The crew is back for the second installment of the ARCast, and the focus is on our hosts and their involvement with ARC and the community around it. Booda, Vance, Mikayla and Matt are our regular hosts, and you’ll get to better know them throughout the series — episode 2 kicks off the introductions.
The legendary Vance Johnson starts us off with a recount of being a native resident of Tucson, AZ, before being drafted into the NFL to play for the Denver Broncos, where he set multiple franchise records during his career. Even with the success of his NFL debut, he still struggled with addiction and substance abuse, which brought him close to death. After finding sobriety through treatment and faith, he turned his attention to going back to his roots in AZ and putting everything into saving the lives and souls of others battling the same demons.
Matt then takes over and recalls when he met Vance before he joined the ARC team as a brand ambassador. Growing up in Colorado in the 80s, Matt watched as Vance came to the Broncos and was an instant fan. Thirty-five years later, Matt read Vance’s story on the ESPN app and saw how similar it was to his own story of overcoming addiction. One phone call later and Vance was at ARC talking to guests not as an untouchable former ball player but as a human cut from the same cloth.
Next, the spotlight moves over to Mikayla, who joined the ARC team as their Marketing Director after working with the team from the outside for nearly two years. Her first impression when joining the team was in a meeting when Vance told her the light of the Lord shined through her, which was exactly what she needed to hear. Even though she hasn’t faced addiction, her life has been greatly impacted by it. Despite having relatives who attended treatment, she had little insight into what it was truly like until she got to visit ARC. She shared the same misconceptions the public carries that rehab was rock bottom and filled with unsavory characters. Today, she knows the healing power of treatment at ARC and how rehab can truly be.
To share an example of this, Vance asks Matt what led to him hiring previous guest Ray after he came into rehab with a record and addiction problem. Check out episode 1 to learn more about Ray’s journey. Matt immediately saw the spark in Ray and how quickly he started helping everyone around him when he achieved sobriety. The connections Ray made with both the staff and other guests brought his personality out from behind the veil of addiction.
Being the gentleman he is, Booda waits until the end to start sharing the background that led him to run the mentorship program at ARC. His team acts as a guide through rehab to make new guests more comfortable while they settle in. Booda lets guests making great progress communicate what it’s like from a peer level. His passion for the program is fueled by knowing how dangerous it is for an addicted person to be out on the streets with easy access to drugs.
Everyone wraps up with their best moments after achieving sobriety, from reconnecting with family members to putting their efforts into community service to reach those who need the most help.
