Hope and Healing at SpiritWorks

Thirteen years ago I met Jan Brown when she started attending Hickory Neck Episcopal Church.  I was fresh out of seminary and had just begun my ordained ministry about a month earlier.  No sooner had I learned about her work than I was referring someone to her for services at the recovery community organization that she had started, SpiritWorks Foundation.  Three years later, in 2011, after having partnered with SpiritWorks on a number of projects, I found I was in need of the recovery community myself.  I sought out Jan's advice as I was facing the consequences of a lifetime of co-dependency.  Exhausted, overwhelmed by my need to please every one, be the hero, and save the day, I was running out of energy, health, and hope.  Jan recommended I start attending a 12-step group, and thus began my journey to co-dependent recovery.  

About a year later I began working at SpiritWorks.  Having experienced healing and hope in the recovery community, I wanted to be part of offering that to others.  Since then I have had the great good fortune of participating in the transformation of lives. It is such a huge privilege to walk with people as they make the transition from despair to hope.  The journey from addiction to recovery can be very challenging, and not everyone makes it on this side of the grave.  Some days the work is heartbreaking, and other days are a celebration of milestones achieved.  We offer groups and activities, trainings and education, community and coaching, healing and hope.

The greatest joy of my work has been creating the First Fridays Recovery Eucharist. On the first Friday of each month, our community gathers.  It includes individuals in active addiction and in recovery, parents with addicted children and parents whose children have died as a result of fatal overdoses, friends and family, allies and mentors, members of Bruton Parish and members of other congregations around the area.  Pre-Covid we even had someone who journeyed each month from North Carolina to attend.  We have baptized babies and adults, witnessed marriages and vow renewals, buried those who have died, and had memorial services for those we've lost.  At First Fridays tears are welcome, and we all celebrate joys together.  To me, the First Fridays worshiping community provides a glimpse of what the heavenly banquet will look like. 

SpiritWorks does not charge fees for its recovery support services.  We rely on contracts, grants, faith communities, and donors to keep us funded and running our two recovery centers in Williamsburg and Warrenton.  Each May we participate in a main fundraising effort called Give Local 757.   The past couple of years we've also participated in Give Local Piedmont, the one we were pushing for the Nifty Fifty prize last week. Give Local 757 is tomorrow, May 11, from midnight to midnight.  Our goal for May is $25,000, and we're almost to $5000.  From 5-6pm we will be hosting an outdoor "Happier Hour" at SpiritWorks for people to drop by for some fellowship, snacks, and soft beverages.  Local folks - come see us at 5800 Mooretown Rd. We accept donations of any size, any kind, any time.  But from midnight tonight until midnight tomorrow, we can also receive prizes if you donate HERE.

It is my great pleasure to support SpiritWorks, and Kasee and I hope you will too, if you can.  We're so grateful for so many who are a part of the healing and hope that we offer to people journeying from addiction to recovery.  

Micah, Martha, and Shadow also appreciate your support!!

Nifty Fifty

We didn't know what to expect.  Earlier in the year, a friend of Jan's suggested that SpiritWorks participate in #givelocal757, the fundraising event on May 8.  So we decided to give it a go. We created a profile and started advertising a bit.  We didn't have time for more than that.  We decided that for the first year, we would just see what happens without fretting too much in advance.  A couple of weeks before the contest we started sharing the event on social media, taking selfies, and trying to choose the particular prizes we wanted to try to get. The Nifty Fifty challenge sounded interesting to us.  Whichever organization received donations from the greatest number of states would receive $757.  The day before we set our monetary goal at $5000 and our donor goal at 75.  We had no idea what to expect.

We started getting donations on May 7.  Which was fun.  The contest was set to run from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on May 8, and only online donations made during that time counted toward prizes.  Early donations didn't help win prizes, and we didn't care.  We were just happy to receive them.  We started texting each other and some of our volunteers every time a donation came in.  We were like children on Christmas Eve, unwrapping a few presents early, saying, "Did you see that one?"  At 10:00 p.m. I decided I would try to stay awake until midnight just to see what it was like.  And so I could make my donation to kick us off.  I logged in, answered a few questions, entered my info, and voila! When I checked our donation status, we had our first one from another state.  NY!  A former parishioner was up at midnight and helped us out with our first state outside of VA.  After a couple more donations came in, I realized that I needed to sleep so I would be able to maintain my enthusiasm the next day.

I woke up about 6:30 and immediately picked up my phone to see where we were.  By the time I headed into SpiritWorks, Jan and Lynn, our Volunteer Coordinator, had already started drawing boxes around states and checking them off.  We began what would be hours of watching donations come in mixed with emailing and calling friends in other states to ask if they would make just a tiny $10 donation so that we could count their state in.  A few people donated on behalf of their home states, which was fun, even though we couldn't technically count them unless they came in from that state.  Still, every dollar raised would help us in our work. SpiritWorks' community members were on their cell phones, calling family and friends.  People in recovery sent messages about how much life in recovery meant to them and thanking us for our work.  The $10 donations were rolling in, and we cheered with each new donor and each new state.  It felt like election night when your candidate is winning.

We also had donations coming in of higher amounts.  Including a $1000 check that we went and picked up.  Didn't count for the contest, but boy did it count for SpiritWorks. Our eyes started leaking a bit around the corners as we saw each name, some known and beloved, some unknown and greatly appreciated for their willingness.  "Did you see that this person donated?" we would ask each other.  "Go mark that state!" we would tell the person nearest the flip chart.  Some came in anonymously so we didn't know what state they were from, so we doubled up on some states to make sure we had them.

At 3:00 I left to drive to North Carolina to stay with a friend before attending a writing conference starting the next day.  Periodically I called to check in on the status, tempted to look at my phone but knowing I needed to keep my eyes on the road.  I set my phone down while eating dinner and visiting with my friends so that I wouldn't be distracted.  My phone buzzed with more texts than I've ever gotten in a single day as Jan and company tried to eke out every possible state. For me, friends from seminary, high school, college, and church responded to my plea.

I had intended to go to sleep so that I would be rested for my conference, but I couldn't help it.  I had to see if we would win the prize.  At 11:00 Peninsula Community Foundation posted a picture showing that we were in the lead by 1 state.  Iowa and Hawaii came in after that, but we had no idea if anyone had jumped ahead.  At some point in the evening we passed our $5000 goal and our 75 donors.  As far as I was concerned, the event was a complete success, whether we won the prize or not.  At midnight I began checking the prize page and refreshing it over and over.  All of a sudden, there it was.  Nifty Fifty prize - SpiritWorks!!!  I texted the others, a few of whom had fallen asleep after their long day of exertion.  I couldn't believe it.  We met and surpassed all of our goals, and won our prize.  In the end we had over $7700 and over 100 donors.

Daisy thanks you too!

Surprisingly, donations have continued to drop in.  I don't know what our totals are, as I am at the writing conference.  (Where clearly, I am writing!)  What I do know is that people from across the country - old friends, new friends, supporters of people in recovery, people who have benefitted from or seen someone benefit from our work, family members, and a host of church members, volunteers, and loved ones in Virginia have given so generously to SpiritWorks that I've been too excited to sleep.  Thank you, all.  For supporting our work at SpiritWorks, including our new Institute for Recovery and Resilience, for supporting our community and those who are in recovery, for believing in what we are doing, for joining us in having fun with our contest.  You have given us hope and brought us joy that will sustain us as we continue to give hope and bring joy to those who are affected by addiction.  You made a difference, and we will use your gift well.