As many of these men worked their way through our Recovery Program, I learned about their lives and about the world of 12-step based recovery. I learned about concepts like taking inventory or your past mistakes and wrongs and making amends for those. I learned about the importance of learning a new way to think when it comes to dealing with those familiar people, places and things that had so often contributed to bad choices and problematic behaviors. I also learned that these men wanted to be all those things that they were no longer allowed to be-a husband, a father, a brother and a son. And I watched many of those first few classes graduating from the program, I could see the change. The change was physical and emotional, and you could visibly see that there were different people than walked through those doors at intake.
It was clear that this was more than just rehab for them. It was a chance to change their lives. I had the opportunity to see many of these men share the joy of reuniting with their children and their families. I saw them rejoice in being able to have a key to their own home again. And I saw them start to plan a life outside of here. They entered, not sure that they belonged in the world and with no idea of what was to come for them. They left with a purpose and with a sense of who they were and who they wanted to be.
Hope Center is more than just a rehab. It is a chance to start over. It is a chance to begin to make up for some of the mistakes that have taken over their lives. A chance to show their loved ones that they were different. And the change is visible. Men who enter the doors and couldn’t wait to leave now wanted to stay and give back. Men who swore they didn’t belong and didn’t need to be here soon become not just clients or graduates, but coworkers. Now, fifteen years after I first walked through the doors here at Hope Center, many of those men are still around. Many are working here, giving back the same experience, strength and hope that was given to them. But many others are still around and involved with the program as alumni, coming back to hire program graduates or sponsor or just offer support.
Watching these men, and now women as my role with the program has changed over the years, enter the program and succeed, rebuild their lives and most importantly, give back to future generations, has been awe inspiring and nothing short of amazing. Hope Center is more than rehab or shelter or any single thing. It is a path to change and growth. It is an opportunity when no other opportunities are available. For many of the men and women who enter our doors, Hope Center is a lifeline.