Popularity: 2% [?]
Archive for January, 2009
I had been in treatment for alcohol abuse before, but I didn’t really change. Then, my husband lost his job and we agreed that wherever he got work we would go. We moved, but I was miserable. I isolated myself. I didn’t want to meet new people. As soon as he would leave for work at 5am, I would go down to the nearest convenience store and buy alcohol. I would be drunk by 6am. I hid it for awhile because I would sober up by the time he came home.
It all ended when I got drunk and had an accident. I hit two gas pumps at a service station. I only know what happened because I read it in the police report – I don’t remember anything. I was arrested and put in a jail cell where I spent all night crying. Some time during the night, I heard a guard say, “Nobody can hear your cries now.” I know now that God heard me.
When I came to Dove’s Nest, I thought I hated everybody and everything. But it was really me I didn’t like. The staff was tough on me, but they did it for my own good. My counselor helped me deal with things from my past that I never really dealt with before. She also taught me how to look in the mirror and not run from what I saw. I learned how to look at myself and say, “Yes, I am God’s child” and “Yes I am good.” I had made some bad mistakes, but I didn’t want to run away from my life anymore.
I stayed at Dove’s Nest for seven months. I was safe there. I felt that I had self-esteem for the first time. I felt confident. I call Dove’s Nest “the healing place.”
Everyday, I use the skills they taught me at Dove’s Nest and I am now working on my second year of sobriety. I am now a part-time facility technician at Dove’s Nest – Continuing Care Division. I believe God has made a message out of the mess my life had become. I want to give back what was so freely given to me.
Thank you for making Dove’s Nest a reality. Everything that I didn’t think was possible has become true because of Dove’s Nest and you.
Popularity: 18% [?]
I never had a problem with drinking. That’s what I remember. I liked to hang out with my friends on the weekends, have a few drinks, and just enjoy life. But it just took one day, one experiment, to change my life.
I was hanging out with some friends; and they brought out a crack pipe. I tried it and I just never stopped. Within a month, I was hooked on crack. I lost my job, because I was missing days to stay at home and smoke. I lost my apartment because I spent any money I could get on drugs instead of necessities. I never looked at myself and my life at the time: I just moved from one placed to another trying to find a way to get high.
I was living in a tent in the woods, and at the time it didn’t occur to me that something had gone terribly wrong. Until I got word that my dad was in the hospital. I wanted to see him. I hadn’t seen him or my family for months. When I got to the hospital, I ran into my sister, and she said to me, “Where have you been?” And that’s when I felt the weight of my life. I said to my sister, “Take me right now to get help. I need help.”
I ended up at Rebound, finished the recovery program, and have moved on with my life. I am now helping people who are burdened with the weight of their addictions. Just as I once was. When these people come to me and say, “I need help,” I can honestly answer, “I understand.” I can also honestly tell them, “You can find a way out.”
Popularity: 9% [?]
In the neighborhood where I grew up, drugs and alcohol were always around. I started drinking at the age of 12. Later, I started using marijuana, and 14 years ago I began selling crack cocaine. I became my best customer, which led me in and out of institutions.
The last time I was arrested, I went to detox. I didn’t know how to get out of this cycle, but I knew I wanted to recover. I met a girl who had been through the Doves Nest program. She told me about Rebound.
Before I came to Rebound I re-dedicated my life to the Lord. I knew that He would take me through this journey. I learned a lot about recovery, and acceptance. I had to admit I was an addict and was powerless.
Today I have been clean and sober almost 3 years. I was the chef at Charlotte Rescue Mission for several years and am now in the heating and air business after graduating as an honors student at Central Piedmont Community College.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Starting in 1992, Dove’s Nest continues to work miracles as shown by its 72% client completion rate for its 120 day program compared to the national average of 18%. Many women, however, are being left on the outside as the facility can only support 12 women at any given time.
Currently, Dove’s Nest has a 90-day waiting list, and the list would be much longer except for the fact that many detox centers avoid referring clients because they know that the wait would be too long.
Recognizing the need for additional space, the Charlotte Rescue Mission is engaging in its first Capital Campaign to build a new facility to support more women in crisis. The Charlotte Rescue Mission (CRM) has purchased 11 acres on West Boulevard for construction of a new Dove’s Nest building which will increase treatment bed capacity from 12 to 90. This comprehensive new facility will feature the region’s first three-phased treatment approach providing:
- 10 Pre-Program beds ( currently: 0 )
- 50 Primary Care beds ( currently: 12 )
- 30 Continuing Care Division beds ( currently: 0 )
Another major improvement will be the addition of the capacity for women with children. We will have bunk beds and four people per room. A woman and up to three children will be able to stay in a single room.
The Capital Campaign kicked off in 2008 with the goal to break ground in Fall 2010. Our financial goal is to raise $10 million, which will provide the building plus three years of operating costs.
Finally, the Charlotte Rescue Mission is collaborating with United Family Services (UFS) on our 11 acre West Boulevard site. CRM will sell 5 acres for UFS to build an expanded Domestic Violence facility for women. It is likely that this West Boulevard campus will house two agencies dealing with two of the main issues facing homeless or at risk women: addiction and domestic violence.
Popularity: 18% [?]
You have several opportunities to get involved in the Dove’s Nest Capital Campaign:
- Attend a Dove’s Nest Lunch and Learn. Each Thursday Lunch and Learns are held from 12:00 – 1:15 at the current Dove’s Nest location. These Lunch and Learns provide details about the program and allow you to see “First-Hand” the miracles that are occurring at the center. To sign up for a Lunch and Learn please contact Lyn Breda – lyn.breda@charlotterescuemission.org – 704.334.4635 ext 213
- Make a Pledge. Download the following Pledge Form and email the form to eju@charlotterescuemission.org, fax the form to 704-333-7285, or mail the form to the address below.
- Donate Online. If you feel led to donate right now; you can do so online. Please make sure you select the Gift Type option – Dove’s Nest Capital Campaign. Charlotte Rescue Mission, is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Attn: EJ Underwood
Charlotte Rescue Mission
PO Box 33000
Charlotte, NC 28233
Popularity: 17% [?]
I’m Tara and I’m an alcoholic and an addict. I have been clean and sober for two years thanks to Dove’s Nest. I entered this program totally broken and dead on the inside. I had lost everything: kids, family, friends, marriage, home, cars, etc. You name it and I lost it due to my severe drug addiction.
I entered the doors of “The Nest” on November 9, 2007; I was completely dead inside, and there I found not only a warm meal and a roof over my head but a sense of safety that I hadn’t known in a long time. There were wonderful counselors there that gave me hope and showed me how to live a new way of life, clean and sober. I found the Tara that God had intended me to be all along.
I have since gotten my children back and am a great mother. I have an awesome family that I am engaged in. I am going back to school and making good grades to work with other alcholics and addicts. I attend AA meetings several times weekly and am very active in my sobriety. I NEVER could have imagined that my life would be the way it is today; I NEVER thought I could get sober and remain sober.
I am SO truely grateful to Dove’s Nest and ALL of its staff; that was a crucial part of the beginning of my new life. Thank you Dove’s Nest; you will ALWAYS be in my thoughts and prayers…I love you for all you have done for me and all the women’s lives you have changed!!!
Popularity: 18% [?]
4/4/10 – WCNC – Charlotte Rescue Mission feeds hundreds on Easter
4/4/10 – WSOC – Charlotte Residents Help the Less Fortunate on Easter
4/2/10 – News 14 – Charities running low on food ahead of Easter
3/28/10 – Observer – Mission: Ensure no one goes hungry on Easter
3/23/10 – News 14 – Charlotte women’s shelter plans major expansion
3/9/10 – WSOC – Homemade Baked Easter Sunday Dessert Dinner
2/22/10 – Observer – Rescue Mission starts ‘Hope Tote’ campaign
2/17/10 – WBTV – Elevation Church Serves Breakfast
1/4/10 – Fox – Cold & Homeless
12/27/09 – Observer – Women’s Shelter Effort get Another Boost $250,000
12/26/09 – Observer – Comfort, joy by cell Phone
12/24/09 – Observer – Charities Team up to Save Money
11/27/09 – Observer – Faith Paves Way to Recovery for Addict
11/26/09 – News 14 – Volunteers Serve Breakfast, Dinner for Community
WSOC – Charlotte Rescue Mission Serves Feast for Homeless
Popularity: 2% [?]
