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INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

By Susan W. Murray NEWS@THEWOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM

Construction wrapped up in one of the bathrooms at the New Directions Retreat in Woodstock only minutes before the first guests were due to arrive at noon Jan. 7 for the ribboncutting at the recovery residence.

Caseworker Dave Ensor grabbed a mop to wipe down the bathroom floor so it would be ready for tours.

As he mopped, Ensor experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. Two decades before, as he battled his way through drug and alcohol addiction, his counselor, Doug, taught him how to use a mop.

“I didn’t know how,” Ensor admitted.

Not only was he misusing substances, but he lacked the basic skills to maintain any kind of home.

When 15 men move this week into New Directions Retreat at 14411 Kishwaukee Valley Road to take the next step in their recovery from drug or alcohol dependency, Ensor will be their caseworker. In spring 2022, he will complete his bachelor’s degree in social work and will be a certified alcohol and drug counselor.

“I honestly thought I’d never be here,” Ensor said.

Ensor’s other celebration this spring will be for his 22 years of sobriety.

At first, he said, he got sober because he wanted “the pain to go away.”

He remains sober for a different reason.

“I want to know how to help people better,” Ensor said, “to see the light go on in their eyes.”

The help that New Directions Retreat promises mimics a model “that you’re starting to see around the country,” said Bobby Gattone, executive director for New Directions.

One such program is at Oaks Recovery in Greenwood, S.C., where clients who have completed an intensive recovery program spend up to a year in transitional housing with access to meetings, workshops, and programs with support from the Oaks Recovery staff.

New Directions Retreat is not a treatment facility, Gattone stressed. Instead, it shepherds those struggling with drug or alcohol dependency into long-term sobriety.

The perfect candidate for the new recovery residence, he said, is someone coming from a detox program or a short-term treatment center.

“What we’re trying to give them,” Gattone said, “is a long-term supportive environment.”

The 15 men who are moving into Woodstock facility have met with a counselor who determined their suitability for the program. They will spend 90 days at the KishwaukeeValley Road retreat, assigned to a room with one or two beds.

They will receive assistance in getting a job, opening a bank account, and obtaining a driver’s license or securing another form of transportation.

- Dave Ensor, New Directions caseworker

Residents are required to go to work, pay a weekly $200 rent, get home on time, complete assigned chores, cook for the group once a week, participate in community meals, and attend a daily Twelve-Step meeting.

“The structure laid out gives accountability,” said Dan Woodward, the lead case manager for New Directions. “They gather the tools they need to be successful in society.”

After 90 days there, residents may move into one of New Directions’ three sober-living homes, where they can stay for up to 18 months. New Directions also supports independent living apartments with support from staff.

In total, someone entering New Directions Retreat can be in the program for two years, continuing with a caseworker and a recovery coach for the entire period.

It’s a model that runs counter to the 28-day drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs that became the standard of care because a much-admired Air Force rehab program had a 28-day schedule, which avoided the requirement that those who were away from duty for more than 30 days had to be reassigned.

McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally said 28-day programs had “single-digit success rates.”

New Directions estimates that 60 percent of those who complete its 90-day program “will permanently maintain their sobriety.”

That disparity in numbers makes sense to Kenneally.

By Mallory Fischer

Even if the weather outside is frightful, you can go on some delightful environmental adventures from the comfort of your own home! Citizen science projects are always looking for help, and these are projects that you might not even have to leave your couch to participate in.

If you’re unfamiliar with the con cept of citiEnvironmental Defenders zen science, it The Green Scene is the practice of scientific research being conducted by members of the general public. Absolutely anyone can be a citizen scientist and contribute to important projects, both locally and

Substance misuse “leaves your life in such a state of damage and desolation,” he said.

A person’s whole life – job, home, family, and community – have been lost or damaged.

“What needs to happen is a longer path to rebuild your life,” Kenneally said.

Added to that is a growing awareness that substance misuse is a chronic health condition – much like diabetes or hypertension – that requires lifelong vigilance to remain healthy.

“Over the last 10 years, studies have revealed that the biggest determiner of success is the length of the program,” Gattone said. “The longer the program, the better the chance for success.”

Even after opening its third sober living home, Gattone said, New Directions had a waitlist of 50 to 60 names.

“We knew we needed something bigger,” Gattone said, but he and New Directions founder Chris Reed imagined that a larger facility was years down the road.

But when Pioneer Center for Human Services had the opportunity to open a year-round homeless shelter in McHenry the organization had trouble selling its PADS shelter on around the world. Many of these projects are focused on animals, plants, climate change, or other environmental topics. These are wonderful opportunities for groups and individuals of all ages to get involved in real research.

Here in McHenry County and the surrounding areas, there are quite a few citizen science projects to choose from. You could help scientists track squirrels through your backyard, build your own bat house, search for the rare and elusive nine-spotted ladybug, take seasonal photos of plants on your property to help scientists understand how they grow and change, or keep a list of the birds you see at home (which will give scientists more information about how different species migrate and travel).

If you are curious about exploring outside McHenry County, there are websites that showcase Kishwaukee Valley Road.

Scott Block, executive director of the McHenry County Mental Health Board, saw an opportunity. He worked with Reed and Pioneer Center’s co-CEO, Sam Tenuto, to put together a publicly and privately funded arrangement.

The Mental Health Board provided $505,000 for Pioneer’s new homeless shelter, and New Directions bought the Kishwaukee Valley Road property a variety of live-stream trail camera videos from around the world. You can search these websites for your favorite animal or location, or simply log on and see what is streaming. It is a wonderful chance to explore the world, watch unique moments in time, and learn something new.

However you choose to spend your time this winter, we hope you’ll check out this list of citizen science projects. Who knows what you might discover!

n eBird: Keep online logs of the birds you see and scientists will use it to track bird populations and migration routes (ebird.org) n Project Squirrel: Observe and record information about the squirrels you see in your backyard (projectsquirrel.org) n Budburst: Observe and record

INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

how plants age and grow (budburst. for $75,000 from public and private sources, including utility contractor INTREN and the Foglia Family Foundation.

An additional $150,000 came from forfeiture funds – seizure of property involved in a crime – from the State’s Attorney’s Office.

The Mental Health Board will provide $200,000 of the funding in 2021 for the staff at New Directions Retreat. After that, the facility’s org) n The Lost Ladybug Project: Help scientists find the rare 9-spotted ladybug by sending in photos of the ladybugs you see around your home (lostladybug.org) n Bat Conservation International: Follow the instructions on this site to build your own bat house and learn more about bats (batcon.org)

n Zooniverse: Log on and pick a project (many options and interests to choose from) to help out with from home (zooniverse.org) n Explore.org: A plethora of live stream and prerecorded wildlife cameras from around the world (explore.org)

Mallory Fischer is communications and membership specialist for the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County.

self-pay model will reduce the Mental Health Board’s investment.

New Directions continues to raise funds to open Building B on the property. Once it is renovated, which Gattone hopes can be by the end of summer, men will move into Building B and women will be welcomed into Building A, for a total of 30 to 35 residents.

“Chris has always wanted to make the houses and the facility look a lot nicer than a normal recovery house,” Gattone said of Reed.

To that end, a capital campaign raised $240,000, which was invested in cleaning, paint, new flooring, and remodeling all of the Building A’s bathrooms.

Gattone said the biggest project was knocking down walls to open up the brand-new kitchen to the dining room – the site of each evening’s community meal.

The time spent together helps residents “make new friends in the recovery community,” Woodward said.

“You’re put in this beautiful place,” Gattone said. “You take pride in it and take care of it.”

New Directions continues to raise money for Building B renovation to extend its services to women and provide a total of 30 to 35 beds. To learn more, go to New Directions’ website www.ndars. org or call New Directions Retreat at 779-220-0336.

“It’s more than just food” and “Neighbors helping neighbors in Jesus’ name” are the headlines on the website for the Neighbors Food Pantry of Wonder Lake, which has served families and individuals throughout McHenry County for nearly 40 years.

The food pantry, which is a partner ministry of Nativity Lutheran Church in Wonder Lake, is an independent organization staffed fully by volunteers. The group pays rent to the church to cover utilities such as electricity and garbage pickup. Nativity Pastor Susie Hill serves as spiritual director.

“Prior to the pandemic we served approximately 459 unique clients per month, but since the pandemic, that number has increased to almost 700 families each month,” said Kim Halper, director. “We received 25,459 to 30,000 pounds of food last year. We are a partner agency of Northern Illinois Food Bank and have various

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donors such as Wonder Foods and Jewel, who donate food items.”

Eight to 10 volunteers come from the surrounding community. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursdays.

Procedures have changed during the pandemic. Clients arrive at a reserved time and remain in their vehicles. Since March, the volunteers have prebagged food items and wheeled out a cart full of food to clients who remain outside. Social distancing is maintained. Clients and volunteers wear masks at all times.

“We are so grateful for the support that we have received during these trying times,” Halper said. “We are so blessed that we have been able to serve those who come to us in need and will continue to serve in 2021.”

Nativity Lutheran Church is at 3506 E. Wonder Lake Road. Volunteers and neighbors in need can call the Neighbors Food Pantry at 815-355-5459 for more information.

Local Girl Scouts are marketing their products and selling Girl Scout cookies online and, as of last week, may offer contactless ordering and delivery doorto-door through Jan. 30.

For $5 a box, customer can buy a variety of cookies. Girls can accept orders in-person or through Digital Cookie 7.0, a digital platform that takes electronic orders.

Customers can pay online for orders and have cookies shipped directly to them (shipping charges apply), have a Girl Scout offer contactless delivery of cookies to their door, or donate cookies (with no additional handling fees).

To buy cookies, girlscoutsni.org/buycookies to be connected to a girl who will take your order.

All net revenue raised stays within the northern Illinois area for programming through Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois.

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County will host a virtual celebration of the people who work to preserve and restore land in McHenry County at noon Sunday, Jan. 31.

The event will honor community partners, volunteers, and other local people who represent the conservation ethic in McHenry County. An online silent auction also is planned.

Proceeds from TLC’s 2021 virtual annual celebration will benefit the Conservation Leader Internship Program, a paid summer internship designed to help individuals in traditionally underserved communities to pursue a career in the field of conservation. TLC will be the first land trust in the state to launch a program specifically designed to empower youth as leaders in conservation.

The event will include a special presentation by Cindy Crosby on “The Tallgrass Prairie: Grocery Store, Apothecary and Love Shop.” She will share stories of the history of the tallgrass prairie and its plants and creatures, from birds to bison to blooms. She will also discuss plants that work well in the home garden.

Tickets for the event are available at ConserveMC.org. Ticket cost $50, which includes a grazing box delivered to a home in McHenry County, or are $70 outside of McHenry County. Event sponsorships for local businesses are also available through ConserveMC.org or Glenda Maki at gmaki@conservemc. org.

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County is a member-based, private nonprofit dedicated to preserving natural, scenic and agricultural land.

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