Hundreds gather to remember those lost to substance misuse
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J’s Place is part of a statewide awareness and educational event
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“I’m not telling you it is going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.”
ack in 2018, our community received a grant that would help create J’s Place, the Jeffrey Dallas Gay, Jr. Recovery Center. Our goal was to save lives and restore families by building a local hub that would enhance recovery support services and unite community stakeholders around addiction and recovery. We knew we had a lot going for us in northeast Georgia. For years, we’ve had a remarkable recovery community with meetings at local churches, exceptional support from our healthcare and judicial systems. We also had the passionate leadership of the late Dallas Gay, who had faith that changed things and made us all believe we could do it too.
In our short five-year history, we have witnessed remarkable success stories in the lives of thousands of people. With the donation of a beautiful new home, we’ve added meetings for unmet needs in the community, hosted state events and worked one-on-one with peers who needed guidance for rejoining the workforce, their families and our community
It is fulfilling and rewarding work. Each day, I see peers courageously doing the difficult work that leads to a life in recovery.
But in spite of our efforts, the opioid crisis continues to kill our family members and neighbors. Opioids are still readily available and highly addictive. Of course, alcohol and other drugs also still devastate homes and shorten lives. Our annual Hall Recovers event is a poignant picture of the fight. As we read the names of those lost to substance misuse, our hearts are broken by grief. But when we wipe the tears and look around, we see we are not alone; and when we listen, we hear stories that give us hope.
As a supporter of J’s Place, you are a main character in those stories. We are forever grateful.
e give numbers a lot of attention: days without using, our weight on the scales, the balance in our bank accounts. At J’s Place, the numbers we track represent the people we walk alongside to build productive, fulfilling lives in recovery. Each unduplicated contact represents a new chance to travel together. Each repeat contact is an opportunity to grow in relationship. Our outreach provides hope, helps people find work, get or keep a roof over their head, connect in a meeting with people who know and understand the challenges of substance use disorder. And we are able to invest this time because of the investments our donors make in J’s Place. Thank you for your faithful support.
14,628
TOTAL SERVICE CONTACTS
6,208 Resource Contacts
PEER COACHING WRAP CLASS BUDGET CLASS RESUMÉ BUILDING STUDENT SERVICE LEARNING EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE HOUSING RESOURCES TREATMENT RESOURCES TIME MANAGEMENT VOLUNTEERS
DAILY REPORTING CENTER INTAKE SPEAKER MEETINGS COMMUNITY SERVICE, etc.
2,202
Total Unduplicated Contacts
5,541
TOTAL Recovery meetings
All Recovery Meetings, Alcoholics Anonymous , Veteran Support Narcotics Anonymous, Parent Support Mormon Recovery, Double Trouble Recovery (Dual-Diagnosis), Nurses Group Good News, Women in North Ga Sobriety (W.I.N.G.S.)
Women’s Meditation, Adult Children of Alcoholics
4,844
HALL RECOVERS, WELLNESS DAY, HALLOWEEN MOVIE NIGHT, SELF-CARE DAY FRIENDSGIVING, WOMEN'S CONFERENCE, etc.
arlier this year, J’s Place was gifted ownership of the building it had been renting. The J.A. Walters family made the generous gift in memory of Dallas and Jeffrey Gay.
“The J.A. Walters family support along with many other local merchants, vendors and contractors have allowed J’s Place to flourish and serve Dallas’ vision much sooner than we could have ever imagined over the past several years,” board member Rob Robinson said at the dedication ceremony.
“Dallas worked tirelessly with legislators to create and pass a 911 medical amnesty law named the Jeffrey Dallas Gay Act making the life-saving opioid reversal drug Naloxone available without a prescription and giving amnesty to anyone asking for medical help in the case of suspected drug overdose,” Robinson added.
Dallas Gay was also the co-founder of Project DAN (Deaths Avoided by Naloxone), which distributed Naloxone kits to first responders, and the co-founder of Think About It, a campaign aimed to stop prescription drug abuse.
A Japanese Maple was planted at J‘s Place in honor of both the Gay and Walters families.
“We chose the maple tree because of it is uniquely beautiful,” said Jordan Hussey, J’s Place Executive Director, “which is what Dallas and Jim have been to us.”
s the sun set behind the Brenau Center in downtown Gainesville on the last day of August, hundreds of candles were lifted to the darkening sky. Members of the crowd wept, prayed and stood in silence as the names of those lost to substance use disorder were read aloud. The candlelight vigil was the final event of the evening which was the fourth Hall Recovers.
Earlier in the evening, Danielle Murphy, outreach coordinator for J’s Place shared her story of addiction and recovery.
“I had 12 years of pure insanity,” she said of her life while using. “When I woke up the first morning in jail, the craving, the desire, the urge, the need-to-use completely disappeared. I don't know how, but it did and it's never returned. I want to be someone who believes in others when they don't believe in themselves. Others did that for me.
As long as there is breath in my body, I will fight for others’ recovery like I fought for my own because where there is breath, there is hope.”
Local businesses set up exhibits at the Hall Recovers event. Sponsors provided funding which purchased Naloxone kits for distribution and help cover the costs of the event.
“...where there is breath, there is hope.”
his year, the Partnership for a Drug Free Hall held two Community Forums: "Fentanyl is Fatal, Fatal is Forever" and A Youth Mental Health Summit.
Both forums were presented in two sessions – to Gainesville City and Hall County high school students during the day and to the community in the evening. Both sessions were live streamed and recorded.
The presentations were part of The Partnership for a Drug Free Hall’s campaign to create awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and nalaxone
- an emergency opioid reversal medication available over the counter in Georgia. Police Chief Jay Parrish, Judicial Accountability Division Director Jessi Emmet, and J’s Place Executive Director Jordan Hussey presented at the program. They discussed how fentanyl is affecting our children, our friends, our businesses, and the community. Fentanyl played a part in killing 856 Georgians in 2021, compared to 392 in 2019.
Northeast Georgia Health System, United Way of Hall County, Hall County School District Project AWARE, J’s Place and several other community partners also held a Youth Mental Health and Resiliency Summit as part of the community Partnership for Drug Free Hall forum series.
The speaker was Caleb Campbell, a West Point graduate, former US Army officer and ex-NFL linebacker. Despite living out his childhood dream and having a life that many would envy, Caleb endured profound internal struggles and became a leading mental health advocate for teens and students.
Participants received training based on the Community Resilience Model (CRM). CRM is a framework developed to help individuals and communities develop skills and
strategies to cope with and recover from traumatic events, disasters, or other stressors. The model was developed by the Trauma Resource Institute and is based on the idea that resilience is a dynamic process that involves the interplay between individuals, families, and communities.
"Our country has become painfully aware of a growing crisis among our youth," says Jenny Chapple of the Hall County School System. "This program offered evidence-based training that will equip participants with information that can help us re-shape the environment for youth in our community."
Both forums were provided free of charge and the community was invited to attend the evening sessions.
The North Georgia Community Foundation continued their generous ongoing support of J’s Place with a $25,000 Opportunity Grant.
Ken Pinion with the Georgia Council for Recovery and Jordan Hussey met at J’s Place to discuss new ways to serve LGBTQIA+ peers and their allies in Hall County.
J’s Place hosted the Georgia Addiction Recovery Residences
Best Business Practices leadership training. Leaders within our community came together and shared their experiences in helping people in recovery.
Over 65 veterans and their family members show up for the PTSD Foundation of America Warrior Group Cookout held at J’s Place. The North Georgia Vietnam Veterans of America gave the PTSD Foundation a very generous donation to make the event possible.
Our Women In Recovery conference provided information on ways to optimize our support as women in recovery. Presentations covered sponsorship, balancing motherhood, and al-anon/codependency. The program also included a spirituality roundtable and panel discussions.
Visit our web site to give.
J’s Place participated in Georgia Addiction Recovery Awareness Day 2023. The purpose of this day is to recognize and lift up the power of Recovery in the lives of everyday Georgians and to say thank you for the bi-partisan support the Georgia Recovery Community receives from the General Assembly and our state Constitutional Officers.
Substance use disorders negatively affect individual social functioning and life in recovery means a whole new circle of friends. J’s Place had many special gatherings: peers turned out for Musical Bingo featuring Nick Skorput! Prizes were awarded for the winner of each round. Other pro-social gatherings included Friendsgiving, Holiday parties, campfire meetings, wellness day, Naloxone trainings and many other opportunties to gather with others who know that alcohol and drugs are not required for a great party!
Visit our web site to give.
J's Place welcomed two new members to our team.
Danielle Murphy is a native of Hall County and graduated from North Hall High School. She earned a diploma in medical assisting in Lanier Technical College in 2010.
Danielle was a participant in Hall County Family Treatment Court in 2019. After graduating the program in January 2022, she realized she had a strong desire to give back what was so freely given to her. She is a Peer Recovery Coach and is excited to carry the message of hope to the community she loves. With the support of her husband and close-knit family, Danielle has become the mother to her children that she always aspired to be.
Lauren Ringwall uses her experience in recovery to reach out to others who are beginning or continuing their recovery journeys. In addition to her work as a Peer Recovery Coach at J’s Place, Lauren also teaches music at the University of North Georgia and serves as Minister of Music at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia.
Lauren holds a Bachelor’s of Music and Master of Music degrees from Georgia Southern University and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Georgia.
he Jeffrey Dallas Gay, Jr. Golf Tournament brought friends together to raise funds for J’s Place and to remember Jeffrey Dallas Gay who died of an overdose in 2012. The day was filled with golf, good friends and great memories of Jeffrey. True to Jeffrey’s spirit, friends enjoy the outdoors and fun competition while raising funds to offer hope to others. Just over $36,000 was raised, with a full field of players.
n September 2023, The Clinton Foundation’s Overdose Response Network launched Mobilize Recovery Across Georgia, a traveling bus tour that crossed the state of Georgia during National Recovery Month. J’s Place was honored to be the location for the Gainesville stop on the tour. Over 800,000 Georgians are living in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder and Mobilize Recovery
Across Georgia is designed to bring those Georgians together to celebrate recovery, educate individuals on harm reduction and recovery resources, and connect members of the community. This engaging and uplifting bus tour was designed to bring together Georgia policy makers, local officials, and the 800,000-strong recovering Georgians.
MONDAY
9 AM - AA Meeting Noon - All Recovery Zoom
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Adult Children Of Alcoholics
WEDNESDAY
7:00 AM - AA Noon - All Recovery
7 PM - Warrior (Combat Vets)
THURSDAY Noon Dual Diagnosis
TUESDAY Noon AA Meeting Noon All Recovery Zoom
6 PM Parent Support
FRIDAY Noon - NA 7 - 8 PM All Recovery
First Friday Speaker Meeting Third Friday Firepit Meeting
SATURDAY 10 AM AA Noon NA
Adamson, Patricia Agriteck, LLC
All Recovery Meeting (ARM)
Altieri-Synan, Nicole
Arguello, Mario
Atlanta Corrugated Industries, Inc.
Banks, Cynetia
Barteler, Inc, DBA Cafe International
Baruch, Daniel
Bates, James
Benchmark Human Services
Bergman, Ashley
Brown, Joan
Butts, James or Wynelle
Calvert, Austin
Carlson, Lawrence and Glenda
Carter, Abigail
Chapman, Jack
Chattahoochee Grill
Clay, Andrew
Clay Motorsports
Cloud, Patricia
Coker, Jerry (Wilheit Packaging)
Consolidated Construction Services Corporate Storage, LLC
Coyle, John and Mary
Cricks Properties, LLC
Dancy H. & Charles S.
Wynne Fund (NGCF)
Daniel, Reese and Susan
De Note, Anthony and Pat
Dent, Emily
Donald Smith
Driggers, Cynthia
Dunckel, Jason
Eden, Darla
Estes, Lisa
Fieldale Farms
Foundation, Inc.
Fieldale Farms
Poultry, Inc.
Formula Green, LLC
Fortified Fence Group, Inc.
Fowler, Heather
Fowler, Linda
Fredriksson, Kirk and Tracy
Gaines, Gary
Gay, Barbara
Gay, Jeffrey and Cynthia
Georgia Alliance for Recovery Residences
Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
Gomes, Brian
Hale, Cynthia Misty
HB Wealth Management
Hicks, William and Margaret
Hope, Walter and Sharon
Hurst, Mark
Integra Developer Services, LLC
James A. Walters Management Company
JHSD, Inc. Mellow Mushroom on Green Street
John & Margaret Clendenin Family Foundation
Johnny's BBQ, Inc.
Johnson, Johnny and Lisa
Lanier Treatment Center, Inc.
Lee B. Dempsey
Insurance Agency, Inc.
Lewis, John and Ashton
Longstreet Cafe
Loretta’s
Lund, Christopher
Mansur, Jenna
Mastroberardino, Kelle
McMahan, Susan
Moore, James and Evanda
Nicholson, Michael
Nieporte, Paula
North Georgia Community Foundation
Northeast Georgia Health System
Northeast Georgia
Heating & Air
OC Roofing Systems
Pascual, Rafael and Angela
Visit
Peach State Truck Brokers, Inc.
Piucci, Andrew and Michelle
Price, Jason
Pudenz, John and Sandi
Quarter Circle, LLC
Rabbit Town Cafe
Ramsey Hill Contracting Regions
Reichert, Amanda
Robinson, Courtney
Rogers, Carl & Linda
Ruch, Robert and Allison
Sawyer, Louis
Sawyer, Robin
Schwab Charitable Security Solutions, Inc.
Shinafelt, Justin
Smith, Tyler and Glenn
Solla, Dan (PTSD Foundation)
Southern Branding
Surls, Stephanie
Tench, Paula
The Inn Between Deli
Tipton Construction Company
Tridon, Inc.
Turner, Wood & Smith
Vardeman, John and Tracy
Vining, Seth and Catherine
Wallstar Inc.
Ward, W. Tharpe and Julia
Wendell & Lydia Starke (NGCF)
White, Vickie
White, William
Wilcoxson, Mike
William S.
Hardman, JR., P.C.
Williams, Mark & Marjere
Wilson, Mitchell and Anslee
Yellowfin, LLC
Unrestricted
Individual Donations $29,843.59
Organization Donations $40,086.05
Sponsor Donations $ 1,000.00 Total
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