Shepherds House Inc.

Congratulations to Zach Deering for completing the men's 12-month program!

Marley the House Manager (who looks quite fetching in his tie-dyed bandana) is here to remind you that not only is recovery pawsible, but that you're in for a real howlin' treat with all the fun that'll be unleashed at the Run for Recovery this Saturday, July 27 at Keeneland. There will even be a dog show, with the Weiners receiving prizes such as trophies and PetSmart gift cards! So bring your furry friends along! See you in the barking lot!

IT'S RACE WEEK! The Shepherds House Run for Recovery is happening this Sat., July 27 at Keeneland. Packet pickup will be Thur. and Fri. from 4-7pm at John's Run & Walk Shop at 317 South Ashland Ave. We will also have these hats for sale at the packet pickup and on race day for just $20! We're super excited and can't wait to see everyone there! Spread the word! Fight the stigma!

The Shepherds House would like to thank Peter and the Governor's Scholar Program at Centre College for their generous donation! There is an abundance of raw talent among people who struggle with substance use disorder, a wealth of potential just waiting to be realized via a life of recovery. Peter and the Centre College GSP's way of giving back helps ensure that they, too, can blossom into Kentucky’s next generation of civic and economic leaders.

It's not just a graduation; it's an inauguration of a new life of recovery. Congratulations to Michael Oser for completing the men's 12-month program!

The 4th of July is doubly powerful when you're also celebrating independence from addiction. And when you're partying at the Shepherds House's new 28-day treatment center? The power--and possibilities--feel infinite.

Congratulations to Henry Walker for graduating the 6-month Community Impact Treatment Program in Boyle Co. on July 3! He is now prepared to deliver the ultimate impact: using his recovery to contribute positively to the community and the world in general.

There will be a DOG SHOW at the Shepherds House Run for Recovery on July 27.

That's a pretty sensational announcement by itself. But what if we were to tell you that there will be competitions for The Waggiest Tail, The Best Old Timer, and The Coolest Trick? And what if we were *then* to tell you that the winners will be awarded not only trophies, but $75 gift cards to PetSmart?

It's all happening at the Shepherds House Run for Recovery. July 27, at Keeneland.

To achieve recovery, it takes more than just a village--it takes a village coming together, which happened today at the Boyle Co. Community Appreciation Luncheon. Special thanks to Judge Barsotti and County Attorney Chris Herron for speaking, and happy birthday to County Judge Executive Trille Bottom!

From terror, frustration, bewilderment and despair --> Shepherds House graduate --> peer support specialist at the Shepherds House Substance Abuse Program (SAP) at Grant Co. Detention Center. Congratulations, Seth!

The Danville Housing Authority is hosting a resource fair TODAY from 11am-2pm. Resources strengthen recovery!

Life gets better when you're living in recovery--even while you're still incarcerated. Today, we held a cheeseburger and hot dog cookout for our clients in the SAP (Substance Abuse Program) and SOAR (Supporting Others in Active Recovery) programs at Grant Co. Detention Center.

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is on p. 59 of the Big Book. The Shepherds House Run for Recovery is in 59 days.

Who you running for?

Graduating the Shepherds House men's 12-month program is more than just a momentous achievement. It's an induction to a brotherhood that spans decades.

The Shepherds House was just featured on "Matter of Fact" with Soledad O'Brien.

Former Football Player Helps Hundreds with Addiction Recovery Millions of people struggle with addiction every day. Jerod Thomas was one of them. In the 1980s, Thomas was a college football player with dreams of making ...

Shepherd's House Run For Recovery Shepherd's House Run For Recovery is on Saturday July 27, 2024. It includes the following events: 5K LIVE, LIVE Fun Walk, and 5K Virtual Run/Walk.

https://www.fentanylawarenessday.org/

Sponsors and scientists agree: Attending 90 meetings in 90 days lays a strong foundation for sustained recovery. The Shepherds House Run for Recovery is precisely 90 days away. Train your mind, body *and* spirit by running to a meeting: https://www.bluegrassintergroup.org/meetings/

As the blue lights and blaring sirens of police cruisers converged behind his car, Russ Weisgerber loaded a syringe with a half-gram of fentanyl, stuck it in a vein, and pushed the plunger.

“I knew that I might die,” he recounts. “But I also figured that the cops would just Narcan me and send me to jail.

“Either way, I knew that this would be the shot that changed my life forever.”

It did. But as anyone who has trudged the path to sustained recovery knows, the road is fraught with obstacles: the smoldering struts of the bridges we’ve burned, the wreckage of our tornadic pasts.

The justice system plunked down an obstacle for Russ before he could even start walking: an eight-year jail sentence for fleeing and evading.

“I got eight years on the world’s slowest car chase,” he laughs. “I never went above the speed limit, and I even used my turn signals. But I did what I did.

“It was a cry for help, really.”

After about sixteen months in jail, Russ decided to sign up for the substance abuse program (SAP) that the Department of Corrections offers to state inmates.

“I had completed SAP before, and stayed sober for a few years after that. So I knew what a life of recovery had to offer. And if I made parole, I wanted to have the best mindset I could before I hit the streets. So I signed up to do it again.”

He was soon placed in a Shepherds House-operated SAP at Grant Co. Detention Center.

As a result of his prior recovery experience, Russ knew what he needed to do to stay sober: carry the message and help others, whether it be in a 12-step meeting or a jail program.

He immediately started doing just that, quickly emerging as a leader of the community, and eventually being selected as a program chairman.

“I tried to express the realness of it all, of our disease [of addiction] and our solution. It was challenging sometimes, because some guys didn’t really want it. But I just continued to try to be the example, to do the next right thing.”

After graduating SAP, Russ was released to the Shepherds House 12-month residential program, where he continued to strengthen his recovery program and expand his fellowship.

He soon gained custody of his twin seven-year-old boys, and joint custody of his other children. “They are the reason why I get up everyday, and they show me just how powerful this program is.”

He got married to a woman who is also in recovery. “She is my rock, my everything. I joke with her that she has my rib,” he laughs.

He was hired for a well-paying job where was promoted twice; he even won an Employee of the Year award.

Still, something was missing.

“I had everything I ever wanted,” he says. “But I still felt empty.

“I asked myself: ‘If this is it, then what now?’”

He contacted the program director of the Grant Co. SAP and asked if they were hiring.

They were. Russ was recently hired as a peer support specialist, and is now beginning to work towards counseling certifications.

To get a sense of the impact he has already had on the SAP program, you can start by asking the current clients.

After hearing him share his story of experience, strength and hope, they submit Shepherds House applications, affirming their commitment to recovery after release. They write him letters of gratitude for listening to their own stories, for fostering a renewed confidence in themselves and their ability to reclaim their lives.

He gives them assurance that recovery is indeed possible.

“They need the exact same things that I needed,” Russ says. “I get it, because I was here. I slept in those very racks.

“When I was here, there were people who wouldn’t give up on me, people who got me started and wouldn’t let me quit. Now, those people are part of my testimony.

“I am here to believe in these guys until they can believe in themselves. Until they can give their own testimonies.”

There are 132 days until the Shepherds House Run for Recovery.

Frank “Junior” Evans had been a broken man for a very long time.

But this was a new depth of despair–an abyss that he didn’t think he could ever climb out of.

It was three years ago, and Junior was an inmate/client in the Shepherds House SOAR (Supporting Others in Active Recovery) program at Grant Co. Detention Center. His health was so poor that the jail would not let him work. So there was not much for him to do.

During the day, he waited around for the stomach-churning trays of jail food, with its Play-Doh-like “meat” that could have been scooped out of the soft centers of pet food kibbles.

At night, he would lie on his rack and reflect on his life.

That life had been little more than a 50-year-long horror movie of drug addiction, violence and crime, two decades of which were spent incarcerated.

He was going to die in jail, and he knew it.

What he didn’t know was what, if anything, he could do about it.

“I just didn’t know what to do, man,” he says. “I was broken. Totally broken.”

But the Shepherds House SOAR counselors saw something in Junior that he couldn’t see: hope for his future.

“They really helped me a lot. They also told me about the Shepherds House program in Lexington.”

He decided to enter that program after he was released. He wasn’t sure if it would help, but he also wasn’t sure what else to do. He also figured that they might help him apply for disability.

When first he arrived at 635 Maxwelton Ct. to begin the 12-month treatment program, he was overwhelmed and, frankly, terrified. “I wasn’t ready for any of it,” he says. “The rules, the meetings, the 90 meetings in 90 days. I hadn’t ever done anything like it.”

He wasn’t even convinced that the program would help him, and he definitely didn’t *want* to do it.

But fortunately for Junior, recovery isn’t for the people who want to do it; it’s for the people who *do* it. Enthusiasm isn’t required, but action is.

And Junior put in the action.

He took the program seriously, throwing everything he had into it. He was unable to get a regular job due to his poor health, but staff once again saw potential in Junior, and he was given the opportunity to work in the front office at Maxwelton during the days.

He also started working a 12-step program of recovery. “I started hearing things in meetings, and I was like, ‘Wow, that really makes sense,’” he says. “I also got a sponsor and he took me through the steps.” He began to reconnect with family members, too.

He was seeing results. He was getting things back.

And after a lifetime of misdirected and fruitless searching, he was finally beginning to find peace, serenity, and joy.

Junior showed an unshakable willingness to do whatever it took to stay sober. He became a leader of the peer community and earned a reputation for holding strong accountability for both himself and his brothers in the house. This is because, as he came to realize, accountability is really about helping your brothers stop their unhealthy behaviors before they get worse–which can ultimately save their lives.

After graduating from the 12-month program and working as a house manager for a time, Junior was offered a supervisory position at the Waller house.

And since then, it has been blessing after blessing.

Nowadays, Junior has a wallet full of Shepherds House business cards with his name on it. Job title: Housing Coordinator.

After 37 years on parole, Junior was granted his gold seal. He is now a truly free man.

Due to his eight DUI convictions, he hadn’t had a driver’s license for fifteen years. But now, he has two company vehicles at his disposal, his favorite of which is the dark blue Toyota Tacoma. “I love that truck, man!” he chuckles, with his signature infectious laugh.

And that disability check he had once wanted to draw? He neither wants it nor needs it anymore.

“My gratitude is all the way up there,” he says. But this gratitude is less for his personal achievements, and more for the sixty men he guides at the Waller house in their various programs, e.g., The Ridge. They help him, he says, even more than he helps them:

“They’re a huge part of my sobriety, and I wouldn’t even be sober and have this good life without them. Because when I see the pain in their eyes, it reminds me of where I was. But I also know that if someone helped me change my life, then I can help them change their lives.

“If there’s any such thing as a miracle, it’s me,” he laughs. “So if I can do it, any of these guys can. But I couldn’t do it alone.”

Today, he makes sure that they don’t have to, either.

$25 tickets are still available for the Darin & Brooke Aldridge benefit concert for the Shepherds House! Celebrate and support the transformative power of recovery with an evening of beautiful and exhilarating bluegrass, performed by the husband-and-wife duo that have been described as "the Johnny and June of the present day." (Bluegrass Today)

Feb. 17, 7:00pm, at the historic Lyric Theatre in Lexington

Happy Saturday SH Community! Reaching out for some toiletry donations. Anything helps! See below for more details.

Dear Friends and Community,

We're reaching out to you today with a heartfelt request for support. The Shepherd's House Men's Recovery Home is doing incredible work to transform lives and bring hope to those struggling with addiction.

We are requesting toiletries for our men's recovery home. Deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving cream, body wash, wash rags or loofahs, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Anything helps and we appreciate you so much.

Our mission is to provide a safe and supportive environment where men can find their path to recovery and regain control of their lives. We believe in second chances, and your support can make all the difference.

Donation Drop-off Location:
📍 635 Maxwelton Ct
🏙 Lexington, KY 40508

Donation Drop-off Hours:
🕘 Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
🕙 Saturday: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Your generosity can provide a fresh start for those who need it most. Together, we can make a positive impact on our community and help individuals rebuild their lives.

Please share this post with your friends and family, and let's come together to support the Shepherd's House Men's Recovery Home. Your kindness and support are greatly appreciated.

Thank you for being a beacon of hope and healing in our community. 🙏

Good morning Shepherds House Inc. community. We wanted to send out a friendly reminder of the services available through this partnership with The Ridge. Happy Monday!

Checkout the newest program in partnership with The Ridge. A women's sober living program right here in Lexington!

🌟 Heartwarming Acts of Kindness at Shepherds House 🌟

Dear Shepherd's House Community,

Sometimes, it's the simplest acts of kindness that touch our hearts the most. 💖 Today, we want to share a truly heartwarming story from within our very own Shepherds House family.
Recently, two of our dedicated employees, Stratton and John, noticed that our donations for clothing were running low. Without hesitation, Stratton decided to take action. She's not just an employee; she's a survivor and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
With a heart full of hope and determination, Stratton took to Facebook and sent out a heartfelt plea for clothing donations. And, oh my, the response was nothing short of extraordinary. 🙏
But what makes this story truly heartwarming is the family dynamic that Stratton and her son, Strode, bring to Shepherd's House. Strode, a young man with a heart of gold, wholeheartedly believes in carrying out our mission. He's not just Stratton's son; he's a shining example of the values we hold dear.
Strode absolutely loves being around our clients, offering help in any way he can. His presence alone brightens the lives of those he meets, and his dedication gives him a profound sense of purpose.
Their journey, from tragedy to triumph, serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of community. Stratton and Strode and their unwavering commitment to our mission exemplify the very essence of what Shepherd's House stands for.
So, let us all take a moment to appreciate the beautiful spirit of giving, the strength of survivors like Stratton, and the incredible impact that young individuals like Strode can make in our lives. Together, we can achieve remarkable things, and together, we can continue to change lives for the better.
Thank you, Stratton and Strode, for inspiring us all. 🌈💪 Let's continue to work together to make our community stronger and more compassionate every day.

Photo: John, Strode, David.

We have a WINNER! Congratulations to #4 for taking 1st place! 2nd place goes to #16 and 3rd place goes to #2! Wow! Thank you so much to The Shepherds House Community and all who shared and voted. We love the support that we get. Happy Halloween everyone!