The McShin Foundation was founded in 2004 by husband and wife duo John Shinholser and Carol McDaid to fill a void they saw in the care of Richmonders seeking recovery. John left a lucrative painting business to start the foundation and Carol is a veteran lobbyist for mental health and drug policy at the federal level. Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church opened their doors to McShin, offering office space when no one else was receptive to the idea of a recovery organization. From two offices in the basement of a church, McShin has grown into the organization it is today, including a 15,000 square foot recovery center and over 100 recovery residence beds in Richmond and the surrounding areas. Both in long-term recovery themselves, John and Carol continue working daily to combat Substance Use Disorders and help people start their recovery journey.
Check out the McShin Foundation here https://mcshin.org/
BIO:
John Shinholser is the President of The McShin Foundation, which was founded in 2004 and named for its two co-founders, John and his wife Carol McDaid. It is Virginia’s largest full service Authentic Recovery Community Organization.
John is a United States Marine Corps veteran and successful entrepreneur. He served as President of SAARA (substance abuse and addiction recovery alliance) of Central Virginia Affiliate and is a former board member of SAARA of Virginia. He served on the board of directors of Rubicon, Inc. for 14 years, Virginia's most comprehensive substance abuse treatment facility.
In 2005, Shinholser received the national America Honors Recovery Award from the Johnson Institute. In 2005, he and his wife Carol also received the Caron Foundation's Outstanding Alumni Award. In 2006, he the Virginia state office of substance abuse services Award of Virginia for Significant Contributions to the Field of Substance Use Disorder Recovery, typically given to professionals Shinholser was the first recovering community member to receive this.
Under John’s leadership McShin won the Recovery Community Organization of the year Award for the United States, The Joel Hernandez Award presented by Faces and Voices of Recovery in June of 2011. McShin also won the national SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration) Recovery Month 2011 Flicker Award. McShin also won the SAMHSA special event of the year award in 2014. McShin is 1 of only 19 nationally CAPRSS accredited RCO’s. Most recently, in 2021 McShin was recognized by the Virginia General Assembly for its pioneer work in recovery in House Resolution NO.738.
John has been featured in Addiction Professional Magazine and other local papers across Virginia, the U.S. and U.K. He also has been in news broadcasts and national documentaries including The Anonymous People.
John is an appointed citizen member of the 2008,2009,2010 Virginia General Assembly Joint Senate /House sub-committee on substance abuse (SJ77). John was a member of Henrico County Drug Court Advisory Council and an Honorary Deputy of Richmond City Sheriff Office. John co-wrote the Recovery Coach Manual, the first nationally utilized peer training manual. McShin was the first National Alliance of Recovery Residence in Virginia. John and Carol participated in the first U.K. recovery walk to help launch The Living Room in Cardiff, a Recovery Community Center. John has presented in correctional facilities in 42 different states.
John and Carol reside in Hanover County, Virginia. He has been in recovery since August 10th, 1982.