Adult & Teen Challenge Dryden’s Spring Banquet on May 30 at the Dryden Cultural Centre on Casimir Avenue at 6 pm will be a culmination of the hard work, accomplishments and progress made by the faith-based organization in the Dryden community. Our banquet will also showcase community involvement and ways and means you can become involved in assisting those who battle addiction.
“It’s really exciting that we’ll be able to come together and share with people who support us and also for everyone in the community to know how far we’ve come in this last year,” said Krista Scott, Ministry Staff. “We’ll also share our future goals and plans for the continuing development of Adult & Teen Challenge here in Dryden.”
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada did a community presentation on how they planned to launch in Dryden. Now they have a vibrant Community Office in the community offering support to men, women and families facing addiction.
Both Krista and her husband Logan are graduates of Adult & Teen Challenge’s Long-Term Program, which is a rigorous program that includes, individual and group mentoring, counselling, spiritual disciplines, life-skills training, employable skills certification and on-the-job training. Logan had grown up in Thunder Bay and had a tumultuous early life, using drugs and breaking the law starting at 18 years old; he was arrested in January 2015 for possession of a stolen vehicle, careless driving and fleeing the scene of a crime.
While Logan was serving his two-year sentence, he met some graduates of Teen Challenge who shared their stories with him. “They shared their stories with me, and it opened my eyes and made me think, ‘Okay, I’m going to go and give this a try,’” says Logan.
After a short relapse, Adult & Teen Challenge Thunder Bay’s Men’s Home gave him the tools needed to overcome addiction. Logan has been sober for six years; he and Krista have been married for two-and-a-half years with two little girls. They moved to Dryden in May 2021 to get the Adult & Teen Challenge Dryden’s Community Office off the ground, serving as Ministry Staff and the first point of contact for people looking to get into their programs.
“It’s a good place to come and find help just because there’s no judgment, just a lack of judgment,” said Logan, adding that he fell off the wagon after graduating from the program and underwent a refresher program offered by Adult & Teen Challenge. “They would encourage me, and they kept encouraging me until I got to a place where I was kind of able to receive it and take what they were saying for face value.”
Krista says Adult & Teen Challenge Dryden has sent a dozen people to its Long-Term Program and has been able to help with drug and alcohol detox.
“There’s been lots of good opportunities to build relationships and even if people aren’t ready for a long-term program, we’re still here, we’re still here to support them in ways that we can,” she said.
Adult & Teen Challenge Dryden holds weekly men’s and women’s group meetings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays respectively, with women’s mental health groups and Concerned Persons support groups for loved ones of addicts. The Dryden Community Office also has a variety of programming, including Ready Now Recovery group support, Family Support Groups and Successful Living Program training courses.
“It’s been a blessing to be able to work with other agencies in our community and come together as a whole to help individuals,” said Krista, adding that Adult & Teen Challenge has many mutual clients with Dryden Regional Mental Health and Addiction Services and Kenora Community Living. “It’s been good to be able to come alongside other agencies with lots of community support and be able to say, ‘what can we do for this individual and how can we help them?’”
The Spring Banquet, which will be held at the Dryden Cultural Centre on Casimir Avenue at 6 pm, will also highlight upcoming events and ways people can donate to the organization.
One upcoming event is the Adult & Teen Challenge Central Canada’s North American Fishing Challenge, which will be held on June 18. People can sign up and collect sponsors to fundraise money for Adult and Teen Challenge through fishing; one of the prizes up for grabs is a fully loaded 2022 Lund Boat.
“It’s a big event for fundraising that also gets the community involved – we just want to have people come out and fish and know that they’re fishing for a cause, they’re fishing to help change lives in their own community.”
People can also contribute by dropping off donations at their office on 34 King Street, taking part in the Vehicle Donation Program, or becoming a Monthly Partner and making a financial contribution to Adult and Teen Challenge each month.
“I have been doing mentorship with women in the community and it has been amazing just to be able to be there so that they feel heard,” said Krista. “To be able to walk through life with these women on a weekly basis to let them know that there is hope, there is love plants the seed and helps them to be able to see that change is possible.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, or for more information — contact an Adult & Teen Challenge Ambassador in Dryden at (807) 223-6957.
