City Salute: Teen Challenge | Video

Kristin Clouston | 9/11/2012

For the past eight years, Teen Challenge has helped members of our community break free from drug and alcohol addiction. And it just made a commitment that will keep the residential center here for a very long time. That`s why KFYR-TV and City Magazine are giving North Dakota Teen Challenge our salute for September.

Teen Challenge helps people who have run out options and have become a weight on society and the community.

Executive Director Matt Voorhees explained, "Most of them are on a fast track to dying either because of their drug use or accidents from their drug use."

The recovery center has been leasing its property in Mandan since 2005 and signed a $500,000 contract for deed in January.

Voorhees added, "The building was appraised at over $4,000,000 and we`ve been looking for a building of our own that we can really just have and not have to worry about it."

Vorhees says he`s grateful HIT, Inc., gave them such a good dea, but it`s definitely a fixer upper.

"We have about $380,000, it`s estimated, of heating and air repair work. So that`s quite a bit."

In order to help pay for some of those costs, Teen Challenge is kicking off a $1,000,000 capital campaign. Organizers say the community has always been supportive because it has a system that works.

Vorhees explained, "We have two components that make the program successful. First is focus on Jesus Christ and the recovery process, and second is the length of time. It`s a year long program at least for everyone that comes in. And we believe those two things really contribute to the success of Teen Challenge across the world.

Research shows more than 70 percent of Teen Challenge graduates stay drug and alcohol free and fewer than 10 percent end up back in prison.

Log on to tc4hope.org to learn more about the program or to make a donation.

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