Bill Russell Motivational Speaker from Portland, OR

Do you need a powerful speaker on the issue of substance abuse? William (Bill) Russell is the Executive Director of Union Gospel Mission (UGM) and the co-founder of the LifeChange addiction recovery community. LifeChange is a faith based and long term recovery program that has been nationally recognized. Bill has been with UGM since 1989. Russell started his career as a lawyer in Lewiston, Idaho, serving a deputy prosecutor for Nez Perce County, Idaho. In 1982, Bill quit the practice of law and become a prison chaplain throughout the Northwest. In 1989, Bill came to Union Gospel Mission Portland to change the traditional skid row relief focused on older alcoholic men to more effective recovery for younger men and women who were drug or alcohol addicted. The Mission needed to blend spiritual transformation with work training, and deep addiction recovery. The result is LifeChange – a unique recovery community that utilizes responsibility-based recovery. The Mission has now added facility and programming for homeless, abused or addicted women and their children. One out of nine Americans has a alcohol or drug problem. Most families are negatively affected by this problem. Bill has developed an expertise in speakers to both addicts and their loved ones about how to change unhealthy habits. Bill is collaborative and good at moving audiences to action that will bring about CHANGE!