Reach, Rescue, Restore BY SUSAN BROWNING SCHULZ
Every rescue has a face. Every face has an individual story. Every story includes a dream. The Atlanta Dream Center (ADC) exists to restore dreams that have been shattered by life’s seemingly insurmountable challenges. Its ultimate mission is to reach, rescue and restore men, women and children, in order that the glory of God may be known.
The ADC operates three ministries to accomplish this mission: • Out of Darkness. For those in commercial sex trafficking: Individuals are exploited for sex every night. ADC reaches both women and men, and offers safety, care and hope for the future. • Metro Kids. For atrisk children and their communities: There are many children who are hurting and surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, violence and crime. ADC’s creative solutions help break the cycle of hopelessness. 44
AROUND CANTON | January 2019
• iAM. For people struggling with homelessness and
addiction: ADC’s staff sees beyond rough exteriors and circumstances. They know any person experiencing homelessness has a name, a story, and a bright future, and wants to walk that journey with him.
The ADC was founded by two Woodstock residents, Pastor Paul and Patty Palmer, and family, in 2003. Although the ADC is in downtown Atlanta, the ministry reaches back into Cherokee. “Whatever is going on in Atlanta is going on here,” Pastor Paul Palmer said. Living outside the Perimeter does not exempt us from big city problems, like sex trafficking. More than 1,300 victims have been rescued from commercial sexual exploitation through ADC since it started; 34 of them have been Cherokee County residents. “The thing that sticks out most is how many young women I have met who went to our county schools,” said Katherine Staff members under hundreds of backpacks filled with school items for Amick, a Cherokee County children in struggling families.