The Lovely Kathy Garrett and Judy Griffith

It Takes a Community!

The Hope Herald

There is an African proverb that says that it takes a village to raise a child. The idea is actually rooted in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, which tells us, “⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? ¹² And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

The idea is that there is great strength in a community. While two people may be able to do a lot to raise a child, having several only strengthens the success of that child, because the parents will not always know the answer. Teachers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, neighbors, religious leaders, and others help to increase the chances that the child will successfully mature.

At Hope CDA, we embrace this principle but in a slightly different way. While our staff of nearly a dozen employees does a great deal to help our 15 participants grow and succeed in their battle against drug and alcohol addiction, it is really the large community of volunteers that makes the biggest difference.

Volunteers serve our men in a number of ways. They drive our men to appointments, they act as coaches and mentors, they provide meals, teach and facilitate our classes, lead groups, serve on committees and boards, aid in the completion of projects, provide counseling and support, run many of the day-to-day office operations, and much more. They are the true reason why Hope CDA is so successful.

The truth is that it is not just the number of hours that they provide to our men. Our volunteers pour their hearts into our participants each and every day. They come and serve our men for no other reason other than because our volunteers love our participants.

This is on display every Tuesday evening during Encouragement Night. Dozens of different groups from around the community provide speakers and food for our Night of Encouragement. However, it is also an evening where coaches and other volunteers come and spend the evening eating and sharing in fellowship with our current participants and graduates. The love and warmth in that room is amazing as many coaches who currently do not have a participant in the program still come because they want to be a part of the culture of Hope CDA.

As one coach explained recently, “I love these guys. To see their progress is really inspiring. It is truly extraordinary what God is doing in their lives.”

He is right. It is truly remarkable to see how God is moving in the lives of these men. Many come from tragic backgrounds that made their pathway towards drugs and alcohol addiction a near certainty. However, God has given them a new hope, a vision that they no longer need to be trapped in the prison that is addiction.

However, God understood that it would take a large community of volunteers to see that vision come to fruition. This is why he has brought two amazing women (Mary Lou and Julie) to Hope CDA, who volunteer their time to clean the Hope Center each week. These women not only do an amazing job of keeping Hope looking its best but have become like moms to many of our men. This is true of our Office Managers (Kathy, Gina, and Judy), our Counselor (Lavonne), and many of the ladies who volunteer their time as facilitators and meal providers. There is even an amazing group of women who provide treats for our guys every Friday and another who does much of the office supply shopping.

Our godly group of men play an integral part in the success of our men as well. It starts with our coaches, who are willing to devote at least 18 months of their lives acting as a mentor and friend. Many of our men grew up without fathers or with fathers who had no idea how to love their sons. These coaches have poured their hearts into the lives of our participants, helping them to feel loved and respected.

There is a great group who help by driving our men to their appointments, sometimes transporting hours away. One of our volunteers helps facilitate Bible study on Monday night (Charlie), and one man (Doug) has even accepted the responsibility of walking two of our participants through the Bible each Friday. There are men teaching during Encouragement Night, helping prepare food, facilitating our classes, helping to develop a strategic plan for growth at Hope CDA, and much more.

It is an amazing group of men and women who are heeding the call of God to serve and help 15 men find hope in their futures. They are truly what Hope CDA is all about.

If you would like to learn more about being a volunteer, please contact Tahsha Jones (Tahsha.J@HopeCDAcr.org/817-879-6124). We would love for you to be a part of helping our men through their journey to sobriety.

Salute to Students

Hope CDA wants to acknowledge four of our current participants and one of our graduates who are setting a career path for themselves. Luke Cloudman (graduated December 17) began working on a Bachelor’s Degree at Grand Canyon University to become a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Eric Wilson began working on a Master’s Degree at Liberty University, wanting to be a Mental Health Counselor. Chaz Peyton recently enrolled at Grand Canyon University, seeking a degree in Youth Ministry. Troy Lloyd was accepted to Central Christian College of the Bible in Missouri and will begin classes there in August. His ultimate goal is to obtain a Master of Divinity degree.

In addition, Ben Heath has been going to Kirkwood University, working to complete his GED. After completing his high school equivalency, Ben intends to seek a degree as a Veterinary Technician.

We salute our men for driving toward their goals.

Tuesday Night Encouragement at Hope CDA

This Tuesday we are honored to have Roger Grandia speak on Encouragement Night. Roger is the pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church here in Cedar Rapids, and he also serves as one of our amazing coaches. Roger has quite a story to tell, and always has insightful, inspiring messages to provide. We encourage you to come to Hope on Tuesday evening at 6 o’clock to join us for his message.

Help Keep Us Working

If you would like to help our men to be safer and more comfortable while working, consider ordering a pair of boots for a future participant. You can follow the link below to order a pair of boots and have them sent to Hope CDA. Sizes 9-14 are always in high demand.

Help our men to stand firm on the Word of God while also standing firm on a ladder, roof, or floor!

Cat Footwear Men's Excavator Superlite Wp Nt Construction Boot