The Journey - Winter 2022 Newsletter - Dilworth Center

For Alumni and Friends of Dilworth Center

To Our Alumni and Friends:

We are excited to share our Winter newsletter with you! As we reflect on this year, we are inspired by those we serve, the growing impact of our organization, and the people that make it all possible.

As you will see in the pages that follow, your generosity to Dilworth Center continues to awe. Even in the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic, your support continues to transform lives with your time, talent and treasure. I hope you find the testimonials featured below as meaningful as I did – and that you realize just how grateful we are for every gift you make.

I am so proud of our work together! Thank you for your commitment to the mission of Dilworth Center!

With an abundance of gratitude,

Cynthia Sims, JD, CFRE

Director of Development & Marketing

Table of Contents

Dilworth Center’s 6th Annual Christina Browning Scholarship Fundraiser

Dilworth Center Provides Quality Ethical Care

What people are saying about Dilworth Center

Save the Dates!

Around the Town

Dilworth Center’s 6^th Annual Christina Browning Scholarship Fundraiser

Peter Browning opening the Dilworth Center’s 2022 Christina Browning Key to Recovery Scholarship Breakfast

Dilworth Center held its 6^th Annual Fundraising Breakfast on Thursday, September 8, 2022 at Quail Hollow Club. Over 300 people attended the event in person and virtually from across the country. This year we once again surpassed our goal raising an amazing $425,000! Dilworth Center is incredibly grateful for the continued generosity and support of our community. Thank you to our wonderful Board of Directors, volunteers, event sponsors, alumni and everyone who helped make this event possible. It is because of your support that we will be able to provide more resources to our community and enable more people suffering from substance abuse disorder to access our services. A special thank you to our Keystone Hero Sponsors for supporting our breakfast with a sponsorship for five years or more!

Our Donors:

Happy, Joyous & Free

Dowd Foundation, Margaret and Smoky Bissell, The Sherrill Family, Will Close

Courage In Recovery

Acuity Brands, Ally, Anonymous, Berkeley Capital Advisors, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Domtar, Hopper Communities, McNeill Charitable Foundation

Table of Hope

Cameron Carmichael, Carey Cox, Wyatt Foundation, Gambrell Foundation, Gay Boswell, Hendrick Automotive Group, Hobson Builders, Iron Tribe Fitness, Karen White, Kathy and Peter Browning, Lindy’s Homemade, Lowe’s, Moore & Van Allen, Novant Health, Nucor, Southern Lightscapes, Trust Company of the South

Breaking Through

Adams Beverages, Baird, Caron, Chicago Title, Coldwell Banker Commercial – MECA, EY, Leslie & Mitchell Wickham, National Gypsum, Scan Source, Signature FD, Sue Coe, SunCap, US Bank

Watch Now

Dilworth Center Provides Quality Ethical Care

We are excited to announce that Charles Odell, Dilworth Center’s CEO and President, who currently serves on the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) Board of Directors was recently nominated to serve on NAATP’s Ethics Committee. The Ethics Committee provides national leadership regarding the NAATP Code of Ethics which sets forth conduct requirements in the areas of management, facilities, marketing, and treatment.

Professionals working at Dilworth Center have always adhered to values-based practices. This means that we, as individuals, have standards of behavior that are governed by a code of ethics. Counselors, social workers and others have specific codes of ethics for their respective professions. This helps ensure that our patients are treated properly and effectively with dignity and respect.

Dilworth Center, as an organization, endorses values-based practice as well. This means that we adhere to a code of ethics provided by the NAATP for treatment programs. The NAATP Code of Ethics is a guide for conduct to which all NAATP members must adhere and to which all providers should aspire.

“The NAATP Code of Ethics provides ways to hold Dilworth Center accountable to the highest possible standards of care,” stated Mr. Odell. “I am proud to be a part of an organization that makes treatment better and more effective for everyone.”

– Charles Odell, CEO & President

The Importance of Belonging:

Dilworth Center Alumni Help To Guide Patients

Alumnus, Michael B. and Family

We are social creatures with an innate need for connection. If someone lacks a sense of belonging, they can feel alone standing in the middle of a crowd. Belonging is important not only for the person but for the crowd itself. It’s symbiotic. Crowds, communities create a sense of support for their members. The more support the community feels, the more people feel like they belong, the more everyone thrives.

“Dilworth Center’s alumni community is central to our focus on patients thriving both while with us and once they complete treatment,“ remarked Dilworth Center’s CEO Charles Odell. “We are sending a message to patients: You are not alone. Your community is all around you.”

Alumni meet weekly Tuesday evenings from 8-9 in Dilworth Center’s auditorium. The group is designed to interact with both alumni and current patients to help them successfully transition to the AA community upon completing treatment and to give them a sense of belonging while they are patients. In short, the alumni meeting creates a foundation for patients to fully benefit from treatment while preparing for life after treatment. This focused support for patients to thrive and belong would not be possible without alumni who generously give of their time to help our patients find and follow a successful pathway to robust recovery.

Alumnus Michael B. connected with Dilworth Center’s Key Club, while still a patient. “I found the alumni recovery meeting to be very helpful. I learned a lot about the experience, strength and hope of people who are ahead of me on a similar journey. It was reassuring to learn that it’s okay to be intimidated and the best thing I ever did for my recovery was reach out to accept the hand of an alumni being extended to me.” The alumni recovery meeting is a great way for every patient and alumnus to take full advantage of their Dilworth Center experience. For Michael, the meetings allow him an opportunity to be of service to a place that helped him in early sobriety. Alumni play a critical role by providing patients with firsthand knowledge about what it is like to complete treatment and integrate back into normal day life. “Alumni helped me connect with AA meetings and eventually I found my sponsor through help and suggestions from the group,” remarked Michael. Alums are also encouraged to volunteer to speak to current patients individually or on alumni panels to assist recent graduates about their experience and share their experience, strength and hope. ‘In a time of uncertainty, talking with an alumni who was a bit further down the road of recovery than me was very reassuring,” said Michael. “The group gave me the opportunity to be honest, and to also receive that honesty back. Part of my success in recovery today comes from me participating in that group – first as a patient, and now as an alumni with experience, strength and hope to share.”

To get involved with Dilworth Center’s Key Club Alumni Association, contact Todd McLean at todd@dilworthcenter.org

What is YOUR WHY?

Everyone has a different WHY they are passionate about Dilworth Center’s mission. Read our board members and staff WHYs! Click here!

“With multiple relapses during our daughter’s struggles with alcohol ultimately leading to her death, Dilworth Center’s staff was an ongoing source of information, resources, help and support. With its strong, experienced staff and programs serving families and individuals struggling with the challenge of addiction, serving on the board of Dilworth Center is one way for me to help those faced with similar questions and challenges.”

– Peter Browning, Dilworth Center Board of Directors

“Addiction doesn’t discriminate, and it’s important that we have resources for anyone looking for help. The Dilworth Center is that resource, and has been the most rewarding organization I’ve had the privilege to be a part of. The compassion and professionalism they exhibit in caring for each client is unmatched.”

– Reggie Willis, Dilworth Center Board of Directors

“I’m grateful I can give back to a place that helped me get my life back. Dilworth Center was there for me when I reached out for help and it’s been there for countless others for the past 30 years. Alumni who are able to give, whether financially or with their time helping to raise awareness of the Center’s outstanding services to those suffering from addiction will help ensure Dilworth Center’s future in our community for the next 30 years.”

– Martin Godwin, Board Chair & Alumnus, Dilworth Center

“Having battled addiction myself and lost a son to this disease, I support the work of Dilworth Center and am so grateful it is there not only to help the addict/alcoholic but the whole family. What an excellent, incredible resource in our community.”

– Gay Boswell, Board Member

Consider your WHY and be a KEY TO RECOVERY in our community! Click here to donate.

Forward Thinking: Expanding the Power of Dilworth Center’s Mission Through A Monthly Recurring Gift

Monthly gifts are a simple and convenient way to show your support for Dilworth Center’s mission. Over time, these gifts add up in a big way and impact the program you care about most!

Retired Christ Church minister Verdery Kerr became a monthly recurring donor in 2020 when the pandemic gripped our community and was especially devastating to those suffering from addiction. He has increased his donation each year since then.”I give monthly to Dilworth Center’s Annual Fund in order to help with unexpected financial needs,” he explained. “I want to ensure the programs that are changing lives at Dilworth Center can grow and thrive.”

“I connect Dilworth Center with words of 5th century St. Augustine ‘A sinner is someone with a future; a saint is someone with a past.’ There are a lot of saints generated through Dilworth Center. I want to be a part of that.”

-Rev.Verdery Kerr

Rev.Verdery Kerr

JOIN HIM IN HIS GENEROSITY! START YOUR RECURRING GIFT NOW!

Being a ‘Key to Recovery’: One Alum’s Journey to Supporting Patient Scholarships

“In this day and age, it is vital that we work together to break the stigma surrounding alcoholism.”

-Ross Hobson, Dilworth Center Alumnus

Alumnus, Ross Hobson

“As a proud alumnus of Dilworth Center, I am honored by the opportunity to give back in a meaningful way on an issue of great personal importance,” says Hobson, the founder and owner of Hobson Builders. “I want people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access the services Dilworth Center provides to be able to receive the help they desire so they can have a full and successful life.” Ross and his wife Trish, Executive Director of The Relatives, are no strangers to philanthropy. For both Trish and Ross, it is important “to equip community members with the tools and resources they need to succeed.”

Hobson Builders is an unlimited General Contractor in Charlotte, North Carolina specializing in building custom homes and providing renovations, additions and remodeling of residential homes, including high-end townhomes and condominiums. Deeply rooted in our community, Hobson Builders donates 10 percent of its proceeds to charitable causes and nonprofits focusing on mental health, child welfare and addiction/alcoholism.

Hobson Builders was recently recognized with an ‘Award of Excellence and Gratitude’ for outstanding support of Dilworth Center’s Annual ‘Key to Recovery’ Scholarship Fundraiser –an event it has sponsored since the fundraiser’s inception, in 2017. Shortly thereafter, Hobson Builders joined Dilworth Center’s Keystone Hero Society, with a multi-year pledge to continue support of Dilworth Center’s Christina Browning Scholarship Fund over the next five years.

Charles Odell, CEO of Dilworth Center, is humbled by Hobson Builder’s support. Over 50% of Dilworth Center’s patient population benefits from scholarship dollars to offset the cost of care. “We are grateful for their generous spirit and we applaud their leadership and their willingness to make a difference,” he said. “By providing opportunities to both current and future patients, they are helping us achieve our mission,” he said. “Their multi-year gift gets to the heart of Dilworth Center’s emphasis on helping anyone who comes to our doors get started on a road to recovery right away.”

For Ross, this support goes hand in hand in fighting the stigma surrounding addiction that often prevents people suffering from reaching out for help. “In this day and age, it is vital that we work together to break the stigma surrounding alcoholism. This widely-embraced community event helps bring the topic of addiction out from behind closed doors.”

The keystone is a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together. It is the most important stone – that’s why this word is also used figuratively to mean the most important part of anything.

Keystone Heroes support Dilworth Center’s life-changing work with a five year pledge of $1,000 or more. These multi-year gifts can be earmarked for operational expenses, programming support, or scholarships.

Donor-Advised Fund: How One Community Member Maximizes Her Charitable Impact

An increasingly popular method of charitable giving, a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF), can be an easy and flexible way to manage your giving and help you achieve your strategic philanthropic goals.

For community member Katharine Steele, giving back to Dilworth Center through a DAF at Foundation for the Carolinas made sense. “I want to be a part of preserving Dilworth Center so it can continue helping our community and the people we care so deeply about,” she said. A prior donor to Dilworth Center’s annual fund; in 2021, Katharine directed a DAF to support Dilworth Center’s operational expenses with automatic, annual contributions. “If I can make it easier for Dilworth Center to achieve their mission and its patients to get healthy and live their dreams, it will make a better world for all of us.” Katharine’s gift helps assure Dilworth Center’s legacy of service to the community will continue for years to come.

Image Community Member Katharine Steele.

A donor-advised fund provides a simple, flexible and tax-efficient way to streamline your charitable giving. You make a gift to establish the fund and then remain actively involved in suggesting grants from the fund to the nonprofit organizations you wish to support. The ease of use and potential tax advantages make donor-advised funds the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle in the nation. If you already have a donor-advised fund, you can recommend a gift to Dilworth Center by contacting your fund representative. Our tax id number is 56-2130300. If you are interested in learning more about this unique giving opportunity, please contact your accountant, financial advisor, and/or attorney for further information.

What people are saying about Dilworth Center

Recent Google Reviews

“Dilworth Center in Charlotte is a welcoming, professionally-run community for anyone seeking help with substance abuse for themselves or for family members. Customized programs are offered for varying age groups and stages of recovery. Walking into the building is like going home to be with your family who knows you and loves you. I am blessed and proud to be a part of the Dilworth Family. What an opportunity it has been to associate with such caring professionals on a regular basis! Dilworth has changed my life.

Thank you, Dilworth Center, for being there.. for continuing to grow in your research to always offer the best possible help. You are a Godsend.”

– Faith M.

“Dilworth Center is a home away from home. If you are ready to begin your journey on the road to recovery this is the place to be. The staff is knowledgeable, trustworthy, compassionate and so much more. I highly recommend investing your time in a program that is built for success and surrounded with kindness; I support Dilworth Center.”

– Lauren G.

“Dilworth Center is A++. The staff and counselors are top notch and care like family. The care is holistic as it encompasses body, mind and spirit. Dilworth Center treats the entire family as addiction is a family disease. We are forever indebted to the counselors and staff for the excellent care we experienced at Dilworth! Highly recommend!”

– Catherine

“I can honestly say that the Dilworth Center saved my life…or rather, equipped me with the tools and resources I needed to save my life. From the the initial assessment to graduation/commencement, I felt welcome, safe, loved, and supported.

They offer a variety of programs depending on what fits your needs (women, adolescent, family, relapse prevention, etc.) I initially went through the Intensive Outpatient Program (16 weeks) and continued on to Relapse Prevention (14 weeks). IOP built a solid foundation through the lectures and small groups that I took with me to RP where I really explored my own personal history and how it relates to what triggers me today. I apply what I have learned in the program daily.

If you are questioning whether Dilworth Center is for you (for yourself or a loved one) just call. That is the hardest part. What seems like an overwhelming commitment is worth every minute and penny for what you gain. As a mother of 2 small children who works full time, it was easy to say “I don’t have time” yet I was able to “make time” for the things that were destroying my life. We make time for what’s important to us so why not be an advocate for yourself and fight for the life you want.”

– Susan B.

Save the Dates!

Save the Date!! Dilworth Center’s 7^th annual ‘Key to Recovery’ scholarship fundraiser will feature keynote speaker Janine Turner – an American actress best known for her roles as Maggie O’Connell in the hit television series Northern Exposure, Jessie Deighan in the feature film Cliffhanger, and Katie McCoy in Friday Night Lights.

As a recovering alcoholic with two decades of sobriety, Janine will discuss her own battle with alcoholism while sharing a powerful and inspiring message of hope and faith that substance abuse can be successfully conquered.

Around the Town

Giving Tuesday

This past Giving Tuesday, alumnus Clay Harper nominated Dilworth Center to be the recipient of a $5,000 gift from Orion 180 and Movement Insurance. Thank you Clay!!

(L) Clay Harper; (C) COO Tammy Hanson and (R ) CEO Charles Odell

On Giving Tuesday, Dilworth Center was delighted to be selected to be a recipient of $5,000 from Orion 180. We are grateful to Orion 180 for their generous donation!

Fellowship Hall’s 50^th Anniversary

Dilworth Center Helps Celebrate Fellowship Hall’s 50^th Anniversary

(L-R) Jay Crosson-CEO Cumberland Heights, Bill Robbins-Executive Director Alina Lodge, Mike Yow-President and CEO Fellowship Hall, Charles Odell-CEO and President Dilworth Center, Marvin Ventrell-CEO National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.

Fellowship Hall’s Annual Golf Tournament

Dilworth Center’s ‘Fab Four’ participate in Fellowship Hall’s Annual Golf Tournament as part of their 50th Anniversary Celebration