The Bakersfield Voice
Salvation Army Testimonial
Salvation Army Testimonial
Topics: salvation army, counseling, charity, community, addiction, faith
Anonymous user Mon Feb 25, 2008 14:52:13 PST
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J.J. has faced challenges and hardship from the time he was three days old. He was born with cancer, given up for adoption and left to live in a hospital until his fourth birthday. With no prospective adopted parents, he was given back to his birth mother at age 4 at her request. J.J. soon became accustomed to living in a house with no father figure and a mother who was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, after being raised in such an environment, J.J. was also drinking and on drugs by age 9, and by the time he entered high school he was selling hard drugs on the street.
After high school, J.J. attended some college and married his high school sweetheart, all the while using drugs and alcohol recreationally. The pair had children and enjoyed their lives together. On January 28, 1999, the day before their 19th wedding anniversary, J.J.’s wife passed away, leaving him inconsolable and lost. He spiraled into a downward trend of drinking and doing drugs that lasted several years, rendering him unable to function in his daily life. He lost job after job, became homeless and entered and failed at numerous rehabilitation and detox centers . On Friday the 13th, J.J. came to The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Bakersfield, a date that he affectionately refers to as “the best day that has happened in my life.”
The change in J.J. since he entered the program seven months ago is astounding. He has a new and immense appreciation for life, loves and respects himself, and is genuinely happy. Since graduating from the program in January, he has been hired at one of the Thrift Stores, enjoys his job, and has a goal of going to school to earn his CADC, to give back and counsel others.
“I never understood the impact that the saying ‘I’m proud of you’ can have on someone—no one ever said it to me, but they do now. I am a totally different person with a different outlook on life,” J.J. recounts. “I just try to be positive and encourage others to do well. I hope this program can save others like it saved me.”
The spiritual base of the program also aided J.J.’s recovery, and has had a lasting effect on the way he lives his life. “During the program, Christ was introduced to me, and I grabbed onto him with both arms and my heart and soul. He is my best friend and a huge part of my recovery. [The Salvation Army ARC] has blessed me and saved my life.”
J.J’s story is one of many that tells of the lives affected and changed by the ARC. Most of the graduates of the program have inspiring and amazing testimonials of how they were able to turn their lives around, and it is entirely made possible by the donations we receive from generous members of our community. There is no financial cost to the men in the program and 100% of the revenue collected from the donated goods is used to fund the program and stays locally in Bakersfield.
It is important to remember that our own family members, friends, coworkers and neighbors rely on your donations to give them a second chance in their lives. You can help men in Bakersfield like J.J. receive the help and tools they need to be successful in reclaiming their lives by donating any secondhand goods you no longer need. We accept household items, clothing, shoes, accessories, linens, kitchenware, furniture, books, tools, bicycles and many other items. Donations can be dropped off at sites at either of our stores (Union and 19th or Ming and Stine), or can be picked up at no cost by calling 1-800-SA-TRUCK or online at www.satruck.org.
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