Max's Mission: Fall Newsletter
- maxsmission
- Nov 19
- 11 min read
A message from our Executive Director:
Greetings to our dear friends of Max's Mission, I hope this letter finds you well. It has been an extremely busy fall, with barely a breath after Overdose Awareness Day. Everyone on our team has had an opportunity to continue their education and attend conferences to help refresh perspectives of our work and to be inspired by the hard work of others in our field.
We know that the cold weather is almost upon us and with that, the urgent need for coats, handwarmers, socks, blankets, etc. For so many of our participants, across all three counties, the struggle to survive every day is very real, especially during fall and winter. For more information on how to contribute and help us supply our community with cold-weather gear this winter, see the conclusion of this newsletter.
Demand has been stronger than ever for our naloxone trainings, from organizations large and small and I'm truly grateful to be part of a community where so many are stepping forward and showing willingness to save a life, no matter the circumstances. If you have not been trained on how to use naloxone or do not carry naloxone, and wish to, feel free to reach out for assistance. From all of us at Max's Mission, we wish you a joyful Thanksgiving!
Julia Pinsky, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Max’s Mission
Table of Contents
(Click any of the headings to quick-jump to a specific topic).
Max's Mission: The Josephine County Team
Employee Spotlight: Brandi Fogle
Naloxone Training Seminars Across Southern Oregon
Across Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath Counties, Max’s Mission continues to provide naloxone training classes for local organizations and businesses. This fall marks one of our busiest naloxone training seasons to date, and with multiple sessions already completed and many more scheduled, we're on pace to train more than 500 people over 3 months.
Max's Mission: The Josephine County Team
From our office in Grants Pass, the Max’s Mission Josephine County team provides consistent, professional, and compassionate support to residents throughout the county and surrounding rural areas. Every member of our Josephine County staff is a Certified Recovery Mentor (CRM) or Peer Support Specialist (PSS) - trained and credentialed through the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon and the Oregon Health Authority - ensuring that every interaction with our participants reflects both professional expertise and lived experience.
In addition to their professional roles, the Josephine County team brings a wide range of experience and passion to their work. Some are pursuing higher education in fields like nursing human services, and business, others dedicate their own time to local volunteer and justice-focused efforts and all share a deep personal understanding of recovery and resilience that informs the support they provide to our many participants:
Brandi Fogle, Regional Manager of the Josephine County office, leads with compassion and lived experience, drawing on her own recovery journey to guide her team and connect with participants in meaningful ways. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business to further strengthen her leadership and management skills. You can read more about Brandi’s inspiring story and her work at Max’s Mission in the Employee Spotlight section below.
Angel Hansen, oversees data collection and reporting in addition to daily participant engagement, serving as Vice-Chair of the Josephine County Drug Court Alumni Committee. A 2020 graduate of the program herself, Angel now mentors and advocates for women currently enrolled in Drug Court, helping them navigate requirements and build sustainable recovery paths. She is also nearing completion of her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services and Addiction, strengthening her expertise and commitment to supporting others in recovery.
Michael McGilvreay, has been with Max’s Mission for several years, drawing on his own lived experience - having once been unhoused, addicted to opiates and living in a tent in Josephine County - to connect with participants navigating the many struggles of homelessness and addiction. With over three years of sobriety, Michael understands firsthand the challenges faced by those living outside and brings empathy and authenticity to every interaction. His background makes him uniquely effective in this work; many of the participants he supports already know and trust him, allowing for honest communication and stronger, more supportive connections.
Michael Workman, is a dedicated member of our Josephine County team, allowing us to expand our services to Cave Junction while also supporting our work in Grants Pass. Michael spends time outside of work volunteering with Judy's Midnight Diner. Michael is also currently enrolled in college with plans to pursue a degree in nursing, further demonstrating his long-term commitment to helping others and serving his community.
We are fortunate to have such a dedicated team, providing a wide range of services daily to so many people in need. These efforts reflect the deep personal commitment and community-minded spirit of the Josephine County team. Their willingness to give back, both during and outside of work underscores the genuine compassion that guides their roles within Max’s Mission every day.
One of the defining features of our Grants Pass office is that it operates as a walk-in overdose and injury prevention center, open five days a week, where anyone can come in to access naloxone (and training), safe-use supplies, peer support services, access to medical care, referrals to social service programs, hygiene supplies, wound-care supplies and clothing. All of our Grants Pass office staff are longtime locals who bring both a deep understanding of the community and lived experience navigating addiction and recovery in Josephine County. Because they have walked similar paths, in similar places, participants often recognize and already have relationships with our team members, creating an immediate sense of trust and connection that strengthens engagement and support. Participants know that they can visit without judgment, connect with someone who understands their needs, and receive practical support or program referrals. Our walk-in model provides a low-barrier, high-impact point of access for individuals seeking recovery support, health education, or simply a person to talk to.
At Max’s Mission, meaningful change often begins with a single connection - a conversation, a check-in, or a referral that opens the door to stability and wellbeing. Our Josephine County team continues to demonstrate how consistent peer support and strong community partnerships help our participants navigate complex systems and take steady steps toward safer, more stable lives. When our participants express readiness to find lodging, access medical care, or start their first steps towards recovery, our staff assists with referrals to inpatient treatment, intensive outpatient services, telehealth and local medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs and any other supportive resources throughout the region. These individualized connections help participants find the right level of care at the right time, building trust, momentum, and meaningful improvements in the quality of their lives. Through our many community partnerships, we’re able to connect participants with a wide range of services across Josephine County (including rural communities) by providing referrals to organizations such as Adapt Integrated Health Care, Options for Southern Oregon (and their Choices Peer Hub) UCAN (United Community Action Network), Grants Pass Treatment Center, HIV Alliance, Boulder Care, Mid Rogue Foundation, Illinois Valley Living Solutions Hope Village, Journey Home Support Services and Continuum (formerly OnTrack).
One participant, who has worked with our team for several years, began by receiving safer use supplies and education. With ongoing peer support and encouragement, he recently transitioned from homelessness to lodging through Continuum, and then into inpatient treatment, with Max’s Mission staff continuing to support him through appointments and transitions along the way.
Another participant, a woman who first came to us unhoused and seeking treatment, has made remarkable progress over the past few months. With encouragement and support from our peer staff, she secured emergency housing, found employment, and enrolled in outpatient treatment while awaiting a residential bed. She now checks in weekly - not just for resources, but for connection, conversation, and continued motivation as she works toward her goals.
Beyond referrals, our Josephine County office also works hand-in-hand with many community partners to provide on-the-ground support and consistent points of connection for our participants across the region. Located directly adjacent to Continuum’s Emergency Lodging Program, which provides 12 single-occupancy rooms (including ADA-accessible units), shared amenities, and on-site case management, our team is ideally positioned to coordinate wraparound support for participants transitioning from crisis to stability. Weekly collaborations with Options for Southern Oregon include outreach at their Choices Peer Hub each Tuesday. We co-facilitate the Living with Loss grief support group - a safe, peer-led space for those navigating grief - alongside Journey Home Support Services. Every Wednesday, our team is on-site at Journey Home’s offices in Cave Junction for most of the day, co-facilitating the Living with Loss group as well as offering peer support services to local participants.
Every second Thursday of the month, the team also operates at Parker’s Place, home to the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT) and its emergency warming shelter and navigation center, where we provide full-service outreach, peer support, and a grief support group. This partnership allows Max’s Mission to deliver both immediate assistance and ongoing recovery support in a safe, consistent, and accessible setting. Additionally, on the first Friday of every month, Max’s Mission partners with HIV Alliance to provide free HIV and Hepatitis C testing at our Grants Pass office, further increasing access to essential health services for those who may have limited options elsewhere.
Our daily outreach efforts continue to expand to meet community needs. This fall, our Josephine County team added a new Monday and Friday outreach, visiting all three Designated Resting Locations in Grants Pass, offering full-service peer outreach directly where many unhoused residents are actually staying. These Designated Resting Locations are city-approved, temporary camping sites where individuals are permitted to rest or camp for up to 96 hours before having to relocate. During these outreach efforts, our staff is joined by partners from UCAN, MINT, and Adapt, allowing us to work together, tent-to-tent to meet participants’ needs with a coordinated, compassionate approach. By visiting these sites multiple times each week, our team is able to reach participants who may not be able to visit the office or other outreach locations, especially as colder weather approaches. Providing essentials like hand warmers, clean socks, and hygiene items alongside naloxone distribution during the winter months is a critical part of our mission to support the survival, dignity, and well-being of those experiencing homelessness.
Beyond Grants Pass, our Josephine County team has also focused on reaching rural communities, providing regular outreach in Wolf Creek every Tuesday and in Cave Junction all day Wednesday and Friday mornings - a commitment we’ve maintained for several years now. Rural communities often face significant barriers to care, including limited transportation, fewer local services, and emergency response times that can exceed 45 minutes. In these areas, having naloxone (and knowing how to use it), safer-use supplies, and compassionate peer support readily available can mean the difference between life and death. By bringing these services directly into remote parts of the county, Max’s Mission continues to close gaps in access to public health and recovery resources, ensuring that lifesaving support remains within reach for everyone in Josephine County, no matter how far they may live from town.
Employee Spotlight: Brandi Fogle
At Max’s Mission, lived experience isn’t just valued, it’s at the heart of what we do. Few embody that truth more than Brandi Fogle, Manager of our Max's Mission Josephine County office in Grants Pass. Brandi’s journey from participant to peer and now to leader mirrors the kind of success story we hope for all those we serve - a story of recovery, resilience, and rediscovered purpose, that now inspires the very participants she supports each day.
Brandi’s story mirrors the experiences of so many people who where overprescribed opioid painkillers during the mid 2000's. After being injured and prescribed opioids by her doctor, she developed an addiction that eventually led to legal troubles, the loss of her home, and separation from her children, who went to live with their grandparents temporarily, while she was navigating this time in her life. “My biology had me at a disadvantage,” she shared. “My brain liked the way the opiates made me feel. I went downhill quite quickly, and meth also became part of the problem.” During that time, her mother attended a Max’s Mission naloxone training at the Josephine County Library in Grants Pass and received a naloxone kit. That same kit was later used to save Brandi’s life after she overdosed on heroin laced with fentanyl. After years of struggle and cycling through jail, Brandi finally found hope in the drug court program, where she received the support and structure she needed to begin rebuilding her life.
As part of that program, she was asked to complete a Giveback Project - 40 hours of service to a local agency as a way of giving back to the community. Brandi chose Max’s Mission. “And they chose me,” she said. “After I was done with my give-back hours, I asked Julia (Max's Mission Co-Founder and Executive Director) if I could continue to volunteer, as saving lives through naloxone distribution and showing those struggling that someone cares for them was so close to my heart. She said yes, and a week later she offered me a job. And yes, I cried.” Since that day, Brandi has continued to grow both personally and professionally. She has gone on to become a Certified Recovery Mentor II with a Forensic Peer Endorsement and is currently pursuing a degree in Business with a focus in small business management, further strengthening her leadership ability and commitment to the work she loves.
Today, as the Regional Manager of the Josephine County office, Brandi brings that same compassion and gratitude into her daily work. When asked her favorite part of the job, she answered, “The ability to save lives every day and being a Certified Recovery Mentor. I have lived experience, understanding of where people are coming from, and am able to give compassion and care to people who are out there suffering and just need a human connection, and to know they matter, because they do.” Brandi’s own journey and roots in the Josephine County community allow her to connect with participants on a deeply personal level, offering empathy, understanding, and hope. Her story inspires those she serves, showing that with both personal dedication and solid support-network, recovery and lasting change are possible, no matter how far you believe you’ve fallen.
Looking ahead, Brandi remains focused on growth, both personal and organizational. “I just want to continue to work, learn, grow, and make sure that Max’s Mission is able to keep doing the life-saving work...far into the future.”
Moving Forward with Max’s Mission: Together We Save Lives
As the first lights of the holiday season begin to glow and the year’s end comes into view, we’re reminded how deeply Max’s Mission’s lifesaving work is strengthened by the compassion and generosity of our community. Every donation helps ensure that people across Southern Oregon have access to no-cost naloxone, peer support services, and other vital resources when they need them most.
With the cold weather setting in, many of our participants are facing harsh outdoor conditions without adequate protection from the cold. Items like gloves, hats, socks, hand warmers, jackets, blankets, and sleeping bags can make the difference between comfort and crisis - and sometimes between life and death. If you’re looking for a tangible way to help this season, consider donating cold-weather supplies to Max’s Mission. We gratefully accept freshly laundered or new clothing, as we do not have the resources or capacity to launder ourselves. Donations can be dropped off at any of our three offices, or purchased directly from our Amazon Wishlist dedicated to cold-weather survival items.
On December 2, 2025, we’ll join organizations across the globe in celebrating #GivingTuesday - a day dedicated to generosity and community care. We invite you to mark your calendar and consider supporting Max’s Mission as we continue our efforts to save lives and strengthen hope across the region.
If you have any questions about making a donation or other ways to support our work, please reach out to our Executive Director, Julia Pinsky, at maxsmission@gmail.com.
