News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
I AM Worship Church is hoping the success of its auction will provide funds for a men’s addiction recovery center in the community.
Operations Pastor Zach Gantt said that the idea for the center came from community member Jed Stevens. Gantt said Stevens went through his own struggles with addiction and finding a rehab center that could help him.
“They all said no because he didn’t have insurance, he didn’t have any money, and he was still on drugs at the time,” Gantt said. “And so we finally got a hold of Hope Center, which was the first time we connected with them, and all three of those things didn’t matter to them. He didn’t have to have money, he didn’t have to have insurance, and he didn’t have to be off drugs before he came. They just said, ‘When can you get him here?'”
Gantt said that the Overton Hope Center will be a 35-40 bed in-patient facility. He said that the program will include three phases: recovery, employment, and re-entry. Gantt said that the center will operate on self-sufficiency and donations.
“Phase two is when the men will start working and they partner with local businesses in the Upper Cumberland and get the guys working for those businesses full-time and that’s really how you pay for the program is part of what they make while they’re working pays for their stay there.”
Gant said that after fundraising for only a couple month, the organization has already raised some $115,000. He said that the auction has items from asphalt work, to paintings, to a two-day trip to Hawaii.
The last day to bid is November 20th.
