opportunities and weekly support groups. Sober Life is also run by people who are themselves in recovery, which helps reduce the guilt and shame many people in recovery feel, and also creates a virtuous cycle where people come in broken and fearful, are loved until they can love themselves, and then become leaders in the group helping the next group of new members. In addition, because the Sober Life is a not a program with an end date, but a permanent recovery community open to everyone in recovery whether they are 24 hours or 40 years sober, it helps stop the vicious cycle of jail and/or medical detox, followed by inpatient treatment and then outpatient treatment, followed by a “recovery cliff” with all supporting services discontinued, often leading to loneliness and depression, which leads to relapse and a repeat of the process. Alliance for Youth also provides a range of parenting services offered by no other agencies in Great Falls, including Parent Mediation for youth who have been charged with Partner Family Member Assaults and a Circle of Parents group geared toward parents who have had a child removed by
homeless, depressed and aimless. Skeptical and quiet at first, after getting placed into permanent housing with his brother, Jon, who also had been homeless, and coming to the Center for support almost daily, Elijah opened up, and over time he grew into a peer leader in the Center. Elijah then decided he wanted to give back and volunteered hundreds of hours at the Center working one-on-one with other youth providing guidance, love, and support. Elijah is now employed full- time at the Center and is a beacon of hope to both our staff and the youth he serves. In May of this year, Elijah was honored with a Serve Montana Award given to him at the state capitol in Helena, and he continues to spread love and joy to everyone around him. Similarly, Sober Life member, Jimmy Hendon is an exemplar of the lifechanging experiences people have in our programs. Jimmy is a veteran of the United States Air Force and a loving father of two young children. Prior to entering recovery, however, Jimmy had reached the end of the road, having his kids taken and attempting “suicide by cop.” When he first came into Sober Life, Jimmy appeared happy, but still
Child and Family Services, and facilitated by parents who had a child removed by CFS, were reunited with their children and now are living a drug and alcohol-free life. Last, but certainly not least, Alliance for Youth provides substance abuse prevention, which is data-driven, youth-informed and community embedded through our leadership of the Cascade County Substance Abuse Prevention Alliance. Prevention works with every dollar invested returning $9 dollars in increased income and reduced healthcare and criminal justice spending.
The Sober Life is a not a program with an end date, but a permanent recovery community open to everyone in recovery whether they are 24 hours or 40 years sober, it helps stop the vicious cycle of jail and/or medical detox
struggled internally with depression and anxiety. Gradually, as he became more comfortable, Jimmy was able to express his feelings to Sober Life members and work through the plethora of difficult issues he was confronting. With more than three years in recovery, Jimmy is now a regular speaker at recovery groups sharing experience strength and hope, has reunited with his children, and is the unofficial leader of Sober Life family friendly events, helping setup and run most every event and even inviting members to impromptu BBQs at his house after many events. Jimmy is a prime example of the catalyzing role the Sober Life plays in the recovery community, bringing people together who otherwise would never meet, and then helping them build relationships that extend far beyond Sober Life events and activities.
Though we are extremely proud of all our programs, at root, what vulnerable children and families need most is love and compassion, and the goal of all our staff, every day, is to be “hope dealers”, who provide the tools and support needed to help every person we serve live a joyful, meaningful and productive life. And while data collection and evaluation guide our programmatic work, at the end of the day, what really drives us all is the difference we make in the lives of the people we serve. Elijah Gopher is one who has really touched our hearts. When Elijah first came to our Youth Resource Center, he was
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