A Wisconsin 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Progress Is Progress Foundation Incorporated
Reducing stigma and building hope through community education, peer support, and events, with a focus on rural, tribal, and Northwoods communities. Every measure of progress counts, whether it’s a mile or a millimeter.
Our mission
“Reducing stigma surrounding addiction and mental health by promoting recovery through lived-experience leadership, community education, peer support, and events, with a focus on rural, tribal, and Northwoods communities, and celebrating every measure of progress, no matter how small.”
What we do
Community first. Stigma last.
Community Events
Free, welcoming gatherings where neighbors, families, and local organizations come together around recovery and hope.
Education
Honest, practical information about addiction and mental health that helps people understand it and speak about it without shame.
Peer Support
Lived-experience leadership that says “you are not alone” and means it.
Reducing Stigma
Real conversations that make it easier for people in rural and tribal communities to ask for help.
Our featured event
Real Talk Recovery: Progress in the Northwoods
Saturday, November 21, 2026, at Lake of the Torches Resort Casino in Lac du Flambeau. Real Talk Recovery is a free community event presented by Progress Is Progress Foundation Incorporated, which serves as the event’s fiscal agent.
Event details & registrationLeadership
Board of Directors
Our volunteer board guides the Foundation with care, transparency, and a deep commitment to the communities we serve.
Click a photo to read their bio.
Stephanie Thompson
Treasurer
Richard McCoy Sr.
Director
Michele Micheau
President | Progress Is Progress, Inc.
Michele Micheau’s passion for advocacy, recovery, and positive change comes from a combination of personal experience, professional work, and witnessing the impact substance use has on individuals, families, and communities.
As a licensed Substance Abuse Counselor in Wisconsin and a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she has seen firsthand the barriers individuals face when seeking help, including stigma, limited resources, and gaps in community support.
Her own lived experiences, along with the experiences of loved ones, have strengthened her belief that everyone deserves compassion, dignity, and the opportunity to move forward without judgment.
As President of Progress Is Progress, Inc., she is committed to reducing stigma, expanding access to resources, and creating meaningful, positive change in our communities.
She believes recovery looks different for everyone, every journey deserves respect, and progress is progress, no matter how small the step.
Belinda “Belle” Morey, BS, CSAC
Founder & Secretary | Progress Is Progress Foundation Inc. / Founder, Progress Is Progress LLC
Belinda “Belle” Morey knows what it takes to come back from the hard places — because she has lived it. A person in long-term recovery, Belle built Progress Is Progress on a simple belief she lives by every day: progress is progress, no matter how small the step.
Belle holds a Bachelor of Science in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling from Ottawa University and is a Wisconsin Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC). She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Before starting her own practice, she served as a substance use counselor at the Family Health Center of Marshfield and at Koinonia, a residential treatment center in Rhinelander, and her background also includes service as an EMT and training as an IGNTD recovery coach.
Through Progress Is Progress LLC in Woodruff, Wisconsin, Belle provides substance use counseling and recovery coaching that is personal, private, and built around the person in front of her — not a one-size-fits-all program. She works with adults, and with middle and high school students with parent or guardian consent, across northern Wisconsin and online throughout Wisconsin.
Belle is the author of four books and serves on the Vital Voyage Blog advisory board. As Founder and Secretary of Progress Is Progress Foundation Inc., she helps lead community recovery efforts, including Real Talk Recovery: Progress in the Northwoods, bringing people together to reduce stigma and make support easier to find.
Her own words say it best: “I’m just out here trying to be the person I wish I would’ve had early on.” Whether she is sitting with a client, speaking to a community, or helping a family find its footing, Belle brings lived experience, professional training, and genuine compassion to every conversation — meeting people where they are and walking with them toward where they want to be.
Keven Mahner
Director | Progress Is Progress Foundation Inc.
Keven Mahner is the Fire Chief of the Crescent Fire Department and a dedicated advocate for recovery, resilience, and positive change. He holds an Associate Degree in Human Services and has dedicated much of his life to helping others find hope when they feel there is none.
Keven has been in recovery for 27 years. His own journey has given him a unique understanding of what it means to struggle, to lose hope, and ultimately to find a way forward. Today, he works with New Horizons Family Services as a Psychosocial Behavioral Specialist, where he works with children as a mentor and recovery worker. He also leads a father’s group, helping men strengthen their relationships, find support, and become better fathers and role models.
Keven openly shares his story because he believes that where you come from does not have to determine where you end up. He speaks honestly about where he was, what happened, the struggles he faced, and how he built a different life.
Through his story, Keven hopes to inspire people who feel they will never succeed or become a positive member of society. His message is one of hope: change is possible, recovery is possible, and you are worth fighting for.
Keven’s goal is to reach those who are tired of being sick and tired — to help them begin healing, rediscover their worth, and learn to love themselves again. His story is a reminder that even after the darkest chapters of our lives, a new chapter can be written.
Transparency
Foundation facts
Get involved
Partner, volunteer, or sponsor
If you would like to volunteer, partner with us, or support our work, we would love to hear from you.
progressisprogressmilormil@gmail.com · (715) 892-5310
Progress Is Progress Foundation Incorporated provides community education, peer support, and events. It is not a treatment provider and does not offer medical or clinical care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. For free, confidential treatment referrals, call SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).