Bill Text: VA SJR174 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending John Shinholser.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ174ER) [SJR174 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR174-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, John Shinholser, senior peer, board member emeritus, president emeritus, and co-founder of the McShin Foundation, retired on December 31, 2023, from the organization he helped start nearly two decades ago; and
WHEREAS, an honorable veteran of the United States Marine Corps, John Shinholser began his path to recovery in 1982 while in the service and drew from that experience to become a pioneer of the peer recovery movement; and
WHEREAS, after years of informally assisting other individuals in different stages of recovery, John Shinholser and his wife, Carol McDaid, founded the McShin Foundation in 2004 with the belief that one can better sustain one's own recovery when helping others find and maintain their recovery; and
WHEREAS, in establishing the McShin Foundation, John Shinholser founded the first recovery community organization (RCO) in the Commonwealth, which is also the only RCO in Virginia to be nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services; and
WHEREAS, John Shinholser has seen the McShin Foundation grow into an organization operating with more than 25 employees, managing a number of jail peer recovery programs, 16 residential recovery homes, and other full-time programs; and
WHEREAS, John Shinholser's jail peer recovery programs were among the first in the Commonwealth and today are regarded as models for other programs both in Virginia and nationwide; and
WHEREAS, John Shinholser has become a prominent advocate for recovery services, serving as former president of the Central Virginia affiliate of Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance (SAARA), as a former board member of SAARA of Virginia, and as former chairman of the board of Rubicon, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, outside of his work with the McShin Foundation, John Shinholser owned and managed a successful contracting business for more than 30 years and contributed to his industry locally by serving as president of the Richmond chapter of the Painting and Decorating Contractors Association; and
WHEREAS, John Shinholser's unwavering dedication to supporting and mentoring individuals in or seeking recovery has saved lives and brightened countless futures, leaving an indelible impact on the Richmond community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend John Shinholser on the occasion of his retirement from the McShin Foundation; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to John Shinholser as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his legacy of service and best wishes in his future endeavors.
