MEETING THE CHALLENGE Lifeline celebrates successes despite pandemic

When it comes to Lifeline, I know I am biased because I, myself, benefitted several years ago from this Christcentered addiction recovery program. However, even the most casual observer would surely be amazed at what has happened here in the last year. With God’s blessings of unprecedented community support for Lifeline Recovery Center in 2020-21, the 18 months of the pandemic have been some of Lifeline’s most successful. Consider:

From The Executive Director

Ashley Miller 2014 Graduate of Lifeline

• Services continued, without any break. Fifty-five of our friends and neighbors completed their addiction recovery journey at our residential treatment center. Fifty more are on track to finish this fall.

• Employee and volunteer engagement grew. We didn’t have to lay off any staff; in fact, we added two positions in the last 16 months. Volunteers continued to lead classes and transport our clients to their appointments and work sites. Five more community volunteers joined our active board of directors, setting a vision of growth and success at Lifeline.

• The quality of our recovery program improved, earning recognition. Staff participated in the most comprehensive professional development program in our history. Two separate agencies – the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Human Services and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities – surveyed and inspected our program, issuing our first ever license and accreditation to affirm our commitment to excellence. (See page 7)

• Community support increased. We adapted our biggest fund-raiser, an annual banquet, to a virtual banquet and carried on with our golf tournament, raising more money than ever. In fact, we experienced the best year ever of financial donations, including $111,220 from Leadership Paducah Class #34. This support allowed us to open two new men’s dormitories, a fully-funded investment of more than $800,000, to better serve our clients. (See pages 8-10).

Addiction is one of the greatest health challenges of our time, and it worsened during the pandemic. We are grateful that our community responded in record fashion during the pandemic to strengthen Lifeline’s work when our community needed it most.

With your help, we want everyone who comes to us to leave here free of addiction and ready to rejoin their families. We are more committed than ever to changing their lives and transforming our communities.

Ashley Miller, Executive Director

Almost everyone knows someone affected by drug or alcohol addiction. Our challenge at Lifeline is to make sure that you also realize that Lifeline offers real solutions.

That’s why awareness is one of our four strategic initiatives, keeping our board and staff focused on what is necessary to be successful.

We have rebranded to clarify our mission; enhanced our digital, print and social media messaging to reach more audiences; and engaged more community leaders on our board to develop more impactful leadership.

Why is awareness so important? As Dr. Brazzell discusses (see page 5), addiction is a worsening problem. As the pandemic created more health and economic stress, addiction rates skyrocketed – in a state already known as one of the nation’s most-addicted.

We share real stories, such as Caleb’s and Jaquelyn’s (see pages 12-13), to remind us of the real struggles. The impact on their lives extends to that of their families, friends and places of employment. When we help our clients get sober, we transform our community into a healthier place.

As you become aware of their stories and Lifeline’s work, we hope you will feel compelled to help. Donations fund most of our budget, keeping costs low for clients and making improvements – such as the two men’s dormitories (see page 8) – possible. Hundreds of donors (see page 15-18) give in a variety of ways – supporting our fundraising events, making monthly payments, putting Lifeline into their

From The Board Chair

Steve Powless

annual budgets and naming Lifeline as a beneficiary in their wills, insurance or retirement accounts.

Whatever way works for you will work for our clients, as explained by a recent graduate, Caleb (see page 12). Caleb said the Lifeline staff and volunteers, many of whom are in recovery themselves, modeled sobriety for him. “They had been through it, so they gave me hope,” Caleb said. “When you’re in addiction, that means a lot. I didn’t know how to live sober, and they showed me.”

Strategic Initiatives

Our success in realizing our mission will be measured by the extent to which we achieve the following:

Program Awareness

Effectively tell our story to the community, conveying a message that increases the awareness of our mission and program and demonstrates the impact of our services and the value of the organization to the community.

Stability

Partnerships

In future issues, we will discuss each of our strategic initiatives. To read the full strategic plan, please visit LifelineRecoveryCenter.org