by Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC
44 YEARS AGO, I began my career as a 22-year-old drug counselor fresh out of undergraduate school. The job was in Englewood on the South Side of Chicago, in a community where I grew up, now un-affectionately called Chi-Raq, because of its high homicide rate. My first task at work each morning was to remove the bars covering the windows to prevent theft overnight. Ironically, there was nothing to steal at that storefront agency which lacked heat in the winter and no air conditioning in the summer.
That position was so low profile and unglamourous that there was no way I could have predicted back them that in 2026 I would be awarded the H. Westly Clark Award for Distinguished Service to the Addictions Treatment Profession. The highest award bestowed upon an addictions professional by NAADAC, the largest association of addictions professionals in the world.
Throughout my career, I let my work do the talking, never expecting to receive recognition. Particularly in a profession that is 17% African American. So, for a day I paused to celebrate this accomplishment. Now, back to work!