HOPE IN PREVENTION AND RECOVERY
LIMA UMADAOP CEO
her experience pulled her into a series of other community programs. “This was around the time of the crack cocaine scene- they were calling it the war on drugs. They put me in a program called ‘Project U-turn’, and we did outreach, helping people that were struggling with crack cocaine addiction and helping them find treatment, but we were using that as a way to work with the children- to give them coping skills, to give them the things to be successful, even if they were living in the house with someone that was struggling with addiction. It was also an avenue for us to help make sure some of the children in the neighborhood were eating dinner. I run a program like that still today and it is still successful.” After 12 years spent working her way up to associate director, family needs called to her to take some time off. It wasn’t long before a new opportunity presented itself that allowed for her to get back into a field she was passionate
For the past 33 years, the field of addiction recovery has been in the life blood of Myrtle Boykin-Lighton. CEO of the Lima, Ohio Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program
(UMADAOP), Myrtle found herself in the field of addiction prevention and recovery almost accidentally. “I actually came into this field by way of volunteering. My children were in a prevention after school program. I was one of those parents who participated...anytime my kids were involved in something, I wanted to be sure of the adults that were around them. And so I was really involved in that.” After much time spent as a volunteer, Miss Myrtle was asked to come on board and help with a support group geared towards women around self-esteem and prevention. From here,
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