MOUNT VERNON — Last year the Alcohol and Drug Freedom Center of Knox County began selling engraved, paving bricks as a fundraiser. According to Executive Director Rick Schlegel, never before in its 30-year history has the nonprofit agency had a major fundraiser.
Now that the weather has turned and the old, existing bricks have been matched with a suitable paver, the first batch of the bricks have been engraved and placed on the walkway.
Dubbed the Drug-Free Knox County & Recovery Walkway, Schlegel said it is symbolic of what staff members do at the Freedom Center. Individuals and families often stumble and fall as a result of drug/alcohol abuse, he said; lives are often left in an unmanageable upheaval.
Helping clients on the path to recovery involves a lot of hard work, caring support and time to restore healthy functioning. The agency’s prevention programs show youth in Knox County a low-risk path so they don’t trip and fall prey to drug addiction. Schlegel said the walkway will also remind the public that there is hope in the journey from addiction to sobriety.
According to Schlegel, community support for the project has been promising. The Freedom Center’s board established the project to raise money for educational materials to help youth from the misery that substance abuse can cause. The board purchased the first brick and placed it after meeting in April.
Schlegel said walkway proceeds are also being used to renovate the Freedom Center’s 160-year-old building so that it is a comfortable, professional setting to provide outpatient treatment. Donations can be earmarked solely for prevention or educational programming.
Schlegel said a brick can be engraved to commemorate a loved one’s struggle with addiction. He noted that agency staff members purchased a brick in memory of the late Lindalee Bateman for her efforts to help drug addicts, both as a staff member and as a volunteer. He hopes others will follow, to honor the volunteers and professionals who encourage people suffering from alcoholism or other drug addiction to persevere in seeking sobriety, as well as to express gratitude for their recovery.
The Alcohol and Drug Freedom Center of Knox County is a private, nonprofit corporation primarily funded by the Community Mental Health & Recovery Board of Licking & Knox Counties. It is also funded by the United Way of Knox County and by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services.
