Ken Clowes is a person in long-term recovery. He is the Community Leadership Initiatives Center Assistant at Butler County Community College where he helps assist the college in its plan to help improve the lives of those living in the community. He also works with the college to promote the “Hope is Dope” program, educating the community about the brain science of addiction and recovery in order to reduce stigma while increasing community support.
Ken regularly speaks at local inpatient and outpatient groups about his own experiences overcoming substance use disorders and also speaks to students taking social work classes. He serves on the Butler County Opioid Overdose Coalition, the Robin’s Home Board of Directors, and the Butler Collaborative for Families. He is also a Personal Empowerment Facilitator.
His nomination for this award said, “[Ken] has long been an advocate of the proper use of harm-reduction techniques and alternative pathways to recovery in a time when people trying to improve their lives are stigmatized by their own community.”