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Drug treatment center issues plea for aid
James Goodrich of American Industrial Insulation insulates water pipes as construction at the Healing Place of Huntington continues on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, in Huntington.
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HUNTINGTON -- They've come a long way in making the Healing Place of Huntington a reality, but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done before it can open its doors.
Founders of The Healing Place, a nonmedical drug addiction treatment center, say that the center will have to start small in terms of the men it can serve when it initially opens.
Though it eventually would like to serve 100 men at the new center, located in the former Lincoln school building at 2425 9th Ave., organizers have decided to start with 26 men.
But it still needs help from the community to get ready for that group, officials say.
The Healing Place of Huntington needs $200,000 to finish Phase 1 of the project, said Executive Director Walter "Skip" Ewing. In all, it's striving to raise $1.2 million to complete the building and treat 100 men, he said.
Healing Place is modeled after a 20-year-old treatment center in Louisville, Ky., that has an impressive 62 percent success rate in rehabilitating people dependent on drugs or alcohol, said Valerie Roach, a board member.
It houses men for usually six or eight months, helping them through the detoxification process, without medication, and teaching them to change their lives to free them from drugs or alcohol. The leaders of the program are recovering addicts who have already been through the program. As a student goes through the program, he is paired up with a newcomer, and as that newcomer successfully completes portions of the program, he is paired up with a new newcomer.
The participants also run the place, doing the cooking, cleaning and upkeep of the facility.
Each man is "taught responsibility, accountability. We teach them to manage money and time and get their priorities together," Roach said. "In Louisville, they have employers standing in line waiting for the graduates of the program. (They're good employees) because they realize they've been given a second chance, a miracle."
The board hopes to open another facility for women eventually.
In the meantime, it needs community support for this one, and a fundraiser is planned this weekend at Charlie's Harley-Davidson, 408 4th St., to get the ball rolling.
For a $5 donation, pictures with Santa will be offered at Charlie's from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13.
"We think this is a very worthwhile cause, with the problems with alcohol and drug dependency in the city," said Charlie's Marketing Director Lynn Smith.
Ewing said corporate giving in this economy has been a struggle for The Healing Place, just as it has been for other nonprofits.
"National figures indicate that all donations are down somewhere in the vicinity of 12 percent," Ewing said. "We have had some good success with individual and corporate giving, but more needs to be done."
Healing Place already has funds for its plumbing, heating and cooling systems, as well as its kitchen and money for beds and baths, Roach said. It still needs ceilings, flooring, a bathroom and paint.
"We need a storage room, windows, a fence, wood trim, phones, white boards and a masoner, and some accessories, like soap dishes," Roach said.
"If somebody wants to donate, they can buy a room," she said. "We just need some help."
The recovery center will mean more to the region than anyone can imagine, Ewing said.
"We give men back their dignity and their lives, at the same time giving the community back a solid human being that can and will make a difference," Ewing said. "I'm one of them, and I've seen well over 700 others win ... a battle some fear they never can win. It's quite an amazing thing to watch and experience."
It's a money-saver for the community, he added.
"The hospitals and public servants -- cops, EMS and firefighters -- don't use valuable time and efforts getting these individuals off the street as often," Ewing said. "Huntington and the region come out better because it becomes a better place to live and raise a family. It's safer, too."
How to help
To find out more about helping The Healing Place of Huntington get off the ground, contact director Walter "Skip" Ewing at 304-412-2670 or e-mail walter.ewing@thehealingplaceofhuntington.org.
Donations to The Healing Place of Huntington can be mailed to P.O. Box is 8061, Huntington, WV 25705.
Charlie's Harley-Davidson, 408 4th St., is hosting "Pictures with Santa" to help raise money for The Healing Place. For a $5 donation, pictures with Santa will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13.
