Wayside Recovery Center

As a Board Member of Wayside House, I couldn't be more proud to be part of an organization that has deep roots of caring and sincere dedication to helping women in recovery. With a highly engaged operational team and excellent leadership, Wayside House has continued to succeed during difficult financial times, mostly due to the character, commitment, and talent within the organization. Wayside House believes that all women are wonderful and can succeed regardless of the challenges. Wayside doesn't simply provide one-stop treatment, it offers a long-term approach to helping women get back into the world, with new hope and tools to survive.

I've only been volunteering at Wayside for a short time, but I've learned a great deal about how many lives the organization touches on a daily basis. They aren't just helping the women that arrive there for treatment, they are helping the families who love and miss these women who have been handcuffed by addiction. They bring out the best in women who didn't realize that they had a "best." Wayside helps the community by attempting to tackle one of the toughest issues that face this nation by eliminating the perpetual addiction cycle.

Outside of this, Wayside has incredible opportunities for volunteers. Volunteers can be as involved as they have personal capacity for, without pressure, and all ideas are welcomed to the table. Sharing talents among women who have not had the opportunity to learn life skills is an honorable task, and I'm glad to be able to help Wayside accomplish their mission.

As a new board member, I have seen from the inside that Wayside House is a very well-run organization with very committed staff and long-serving board members. Its costs are low and it makes a difference in the lives of the women it serves - it should be seriously considered by anyone looking for a place to serve or support.

I came to Wayside a broken woman, with no apparent hope that I could overcome my drug addiction. After my son was seriously injured, and became a quadraplegic, I turned to drugs and alcohol to dull the emotional pain. In a very short time, I was addicted to crack cocaine and would do just about anything to get my drug. One day it just became too much and I asked for help. I was placed at Wayside House, Inc. for a 90 day treatment program. I had never been to treatment before, so I was unsure what to expect. My first impression was that of gratitudefor the way I was treated by the staff. I was treated with dignity and respect, two things I didn't feel I even deserved. I met my counselor, who explained to me that we would not just treat my addiction but the circumstances that led me to it. I had become a shell of a person due to my addiction, I had no emotions and really no feelings whatsoever. But as soon as we started my counseling sessions and dug into what really affected me, whether it was 10 days or 10 years ago, I began to think that maybe there was hope. The 90 days I spent at Wayside were the most enlightening of my life. I was given tools so that I can handle life's ups and downs, no matter how tragic, without drugs or alcohol. Today I am sober 15 months and living and loving life. I am still active in the Wayside programs such as alumni committee, recovery groups, etc. Quite simply, Wayside saved my life and I am grateful forever to all the staff. And I know, even today, that they are there for me should I struggle. It's an awesome program and a godsend for those of us who truly believed there was no hope.