Yesterday my staff and I had the privilege of visiting the Phoenix Rescue Mission, near Seventh Avenue and Van Buren in downtown Phoenix.
And I say privilege, because the program is virtually the same as ours, with a few minor exceptions. In fact, there are many more similarities than there are differences in terms of the way the program is run.
They house both men and women, mostly homeless and most of them drug and alcohol abusers - which is what we do.
They offer their clients free entry if they're willing to follow the requirements of the program. And the only requirements for entry that are different from ours is that their program is Christian-based and the applicants must express a belief in some kind of higher power. Our program differs in that we don't have the requirement that an applicant believes in anything regarding religion or spirituality.
And like us, they operate small businesses, one of them a restaurant that is open to the public and faces on Van Buren Street. The clients of the program operate the restaurant as part of their "work as therapy" program – a program that teaches the clients the various aspects of operating a restaurant. The whole operation is run by volunteer clients who did a very professional job of serving us a reasonably priced lunch during our visit.
Other aspects of the program are also run by volunteer clients as part of their rehabilitation process before they go out and seek employment on their own. As we toured the facility, we encountered volunteer clients who were maintaining the landscaping and doing maintenance on the property, others doing clerical work, and still others serving as case managers and doing myriad other jobs as part of their rehabilitation process.
It was truly awe-inspiring to see clients volunteering to help other clients who were struggling to rebuild their lives. This program, much like our program, is open to anyone who wants to change.
While this is just one of many volunteer programs in the U.S. that are similar to ours, I'm always impressed that so many are willing to give back and in the process find that they regain their own lives.
Click here to email John
