Samonyca Spillman is passionate about helping others. And thanks to you, she found her calling while helping people with substance use problems in the Mercy Health — West Hospital ER. She was a part of Mercy Serves through AmeriCorps.

Donor-funded programs like these gave her the direction she needed to pursue a career in community outreach.

“It is such a valuable program,” Samonyca says. “Working in that area, I learned that substance use disorder has no bias or boundaries. I learned it can impact people from all walks of life and professions. We were able to connect them with the resources they needed to begin their sober journey.”

Because of your support for her AmeriCorps training, Samonyca is now enjoying a career as a community health worker. She works in perinatal outreach, serving expectant mothers in our community.

“This work is very personal to me,” she says. “As a single mother, I had no idea about the services available. Now, I find it so rewarding to be the one to tell other women about the help they can receive. I love that I can help them connect with those resources.”

Samonyca wants you to know how grateful she is for having the experience through the Mercy Serves Program.

“I love that there are donors out there that provide funds for this program to exist. Because without it, I would not have made it as far as I have,” she says. “I’m passionate about getting people the help they need. I’m a server at heart.”