Recovery Center of the Ozarks hosted a Capacity Building Summit last week, bringing together Faces and Voices of Recovery and the Arkansas Alliance for Recovery Centered Organizations.
The morning session was designed to hear directly from the people who live this work: peers, community leaders, service providers, and community partners. Mayor Jackson had a prior commitment, so he met with Executive Director Rodney Beaver later to get an update.
Beaver said it was a huge success. He was very pleased. “We could focus on talking about recovery in our specific community as the main topic. We wanted to hear what the non-profits were seeing on their end, where holes exist, areas where it’s working, and areas where we need help. It was good to get everyone in one place and hear multiple perspectives at once. Now we have an action plan established to address those needs.”
They are seeking certification on the state and national level to be a Recovery Community Organization. “That means we want to be able to offer recovery options to this entire community and not just the guys we serve in our program.”
“This would be a bigger outreach, which creates bigger needs. But all the right people have been around and are very supportive. We have a hard-working board of directors who are willing to do the work to make everything come together,” Beaver said.
“I’m impressed,” he continued. “This was a vision from over three years ago, and we’ve been chipping away at it. I’m seeking to put a Peer Specialist in all of these offices. That way, we have enough staff to serve the guys in our program, plus if someone walks in that door, we can give them our full attention and point them in the right direction with the focus that no one leaves empty handed.”
The program is built on a foundation of faith, service, and community. “But at a community service level, the need well exceeds what we can provide,” he said.
Currently, there are only two paid positions which means there is always a need for additional volunteers.
The lobby space has a wall that he wants to designate for all the non-profits in the area. When someone comes in and needs help with specific things, all the information will be right there. “Asking for help is difficult. But if they can come to one spot and find the information they need at our resource center, it’s more productive and way more efficient,” he said.
Beaver gave a few examples of needs people ask for and where he would send them. Mayor Jackson said, “That is great that you are all working together. That’s what it takes.”
People ask Beaver whether the organizations are competing, and he disagrees. “No, we seeking collaboration.”
As part of the resource wall will be a listing of all the recovery homes in the state, detox centers, treatment centers, sober living homes, and transitional living homes. He receives several calls every day looking for these facilities which shows the need that is being addressed.
A few years ago, RCO purchased a home for men in recovery, and Beaver said it is full. “We have nine guys in the first phase right now. All of them came in within the last two months. We are a tight-knit community. Five have graduated from the program. One of our guys started his own business.”
The house opened in August 2023 and sleeps 12 men with rooms for laundry, exercise, and relaxing. Meals are cooked in the spacious kitchen, and people from the community often drop off meals for the guys.
Beaver showed off a beautiful, large dining room table that is currently in the classroom area, but it will be moved to the home soon. It can seat 12-14. “This was donated to us, and we are excited to get it moved into the house,” he said. “The current dining room set couldn’t seat everyone at one time, so family-style meals were a challenge.”
RCO purchased the former House of Hope building from the City as office and training space, as well as group classes. “This place is coming together,” Beaver said. “There’s fresh paint on the walls. It’s welcoming as someone comes in the front door, and we have a nice-sized classroom.”
“A lot of our guys are impressed that they are able to get clean and sober in the same community where they were causing trouble.”
When the guys return from a community service event, they sit and talk about it. Beaver said they always talk about how well-received they were, and they are so amazed.
“I also never get tired of hearing the guys say they’ve never been in an environment where they have 9-10 other guys who all have their backs. There are people who aren’t caught up in drugs or alcohol who can’t say that. We really are a unique brotherhood. It’s a positive experience, and we get to see the fruits of our labor every day.”
“I love your guys, and I don’t even know all their names. But I love seeing them around,” Jackson said.
“We’ve been labeled in some areas as the Stronger Sober army. We show up with our recovery shirts on, ready to do work. They know good things are going to come from that group of guys.”
“I think the entire public feels the same way. When you see someone trying to improve themselves, you have to support that. That’s what they are doing. They want to change and improve their lives,” Jackson said.
“We are hoping people see the Stronger Sober army and our guys out there doing positive things. When we can open this facility to the public, they can come and be a part of that,” Beaver said.
Current needs: Volunteers assisting with resource distribution. Volunteers listening to people, identifying their needs. Educators. “Everybody is an expert on something and can talk about it for ten minutes passionately. I’m all about life skills classes. We do a lot of groups on maintaining health, nutrition, parenting, how to be a spouse, work ethics, balancing a checkbook, and paying your bills. We keep faith as the foundation of our program. For our guys to graduate and go out into the community, they need to know a multitude of skills.”
“I hope the guys that leave here understand that we have tried to equip them with principles to live by. The world is a big place, and there are a lot of experiences waiting for them.”
“There are currently five graduates of the program. The culture is in place. We are trying to be good neighbors.”
Jackson said, “I think you have surprised us all. I don’t hear about the police being up there.”
“Thankfully, they aren’t,” Beaver agreed.
Beaver said he appreciates local restaurants bringing them food that needs to be eaten. “We often get calls from people saying they want to feed our guys on a certain night.”
Jackson said, “You’ve built a great reputation. We are all proud of you. When you see good things happening, people want to be a part of it.”
“I want the community to really wrap their arms around this building, our mission, our vision, the purpose behind everything we do and see how far we can reach and how many lives we can make a positive impact. We want to instill hope in their soul. If you’ve got hope running through your veins, there is a lot you can conquer.”
Beaver said some things the 30-year-old building needs is 600 new ceiling tiles, ceiling fans, light fixtures and vanities. The former pantry has been turned into a workshop where the guys work on small engines. “They are so talented and love to work on small engines, weed eaters, and leaf blowers. We have guys who can tear engines apart and put them back together. So we want to help cultivate that career possibility.”
If you want to support the program or need assistance, Recovery Center of the Ozarks is at 600 E. Stephenson Ave. Visit https://rcozarks.org for additional information.