New Futures' First Advocate Spotlight is on Mark Bonta!

New Futures has so many wonderful advocates who speak up for the health and well-being of Granite Staters at the New Hampshire State House. From testifying before elected officials to sharing their experiences through opinion pieces in newspapers, our advocates use their voices to help make lasting change in New Hampshire. We don’t want their efforts to go unnoticed, so we’re starting a new series, our Advocate Spotlight, to recognize and thank these amazing individuals.

Our first advocate spotlight is on Mark Bonta! Mark is passionate about advocating for people who are in recovery from substance use disorder. He sees the state of recovery as a strength rather than a weakness, and has advocated with New Futures on issues relating to health care and Medicaid Expansion.

"New Futures has always been there," Mark recalled. Mark first connected with New Futures through his ties with the recovery community in Littleton.

Mark takes every opportunity he can to help people, and advocating for people in recovery is a part of that. As a passionate supporter of recovery-friendly workplaces, Mark testified at Medicaid Expansion hearings last year to share the importance of access to health insurance for people who are starting their recovery journey. Now with the successful reauthorization of Medicaid Expansion in 2023, Mark has seen firsthand its positive impact on his employees.

One of Mark's most-cherished advocacy memories is attending the drug court graduation ceremony for one of his employees. After seeing the diploma and the certificate of completion for the drug court program, he saw how his advocacy made a difference for people in recovery and was linked to their successes. For anyone who wants to advocate, Mark said, "the best advice I can give is to get involved with local coalitions and organizations that are interested in what you’re passionate about. Continue to educate yourself on those issues and when opportunities come up to help people, say yes!"

Thank you so much for your advocacy efforts, Mark!

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