ARSR Holiday News 2011
Dear Friends,
We thank you for your continued support of our organization throughout this past year. The following three personal stories, from a couple of dear friends, capture the essence of our Mission and how your contributions have had a direct impact on saving their lives. They want you to know what you have done for them.
Janice's Story:
Seven years ago I was sitting in the Greyhound bus station waiting for a man I had never seen before, and had only talked to once. He told me he would be wearing a green army jacket. I had just left a treatment facility, one of many. The guy that was picking me up was Dave Beatty and he had some kind of half-way house that he was going to let me live in. The treatment center had kept me for an extra two weeks because I was homeless and did not have anywhere to go. I asked myself "what would be different this time?" I had been
addicted to heroin, crack cocaine, and prescription drugs since the age of twenty-eight. There had been numerous treatment facilities, halfway houses, and other programs that offered freedom from drugs. None of these worked for me. Drugs were my everything, my reason for living, or should I say existing and in turn they had deleted everyone and everything from my life. Children, family, employment, dreams, hopes, and aspirations had disappeared with the vapors of the pipe, and a snort of heroin. Twenty-seven years of drug addiction had taken its toll. I wondered what would be different now. I was fifty-two years old and everything was gone, and I was left with the remains of a life sabotaged by my drug addiction. The guy with the green army jacket arrived with a smile, and a white pick-up truck. He grabbed my bag and we were on our way. We arrived at the house, which was clean, with a warm bed, and a refrigerator filled with food. All of our needs were met in this house, bus passes, etc. There was also a clothes closet for which, I was grateful because I had little in the way of clothing. There was structure, rules and regulations, but there was also a genuine concern about me and my welfare, but this was nothing new. I had always had good people in my life; I was my own worst enemy. We were responsible for rent; therefore I had to find a job. After two weeks at the Joe & Shirley's Place (JSP) and forty-five days in treatment, I began to think that maybe I could stay clean this time. I had been earnestly looking for employment, but even fast food establishments would not hire me. In June 2005, I enrolled in a community college, and got a work study job. I continued to live at JSP. Dave and LeeAnn let me live at the house for five months for free, I did not have the money to pay rent, but he believed that this time I could do something different, and this time I did. I lived at JSP for almost a year. In that year I began to build a firm foundation in a twelve step program, and found a church to worship the God of my understanding. I have graduated from a four year university, and am currently working on my Master's degree. That student-work study job I got at LCC turned into full-time employment. In January 2012 I will celebrate seven years of being free from any mind or mood altering drugs. I often think of what would have happened if the man in the green army jacket, driving the white truck had not believed in me, where would I be.
Janice
Amy's Story:
My name is Amy Snodsmith and here is a brief description of my experience. At the age of 5, I was physically abused by my mother to the point of being hospitalized. I was awarded physical custody to my father, thank God. At the age of 7, I was molested by my step-grandfather. This went on until I was 12 years old and my father was made aware. I took my first drink of alcohol at the age of 13. I remember it as if it was yesterday. It took all my pain and thoughts that I was a bad little girl away. It gave me that false sense of freedom. I began using on weekends and also began smoking marijuana. The two together I thought, were my answer to all things in life. I drank alcohol, recreationally until I was around 20 years old and then I was introduced to cocaine. Everything in life took a backseat to my drinking and drugging. I had graduated high school, gone to college, held great jobs and seemed to have my life in order. Then there came a time when I couldn't get out of bed or function without drinking and having a drug in my system. By the age of 26, I was a binge drinker, all day every day. I had my first arrest in 2001, I blew a .262, and resisted arrest and I assaulted a police office after leaving the scene of the accident. The thought of going to jail or being in jail never fazed me. I was a bartender at a Sports Bar and they encouraged the ladies to drink, to be more fun and keep the customers coming back. And that, I did alright. I didn't have a stable place to call home. I was living out of a duffle bag by this time. My family wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. I could no longer hold a job. I went to my first treatment center in 2004 and received my 2nd DUI a few months later in 2005. I was again in treatment in 2005, and in 2006. In 2006 I went to the Glass House Treatment Center in Lansing where they made it very apparent to me that I had to do something different. I was introduced to Dave and LeeAnn Beatty who ran the 3⁄4 house, Joe & Shirley's Place (JSP). I thought long and hard and knew I was going to die if I didn't do something different. I have been to 3 treatment centers, hospitalized over 60 times and clinically dead twice. I've had blood alcohol levels as high as .570, which is why I know that God has chosen me to live. I should be dead. I decided to go to JSP and give myself a chance. I began to see that it was possible to stay sober. That was a concept I could never grasp. I had tried to stay sober for the job, the boyfriend and my family. It never worked. At JSP it became very obvious to me that I wasn't alone and that I didn't have to do this alone; there was a great freedom in just knowing that. I remember the day Dave picked me up from the Glass House and took me downtown Lansing to get a bus pass. I was lucky if I had $5 to my name. He drove me by an establishment that was hiring. He dropped me off and I went to that place and was hired on the spot. I began to work within a week of being out of treatment. I was going to meetings on a daily basis. I was required to enter an outpatient treatment program at NCA and I had a curfew. I was being held accountable for my actions and I was required to make my bed, wow, what a concept... I was able to pay rent for the first time in years. I had a new family. I had a warrant out for my arrest in another county from an incident prior to going into rehab, that ARSR encouraged and helped me to take care of. I had issues with my teeth so bad that I was curled up in pain. ARSR didn't hesitate to pay to get them pulled, all consequences of my drinking and drugging. After 4 months at JSP they helped me get into my own apartment w/ a program the Salvation Army had going. ARSR and JSP helped me every step of the way. Then, when I relapsed, I found it very hard to get back into the program or to get any help. ARSR helped me get into detox at CEI-CMH Birchtree several times! I remember Dave popping in to visit me and I felt like I was going to die, seeing his face made me know I was in the right place. There were times I couldn't get into a Detox facility and would have been sleeping on the streets if it hadn't been for ARSR. They (Dave and Walt Jones) put me up in a hotel and "babysat me" and "spoon fed me" alcohol (old school) until they could find a place to take me to Detox. That time, CEI-CMH Birchtree in Mason was closed for a three day weekend. Without their help I have no idea where I would be. I'm thinking possibly not even alive. I am happy to say that November 30th, 2011 I celebrated 3 wonderful years sober. Dave and LeeAnn Beatty still continue to help me today! When I come across someone in dire need or that I cannot or don't know how to help, Dave Beatty is always there. Today I live in another city and hold a full time job that I work 6 days a week. I go into the Livingston County Jail to do AA meetings with the inmates there. I sponsor women who are in need of going through the 12 steps. I try to always be there for another alcoholic/drug addict as ARSR and JSP were for me. It scares me to even think about where I'd be today without their help, love, support and most of all encouragement. They stuck by my side 100% of the way. I am eternally grateful and I know my family is too!
Sincerely, Amy L. Snodsmith
Again, I want to thank all of you who have supported ARSR this past year. Our efforts to help those in need cannot survive without your kindness and generosity. We need your financial support. We have last Summer's Taxes over due $2,798.88; Winter Taxes due in February $2,457.00; an insurance renewal payment due $1,659.25; a $15,000.00 loan to pay on, money that has kept us afloat over the years, taxes (almost $6,000.00/year); insurance ($7,293.00/year); we spend thousands for utilities and overhead for JSP and thousands in operating costs to keep rolling and responding to the multitude of requests for our services; money to pay our Case Management/Peer Support staff's activities (Tina and Emily) that, day in and day out provide hands on services for our residents. LeeAnn is the JSP Resident Manager and Case Manager 24/7. She schedules the waiting list; she is our secretary and bookkeeper. She works for free! Last year ARSR subsidized about 50% of the bed space at JSP. This was done with your hard earned dollars and a few small grants.
We fight for and support our clients, when they need emergency medical, co-pays on meds, dental, psychiatric evaluations/medications and/or emergency inpatient (not an easy task), advocacy in Court, clothing, employment, food, pocket cash, bus passes, rides to appointments, counseling, etc. We meet them in the jails, treatment centers and homeless shelters. We take calls from families and persons in distress many nights and weekends. We collaborate with Probation and Parole officers and Judges who are trying to help people stay clean/sober and out of jail, sometimes holding a bed for free for weeks and months to make sure someone has a safe place to come to upon release from treatment, jail or prison. When there is no chance of getting someone into detox and it's after hours or there is just a "no" to deal with, we have an "angel" physician to assist and then we "babysit" them until morning. ARSR utilizes interns from Michigan Rehabilitation Services, Spring Arbor University, Lansing Community College, Baker College and Michigan State University's Graduate School of Social Work to help us. We provide vital support group services to returning Veterans via Judge Jordan's 54-B Ingham County Veterans Court (no profit to ARSR).
ARSR just terminated a contract with Mid-South Substance Abuse Commission for Community Case Management in Ingham County. We reached an impasse regarding apposing philosophical views and administrative rules about methadone maintenance and the definition of "Recovery." We walked away from really good, tax payer money! We are 12-step based and endorse abstinence as the goal, regardless of relapses. We do not consider methadone maintenance as being "drug free." It is useful for detox, opiate dependent pregnant women and harm reduction with regard to health and public safety. It's not "recovery" in our view, just dependency on another, very powerful drug. We have met personally, hundreds of recovering heroin and prescription opiate addicts who have been down that miserable road, who are now truly "drug free." If ARSR had just a fraction of what your tax dollars pay for methadone maintenance (many thousands of dollars/year per client X 5, 10 and more years) we could build a first class treatment facility with sober housing, support services included, right here in Lansing! Obviously, this is just our opinion among many schools of thought. It doesn't always make us popular or politically correct. I just want you to know where we stand. It's worth taking a look at.
Please remember us in your Holiday Spirit. Please keep your referrals for our services coming! We love the people you help us serve and we love our work! Your generosity, ARSR and the Recovering Community, along with many compassionate professionals among us, are saving lives, reuniting families, reducing criminal recidivism, saving your tax dollars and turning the destruction of addiction around in this community!
Please forward this letter to your contacts; tell them about us. www.arsr.org click donate! ARSR, P.O. Box 25001, Lansing, MI 48909-5001. The more friends we meet, the more support we have! Thank you and happy holidays to you and your loved ones!
A special "Thank you" to all of you for what you do:
ARSR Backbone and JSP Strong Arm, LeeAnn Beatty, my partner
The Board of Directors: The J.D. Pentecost Foundation $53,000.00 for new roofs, windows, gutters and insulation for all three Joe & Shirley's Place Houses (Just awarded December 7, 2011)
Howard Weyers of Health Benefits Strategy and his son Jack, for giving ARSR $40,000.00 in three new furnaces at JSP, Foundation Search software, cash and huge support of our efforts!
The Hanley Family Foundation $10,000.00
The Capital Region Community Foundation $ 5,921.00
Ingham County Board of Commissioners, The Ingham County Community Agency Fund $5,000.00
Darryl & Denise McGinn and players in the HALT Golf Classic $4,300.00
Scott Horrocks and Players in the Easy Does It Golf Outing $450.00
Poker Players at Trippers, Trippers, Aces Gaming Supply and the State of Michigan Lottery $10,500.00
Kristin Horning $1,000.00
Donald Martyn, CLU, CHFC $1,000.00
David Houston & Elizabeth Keenan $500.00
Gary & Theresa Climes $500.00
Amy Snodsmith (2nd Story) Sam Whitaker
Keith & Annie Prokefky Randy Walling
Melanie Jackson
Honorable Paula Manderfield
Marlaine Teahan,
Sara Larson Schnider
Taylor Swan
Larry Bowlen
Carol Stephenson
Cliff Borbis
Liz Davis
Jan Joseph
Susan Wells
Pam Kissinger
Barb Martin
Linda Peters
Lisa Ackerby
Deborah Wedley
Honorable David Jordan & Carolyn Stell Mick McNamara & Family
Adeline Kitt
Melisa Hagan & Friends
The 55th , 56-A, 54-A, 54-B and other District Courts, 30th Circuit Court, Ingham and Eaton County Probation/Parole Officers, Judges and the generous Probationers for Community Service and for your commitment to helping men and women access Recovery at Joe & Shirley's Place. Very helpful!
Chuck Hartman and Becky Watrous of Hartman Accounting for free accounting services for our entire operation
Dennis Barrett, Attorney of Barrett Law for painting a JSP house and pro bono services
Erica Shifflet and her father, Eric for extensive repairs to JSP plumbing
Matt Smith, Attorney and Clark-Hill for pro bono services
Larry Salstrom, Attorney, pro bono services
Barry Saltman and his awesome crew at Care Free Medical
Dr. Robert Strathmann, Dr. Bob's Smile Factory and kind staff for pro bono services
Susan Michalowski for all the wonderful work she does for our people
Dr. Paul Deweese for his support of our efforts to one day, begin an ambulatory Detox for heroin addicts
Carol Ann Wilkinson, One Woman "ANGEL!"
Gary VanNorman & the Mid-South Substance Abuse Commission staff for their professionalism and patience with our "grass-roots" system and for honoring and acknowledging ARSR's value to the community and The Recovery Oriented System of Care.
Sparrow/St. Lawrence Detox Unit and staff
NCA-LRA and staff
Sacred Heart, Memphis, MI (This is where I went to treatment starting down town Detroit (1978) It's a trip when I take someone to Detox now! Clearview, Port Huron
CEI-CMH HOC staff
St. Vincent DePaul Store
Carson City Hospital, ER and Behavioral Health Unit staff
Michigan Rehab Services
Lansing Urgent Care and staff
Salvation Army, Lansing
VOA, Lansing
State of Michigan, Office of Substance Abuse Services, Angie Smith, Lisa Miller and the ROSC "Infrastructure Work Group"
CEI-CMH Emergency Services Staff: Jackie, Cliff & Matt for your caring excellence plus, Al Platt upstairs for his guidance and good humor
ARSR Executive Board of Directors: Dennis Barrett, Justin Ellerhorst, Marianne Barger, Rob Flanders, Chuck Hartman, Jason Beatty, Crystal Miller, Justin McClean, Erica Shifflet, Eric Shifflet and Jack Weyers
ARSR Treatment Services Staff: Lisa Larson, Michele Pichea, Justin McClean and Doy Dowsett
ARSR Case Managers/Peer Supports Tina Simons, Emily Frailey, Walt Jones and Frank Deluca
ARSR student interns: Patricia Wood (MSU Graduate School of Social Work); Nancy Matheny & Sandra Stephenson (Spring Arbor University); Deb Askew (Baker College); Janice Hardman (1st Story) (Western Michigan University Graduate School, SPADA Program)
All of the other 3⁄4 house operators in the community who do this work day in and day out
And, to all of you whom I may have failed to mention, that have supported us in the past.
Finally, The Recovering Community, without you, none of this could be possible! I owe you my life. I am forever in your debt. 33 Years this month!
I thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Dave Beatty
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