Council honors director of the King County Recovery Coalition, Heather Venegas, with 2025 Recovery Champion Award

September 17, 2025

The King County Council on Tuesday presented the 2025 King County Recovery Champion Award to Heather Venegas, Director of the King County Recovery Coalition (KCRC). Councilmember Reagan Dunn and Council Chair Girmay Zahilay led the Council in presenting the award.

“It is an honor to recognize Heather Venegas for her tireless advocacy on behalf of those in recovery throughout King County,” Dunn said. “As the founding Director of the King County Recovery Coalition, Heather has helped build a powerful movement grounded in compassion, community, and hope. Heather’s commitment and heart make her truly deserving of this award.”

Through Venegas’ tireless work as an advocate for those in recovery, she has helped shift public perceptions of behavioral health conditions and has championed pro-recovery policies across the county. As the organization’s first director, she has led the effort to advance substance use recovery and mental health wellness through a county-wide community that celebrates and advocates for recovery.

“Heather Venegas embodies the very spirit of Recovery Month through her compassion, resilience, and community work,” Zahilay said. “Through her leadership of the King County Recovery Coalition, Heather has empowered countless individuals on their recovery journey and helped foster a culture that embraces healing and second chances. We are proud to honor her with the 2025 Recovery Champion Award and to celebrate her unwavering commitment to building a King County where everyone has the support they need to thrive.”

The King County Recovery Coalition is a regional coalition of the Washington Recovery Alliance. It was recently a prime partner of ‘Recovery Day at the Mariners’ on September 14, which saw Cal Raleigh hit his 54th home run of the season to tie Mickey Mantle for the single-season switch-hitter home run record. Under Venegas’ leadership of the organization, numerous individuals suffering from substance use have found hope, and the organization continues to provide care and support for those seeking recovery.

“I am honored to receive this award and grateful to the King County Council for recognizing the power of recovery and the importance of building a strong, connected recovery community,” Venegas said. “At the King County Recovery Coalition, we are committed to creating a county where everyone has access to the support they need to heal and thrive.”

Created in 2022 through legislation proposed by Dunn and co-sponsored by Councilmember Sarah Perry, the King County Recovery Champion Award recognizes a person or organization within King County that has demonstrated hard work and passion in helping those with substance use disorders.

The award presentation coincides with the Council’s proclamation of Recovery Month, a nationwide observance that occurs every September to celebrate the gains made by those in recovery from substance use and mental health. The tagline of the 2025 Recovery Month is "Recovery is Real: Restoring Every Aspect of Life," highlighting that health, home, community, and purpose are the pillars that recovery is built on and that recovery is more than overcoming present challenges, it's about building a lifetime of well-being.

Recovery Month works to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible.