VANCEBURG — Drug addiction and abuse is so rampant in Lewis County every family is affected, said Vanceburg Mayor Todd Ruckel.
Despite the obvious need, the county lacks the recovery support necessary to help those battling addiction get their lives back, said David White, a recovering addict. Seven months ago, a group of concerned citizens began to meet to discuss the problem and brainstorm a solution. What the group decided was that in Lewis County, addicts need a chance for a New Beginning.
Saturday, Ruckel announced that a building has been located to house a new drug recovery facility which, appropriately, will be called New Beginnings. The facility will be located in the former Pizza Corner building on Third Street, Ruckel said. The building has been made available through the Vanceburg Lions Club which is purchasing the building.
Ruckel made the announcement about the new facility to the group of people who gathered for a golf tournament fund-raiser at Tee City Golf Course in Tollesboro, Saturday. Funds raised from the tournament will be used to pay for the electric and other utilities for the facility, Ruckel said.
White, who was involved in a similar facility in Maysville called Never Alone Never Again, will be manager of New Beginnings. White recently resigned from his position on the board for NANA after he reported to police the suspected theft of grant money by NANA’s former director Curtis Oliver. Oliver was subsequently charged with theft by unlawful taking for allegedly stealing more than $3,000 in grant funds. His case is currently in Mason County District Court.
White said he plans to focus his efforts in Lewis County, where he resides.
White was a successful golf pro when he became “hopelessly addicted” to Oxycontin, he told the group at Tee City. While golf remains a passion, White’s focus is now helping others who have also struggled with addiction.
“I’m really passionate about helping people get their life back,” White said to the group assembled at the golf course.
The search for a building has been underway for some time, White said. Several locations were looked at, but it wasn’t until Kevin Duff, president of the Vanceburg Lions Club, was approached about the possibility of buying the former Pizza Corner building that the group had a solid lead.
“Our motto is to serve the community,” Duff said of the Lions Club. “And that’s what we’re doing with this building.”
Duff said the Lions Club worked with Community Trust Bank in Flemingsburg to purchase the building. The closing for the building is still pending, but should be completed within the next couple of weeks, Duff said.
Ruckel said some cosmetic work will be necessary, but the city of Vanceburg will clean up the building and get it in shape so that meetings can be held at the site.
White said he hopes to have at least three 12-step meetings per week in the facility to begin with, but eventually would like to have meetings daily.
“People use drugs on a daily basis, so we’re hoping they’ll go to a meeting every day,” White said.
While prescription drug abuse is possibly the most prevalent addiction and a focus for New Beginnings, White said the facility will be available for any kind of 12-step meeting.
The facility will be open daily for 12 to 14 hours, White said, and he hopes members of the faith-based community will become involved in ministries through New Beginnings.
While the efforts to get the building in shape progress, White said there will also be efforts to establish a formal board of directors for New Beginnings. White said the board will have representatives from every part of the county, since drug addiction is a county-wide problem.
The target date for opening New Beginnings is Dec. 1.
“We’re real excited,” White said. “People up here need hope because right now, there’s nothing.”
“Anything that’s good for the community, we’re for,” Duff said. “And we feel like this is going to fill a major need in the community.”