Our Story
Honoring Tyler. Supporting recovery. Strengthening our community.
Tyler Wilson Bornstein lived with energy, talent, and heart. As a child, he walked at nine months, swam at twelve months, and by age five, he was doing push-ups on the living room floor. He excelled in every sport he played — baseball, wrestling, football, and golf. But with sports came injuries, and by eighteen, he had undergone two major surgeries on his right elbow. Each surgery sent him home with prescription pain medication, and before he realized it, Tyler developed an addiction to opiates.
As his addiction progressed, it led to heroin use and repeated attempts at treatment. On September 28, 2014, the Summit County Sheriff’s Department delivered the news no family should ever receive: while Tyler was overdosing, the person he was with dumped him in a vacant lot instead of calling for help. Tyler died of a heroin/fentanyl overdose at the age of twenty-three.
In the wake of unimaginable loss, Tyler’s parents, Shelly and Travis Bornstein, chose to turn their grief into action. They founded Hope United to bring awareness, compassion, and support to families affected by addiction. Their mission grew quickly, reaching families across Summit, Stark, and Portage Counties through programs designed to build safer communities, strengthen families, and reduce stigma.
The Founders Behind the Mission
For over four decades, Travis and Shelly Bornstein built what felt like the American Dream: great jobs, a beautiful home, and a loving life with their three children. Everything changed in 2014, when they lost their son Tyler to addiction — a loss that reshaped every part of their lives. The field where Tyler was found marked the end of his story, and it became the moment their mission began.
Through their unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, they persevered through unimaginable grief. While their story is rooted in faith, Tyler’s Redemption Place welcomes everyone with kindness, respect, and hope — no matter their beliefs. With Shelly’s 28 years in healthcare and Travis’s leadership and advocacy, they turned pain into purpose. Today, they serve as the heart and soul behind Tyler’s Redemption Place, guiding its vision and dedicating their lives to helping others access the support, resources, and holistic healing their family once needed.
Their personal journey became the foundation for what would eventually grow into Tyler’s Redemption Place.
The Next Chapter: Tyler’s Redemption Place
As the need for community-based recovery support grew, so did the vision. In 2023, Hope United opened Tyler’s Redemption Place, a peer-run, trauma-informed Recovery Community Organization (RCO) dedicated to walking alongside individuals and families on their recovery journey.
Tyler’s Redemption Place brings this model to life by creating a space where people feel seen, supported, and never alone — a place rooted in Tyler’s story and built for every individual and family navigating addiction, recovery, and healing.
As we mark ten years since Hope United began, Tyler’s Redemption Place now serves as the unified name for our organization — the home for all programs, services, and community efforts that grew from Tyler’s legacy. This evolution reflects our commitment to long-term recovery, belonging, and hope.
The Teamster Miracle
In June 2016, Travis gave a speech at the National Teamsters Convention in Las Vegas to about 5,000 Teamsters from across the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Afterward, what we believe was a miraculous event happened.
Teamsters began lining up at the microphone and pledging our non-profit money. People began publicly sharing their stories of recovery or of family members struggling. Walls began to fall as people felt compelled to share – many for the first time. Over the following six months, we received a total of $1,365,000 in donations, including $22,000 – the largest donation ever off the Teamster floor.
This money gave us a chance to identify the gaps in recovery and, after 7 years of preparation, open Tyler’s Redemption Place, Summit County, Ohio’s first Recovery Community Organization. This miraculous event and the generosity of the Teamsters will forever be the heart of Tyler’s Redemption Place, as they provided all the funds to build our 7,500-square-foot log cabin. Thank you, Teamsters!
Our Mission Lives Through Community
At Tyler’s Redemption Place, we:
We carry Tyler’s story with us in everything we do. His life continues to inspire a movement of compassion, courage, and community — a movement that grows stronger every day.
What Is a Recovery Community Organization (RCO)?
A Recovery Community Organization (RCO) is a nonprofit led by people with lived experience who provide peer support, connection, and community-based recovery services. RCOs focus on hope, belonging, and long-term wellness, offering support that complements clinical treatment and helps individuals and families thrive in recovery.
At Tyler’s Redemption Place, we bring this model to life by creating a safe, welcoming space where people feel seen, supported, and never alone on their recovery journey.