Take 5 Spotlight – Tim Burton

Just because Tim Burton had a previous career in the steel industry doesn’t mean he’s hard-headed. In fact, Tim is open-minded and willing to learn, which has led him to where he is today: a Volunteer Support Specialist (VSS) for SMART.

He felt a calling to work in the addiction and recovery field after working in a hospital, and it became a pursuit a couple of years ago. “I found a job with a Recovery organization working in KY counties where [Opioid] overdose rates were the highest. From there I discovered SMART and became a facilitator.”  

As a VSS, Tim loves hearing from volunteers who are excited to be starting out as meeting facilitators as well as seasoned facilitators sharing their passion for SMART. He helps all those who need it.

---

Here are Tim’s responses to the Take 5 Spotlight questions:

1. Are there tasks you perform regularly during your workday? Right now, it’s all about the audit we are doing to clarify meeting status across the US, but in my spare time it’s about learning all the other job functions—there is a lot to learn.
2. What are a couple of the ways you interact and coordinate your job with other national office staff? The Volunteer Department touches everything else in SMART Recovery, it’s really the backbone of the whole organization.
3. What is one of the ways that you think you personally make a difference at SMART? My background is so diverse that I hope to be a utility player that makes a difference. Put me in coach, I’m ready to play!
4. What is your message to all those dedicated SMART volunteers across the country? Discouragement is your enemy and don’t try and shoulder it alone. Call me!
5. What kinds of things are you interested in outside of work? Any hobbies? Just about any human power sport. I’ve backpacked over 200 miles of the Appalachian Trail since 2020, my wife and I love kayaking, and cycling is my lifelong passion. Sunday morning finds me in church somewhere.

Whether you find Tim on the trail, in the water, on wheels, or sitting reflectively, you’re sure to understand one thing: he loves SMART and helping people. A powerful combination and a great contribution to SMART’s Volunteer Support Department.

Learn more about the Take 5 Spotlight series and see others who have been profiled.

---

PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:

SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.

• Be kind in tone and intent.
• Be respectful in how you respond to opinions that are different than your own.
• Be brief and limit your comment to a maximum of 500 words.
• Be careful not to mention specific drug names.
• Be succinct in your descriptions, graphic details are not necessary.
• Be focused on the content of the blog post itself.

If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

We look forward to you joining the conversation!

*SMART Recovery reserves the right to not publish comments we consider outside our guidelines.*