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300 DAYS

Tyler, Wendy, and I started this crazy journey — 300 days ago! This is going to be long, so I will start with the most important part. Believe in yourself and never let anyone tell you that you are not capable of the things you set out to do. We are all capable of unimaginable things if we have the guts and confidence to try. Very few people believed Tyler could get clean and fewer believed he would go on to impact hundreds of lives in a million different ways (all in 300 days).

I admire Tyler for the way he fights every single day to stay clean and for his willingness to share his journey with others. Being part of his journey has made me a more patient person (always one of my downfalls). I’ve met so many inspiring people in the last 10 months. The three of us are amazed by how many people truly want to help others. When you volunteer with DCS, your life will be changed. It’s impossible to not be moved. Where will we be in another 300 days? I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE. We keep saying, “thank you” to our volunteers and community, but it really doesn’t do our feelings justice. Please know your support is felt by the three of us and beyond.

If you haven’t heard – we are having a gala at Watermark Country Club on Tuesday, February 26. The wonderful people at Watermark Country Club donated their space for our use and we plan to fill every seat. Tickets are available now! Click here for more details and email me if you’re interested in sponsoring and/or providing auction items! stacy@dirtcitysanctuary.org

Skip this section if you have already read the posts on Facebook:

BIG NEWS X2!

Part 1: By now many of you know of the huge need for winter boots in our community. One of our volunteers literally removed her own boots and went home in socks yesterday. We reached out to Wolverine World Wide and asked for boots for the men and women on our wait list. We were blown away by their response. Next week we will be receiving shipments to cover the people on our list and more. ADDITIONALLY – we received several large boxes stuffed with amazing apparel.

What feels better than getting to know an individual and being able to make an impact on the spot? We want to share that feeling with some of our super heroes who give so much to DCS and/or of themselves to our community. That is why, Jessica Crigier, John Whitten, Brittany Krenzke, Sarah Smith, Mary Ellen Crigier, Jonathan Ted Bates, Elaina and Johan Sebastian Botts, and Mary DeBoer will each be receiving several pairs of the unspoken for boots to give to those in need. Each pair will be marked with a purple J on the bottom. We ask that you share Jordan’s legacy with each person who receives boots. Big thank you to the men and women at Wolverine Boots & Apparel that made this happen!

Part 2: Lots of people are asking when and how they can help next. The DCS team has been hard at work trying to figure out ways we can impact our community before our campus is built. With all of your help and contributions, we’ve served over 500 individuals and given out over $45k in new items in 2018.A person facing homelessness faces more in a day than the average person can imagine. Picture carrying everything you own on your back, every single day. Things are lost and as seasons change, it’s impossible to preserve items. We want to change this.In late March we will be hosting a block party. Individuals can sign up in advance and when they arrive they can pack up their winter items in a box which will be labeled and stored for the winter. New socks and shoes will be provided at this time! There will be two dates in the fall when boxes are returned. Being a DCS block party – there will be food, live music, therapy dogs, several feet care stations, haircuts, and community!Prior to the block party, we are also hosting a gala in February! Email me if you’d like details (stacy@dirtcitysanctuary.org).

We will cap it off with some recent pictures!
Tyler took my basement from huge disaster to clean and organized. Getting wild for 300 days!
You don’t just get an architect with Spark43.
Meredith (pictured) and Mary Ellen KILLED the cleaning portion of PBP prep. THANK YOU!
She is tiny but has a mighty presence and spirit! She brought so many smiles and laughs to the day.
The haircuts are such an important part of our events!
Ashley and her family were there to honor her brother Randy’s memory! It was an honor to spend the day with them.

Support your local Sheldon Cleaners! They have accepted gently used coats for both of our PBP events and cleaned each one free of charge! They have 28 locations and a huge heart for helping out in the community! It all started back in 1949 when George Cares opened the first location.
200 pairs of thermal underwear and we ran out! Thermals (especially the bottoms) are in high demand during the winter months. Happy to know there are 200 individuals a bit warmer tonight.
This Mom makes me feel quite inferior! HA

Julia’s energy is contagious!
When we didn’t have the size boot one of our community members needed, Mary removed her own and left in socks! WHO DOES THAT? What a lady! Another lady worth mentioning is in the background in a purple sweatshirt. Jessica was our MVP on so many different levels. Thank you, Jessica!
The Swineharts just do life right. Happy to know them.
Ended a long and wonderful day with the kids enjoying leftover Bumpy cake from Erika!

 

Getting clean

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Tyler visiting his childhood home in Grant, MI. 

I reconnected with Tyler on Monday, February 26 at a local nonprofit. We talked about the growing success of a gofundme that our friend Kim and I started the night we saw the news about his addiction to heroin and homelessness. So many people from high school wanted to help him out. We knew we had to raise money for housing, but further we knew he needed treatment for his addiction, and steady support from an army of people or he had very little chance to really get clean.

Things started to fall into place almost immediately. He was able to squeeze into the clinic the next day to start treatment (unheard of and it was thanks in part to him getting to Network 180 to get reauthorized for treatment). Having people generously donate to the gofundme account and the ability to start treatment the next day gave him hope this could really work.

We were never friends in high school, more we knew of each other and would talk from time to time in class. Sitting together that day I told him if he wanted my continued help I would be as present in his recovery as he wanted me to be. He was skeptical. Why would I help? I convinced him to give me a try. He went and took care of the paperwork at Network 180 and then we met up again.

Housing was going to be our biggest obstacle. He had one of his worst nights outside the night before and didn’t feel like he could do another night of it. I asked an addiction specialist who has worked with him for years, how he could get clean if he was living outside. She told me about the success other countries have when they make housing a first priority. We settled on a motel that gave weekly discounts, was inexpensive, but not in the worst part of town. He was relieved to have a plan.

After Network 180 we made a trip to Target to get him basic hygiene supplies and food to keep in the motel. It had been nearly one month since he had showered. As we walked through the store he wanted everything in travel size. Finally he said, “I need to be able to carry all of this in my backpack.” I made him select full size items and told him we were really doing this. We are not halfway doing this. You are going to move from that motel into an apartment and you do not need to fit any of this into your backpack. Again, he was very skeptical.

He had been wearing wet shoes and socks for days and his feet were in awful shape. Getting supplies for his feet was really his top priority and he kept thanking me over and over. Next we went to dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant where I knew everyone would treat him like family. When we sat down I needed to use the restroom. I made the conscious choice to leave my purse and phone at the table with him as I used the bathroom. I felt like it was important for us to build trust from day one. I came back and found him sitting with a big smile. We talked about how everything was going to work and what we would need to do to have long-term success.

He explained to me ways it would be hard to support him, especially when he was dope sick as he calls it. I admit I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and in over my head, but more than that I was feeling hopeful and determined. He asked me to stick with him. Just don’t give up on me. If you don’t give up on me when I mess up, I can do this. I have to do this or I will die.