A Safe Place to Land: Employee Spotlight on Holly Dagenais

Recovery is deeply personal, and no two journeys look the same. For Holly Dagenais (she/they), a Residence Worker who has been with The Bridge for the past year, one of the most meaningful parts of the work is learning from the people she supports.

“Each participant brings their unique story, challenges, and strengths, teaching me invaluable lessons along the way,” Holly shares. “Their courage, resiliency, and humanity are a constant reminder that healing and growth are never finished for any of us. We are all on this journey together.”

A Place Where Connection Continues

Holly describes Supported Recovery Kelowna as a safe place to land. Somewhere participants can begin building a different way of living without having to rebuild everything on their own.

It is a space where connection continues, where support remains available, and where individual healing is strengthened through relationships and community.

“A place where connection does not disappear,” Holly says. “A place where someone is not left rebuilding everything on their own.”

For Holly, this is where The Bridge’s mission of transforming lives and building community becomes tangible. Supporting recovery is not only about helping someone reach an individual goal; it is also about helping them develop the connections and foundation that can support what comes next.

Recovery Requires Readiness and Support

One thing Holly wishes the community better understood is the complexity of recovery.

“You cannot force recovery,” she says. “Forcing someone into treatment ignores the complex web of housing, mental health, and community supports they need to survive.”

From Holly’s perspective, lasting change requires more than simply telling someone what they need to do. People need safety, stability, appropriate supports, and most importantly, their own willingness to engage in the process.

“True transformation requires personal willingness and a safe foundation, not just a legal order.”

That belief shapes the way Holly approaches her role: with respect for each participant’s individual journey and an understanding that progress cannot always be rushed or measured in a straight line.

Learning Alongside One Another

Holly’s first year at The Bridge has reinforced something she sees every day: recovery is about people, relationships, and growth.

Participants bring resilience, humour, strengths, setbacks, and lived experiences into the spaces they share with staff. In return, Resident Support Workers provide consistency, encouragement, and a place where people do not have to navigate their next steps alone.

We are grateful for the care and perspective Holly brings to her work, and for the role she plays in creating a space where connection, dignity, and the possibility of change remain present.