment team, and follow-up support through the first 90 days of employment. We stay involved to ensure the placement holds.
Nothing. Restoring Wichita's employment program is free for employers. We ask only that you engage seriously with the candidates we refer and provide honest feedback on the process.
People find Restoring Wichita because someone in their life knew we existed and said something. That person does not need to be a professional, a donor, or an expert. They just need to share.
Tag someone in recovery, a family member who's watching someone struggle, or a Lawton-Fort Sill community member who should know we exist. Every share reaches someone who might need it.
Know a pastor, a counselor, a healthcare provider, a neighbor, or a coworker with connections to the recovery community? Forward restoringwichita.org with a one-line note. That's enough.
At your next community event, your next church service, your next conversation with someone who knows someone struggling — mention Restoring Wichita. That is how people find us.
The church is not a building. It is the people who show up. Getting involved with Restoring Wichita is not volunteering for an organization — it is being the body of Christ for the lost sheep in our community. The hungry. The unhoused. The addicted. The person who stopped believing anyone was coming. Every part of the body matters. You are how He shows up for them. You bring the willingness. He does the rest.
