By Dennis Patton
Manager, Santa Cruz Residential Recovery 

Jason Harris wanted to serve Santa Cruz Residential Recovery (SCRR) at Encompass simply because he wanted to give back and stay busy. But when he began serving SCRR as a transportation volunteer, he quickly fell in love with the work as he discovered that his service helps people get their life back.

As a driver, Jason helps residents visit their children or to go to the doctor or to the dentist. He also helps people get to the DMV to acquire identification or to the Social Security office to better acquire employment. On rare occasions he has helped clients get to surgeries far outside of Santa Cruz County. Of course Jason also has helped immensely to get clients to court to resolve legal issues.

He also loves to help relieve the staff and to take this huge responsibility of transportation off of their shoulders so that they can do more counseling. Jason is a joy to be around as he is deep into his own recovery. He is not embarrassed to share that he is a former client and graduate of Santa Cruz Residential Recovery. Through this program he got his child back and it did not short of save his life.

When listening to Jason, he expressed, "I love Santa Cruz Residential Recovery and it will always be a part of me. I am doing good, I am attending my own meetings and groups. I am doing great in living life and making a huge different in providing a small service like transportation."

Jason has not provided a small service. He has logged thousands of miles and countless hours transporting clients, which in turn has placed counselors where they belong -- back in groups, classrooms, and one on one counseling sessions. The SCRR staff is forever grateful as Jason has become a regular fixture on the team as a volunteer and he has made the work of SCRR exponentially enhanced!