Nexus Recovery Center is embarking on a five-phase capital campaign, Recovery Rising, so we can better serve women and their children as they rise up, regain hope, and retake control of their lives. In the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter, we give you an update on the Doswell Medical Building, sit down with supporter Steve Penrose, and highlight Nexus alumna Tina’s incredible recovery journey!
Rise Up
Campus Construction Update
There is a saying used often in the recovery community that seems perfectly fit for the construction process – progress, not perfection! We have certainly made progress over the last quarter but, admittedly, we have hit some bumps along the way. The great news is we are days away from having permits issued by the City of Dallas and construction of the Doswell Medical Building will begin in May.
One of the unexpected hurdles we faced during pre-construction surfaced during pre-permitting meetings with the City of Dallas. If you have visited campus on a rainy day, it will be no surprise to you that the City flagged our drainage problem on the property. In order to proceed to permitting, we worked with Click, our civil engineer, HKS, and MAPP, and they designed a retainage pond for the property. This will support drainage on the entire campus, but it had to be part of the design and construction of Phase 1 so that we could obtain permits.
Because of your generous donations and the success of the Recovery Rising Campaign, Nexus was able to leverage the dollars raised to date and secure a New Market Tax Credit in partnership with Truist Bank and Dallas Development Fund. Essentially, every dollar you have given to Recovery Rising was leveraged to net another $1.7 million towards our campus vision! That’s a 30% ROI for your investment in our mission and the families we serve!
Thank you for believing in the women and children served by Nexus and ensuring they have a safe, sustainable, and dignified place to begin or continue their recovery journey! Thank you for being an instrumental part in this vision. Thank you for ensuring that Recovery will Rise out of despair!
Doswell Medical Building Renderings
Regain Hope
Steve Penrose Advocates for Nexus
Nexus’ Recovery Rising campaign would not be possible without the care of our supporters, such as Steve Penrose. Steve writes:
“I’m Steve Penrose, retired for 20 years in Dallas after an international career in finance with ExxonMobil. My retirement has been devoted to working with diverse non-profit organizations, including the arts, the Dallas Zoo, and Dallas CASA, whose missions I relate to and who have demonstrated sustained excellence in pursuit of those missions. As a finance guy, both those aspects matter to me—important goals are not enough.
“I was introduced to Nexus by a close friend, an alcoholic, who served on the Board and was deeply committed to the agency. The mission resonated with me not only because of the underserved need for support for women suffering from addition, but also because Nexus is one of the very few facilities which allows women to bring their children with them to rehab. The approach to treatment at Nexus, and its half-century record of success, convinced me that it was worth the investment of my time and energy.
“Nexus’ Recovery Rising campaign appeals to me because it represents a thoughtfully prioritized, long-term approach to growing Nexus’ capacity and capabilities. It is the polar opposite of growth for growth’s sake—it’s well designed, carefully staged, and targeted to crucial needs. Equally important to me, Nexus has the leadership in place to make it happen despite the inevitable challenges and surprises.”
Current Recovery Rising Donors
Doswell Foundation
The Stallings Foundation
Anonymous
The Faus Family Foundation
The March Family Foundation
Susan G. Simon
Carolyn & Richard Waghorne
James & Gayle Halperin Foundation
Harold Simmons Foundation
HKS
Stephen Penrose
The Saxon Family Memorial Fund
Lyda Hill Philanthropies
Keely & William Cawley
Hope & Paul Schroy
Karl Nelson
Patty & Ken Kroviak
Beverly Barry
Ira & Lisa Kravitz
Anonymous
Jayme & Cameron Burk
Current Recovery Rising Committee
Kristy and Raymond Faus, Co-Chairs
Miriam Armijo
Louise Hallam Collins
Adam Greenup
Renda Mathews
Steve Penrose
Courtney Rottman
Alison Watros
Recover
Tina Finds Happiness in Recovery
Tina, 48, had been in recovery for 5 years when her mother passed away. The grief of losing her mother caused Tina to relapse. Before she knew it, Tina was living in an abandoned building in Temple with other people in the throes of substance use disorder (SUD). She was freezing, dirty, hungry, and sick. Then Tina’s car was stolen, along with everything she owned. That was when Tina realized that she was going to die if she didn’t leave that house, so she looked for a recovery center and found Nexus.
When Tina first got to Nexus, she spent a week in Medical Detox, one of the programs to be housed in the new Doswell Medical Building. Once she safely withdrew from all of the drugs in her system, Tina said that she “went to work”. Nexus staff taught her how to participate in her own recovery. Through individual counseling and group therapy, Tina says she gained the tools and resources she needs to stay in recovery. She says she now has people she can count on. She has coaches and counselors and peers to trust in and go to when she’s in need. And most importantly, Tina has the know-how to put it all into to practice.
“I learned coping skills and communication,” says Tina. “I found out if we just keep in contact, we can win this battle. I receive so much encouragement and love from staff and clients alongside me.”
Now in recovery for 11 months, Tina is financially stable and works in the business development center of a local car dealership. Tina is currently living in transitional living and hopes to eventually get a home of her own. She is also working to repair the relationships that were damaged due to substance use.
“I want nothing in this world more than to heal all the pain I caused my family,” Tina says. “I want to earn all of their trust back. I want to be the best mother and grandmother I can be. I want to see my grandchildren grow up and know that their mom looks at me with pride, and can say that’s MY MOM!!!
Looking forward, Tina says that her ultimate goal is to come back and work at Nexus, the place that saved her life. Tina says that she wants to spend the rest of her life helping others discover the happiness that comes with recovery.
“Recovery is an amazing thing and I want to share it with a many as I can,” Tina says. “I want my family to be proud of me and how far I’ve come. I’ll always be a work in progress, but today I can look in the mirror and say I love who I am and what I stand for. I’m proud of me!”
