09/11/2026
USA — A 9/11 story with a special connection to Celebrate Recovery.
Donald Arthur Peterson knew what it was like to struggle.
He also knew what it was like to find hope.
Don had experienced his own journey through addiction and discovered the life-changing hope of Jesus Christ. Instead of hiding that part of his story, he allowed God to use it. Don became passionate about helping other people find freedom and was instrumental in bringing Celebrate Recovery to New York City, working with Kensington Community Church.
Then came September 11, 2001.
Don responded to the World Trade Center as a New York City fire officer. He never came home.
For those of us in Celebrate Recovery, there is something especially meaningful about Don's story.
Recovery wasn't the end of his story. It became part of his purpose.
That's one of the beautiful things God can do with our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. The very places where we once struggled can become places from which we reach back and help somebody else.
Your past does not disqualify you.
Your struggle does not have to define you.
And your story isn't finished.
In Christ, there is hope. There is healing. There is purpose. And there is always the possibility of a new beginning.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
Today, Celebrate Recovery Linn County remembers Donald Arthur Peterson—a man who found hope and then spent his life helping others find it too.
USA — Never Forget.
✝️ There is always hope.
