Brittany remembers a time when she didn’t believe she was worthy of another chance. Addiction had been part of her life since she was a teenager. It eventually led to DWIs, repeated treatment, incarceration, damaged relationships, and a profound sense of isolation. At one point, she says, she didn’t want to live.
“I didn’t believe God loved me. I didn’t feel worthy. They reached out a hand when I wouldn’t even reach out for myself.”
MCFOAR became part of Brittany’s recovery journey: not simply by providing resources, but by giving her somewhere she felt she belonged.
Over the years, MCFOAR has helped her through periods between jobs, assisted with rent after her mother’s death, helped with her résumé, welcomed her into Bible study, and reminded her that asking for help wasn’t something to be ashamed of.
“These people were like family outside of family, like a chosen family…It felt like home.”
Today, Brittany’s life looks very different. She’s sober. She’s fully employed. She helps sponsor other women and helps run a women’s sober house. She’s working toward getting her driver’s license back and is getting her master’s degree so she can eventually help others through drug and alcohol counseling.
But when asked what she’s most proud of, Brittany doesn’t mention any of those accomplishments first. She talks about her family. Her 98-year-old grandmother recently picked her up for lunch.
“She said she trusts me again. She said she’s got her granddaughter back.”
For Brittany, that’s what a second chance looks like. It’s being able to call family because she wants to know how they’re doing—not because she needs someone to bail her out of jail. It’s waking up and remembering her days. It’s holding a job and taking responsibility. It’s helping other women who are beginning the same journey she once began, and it’s recognizing that even the most painful parts of her story can have meaning.
“I can take all of that pain and turn it into purpose.”
Now, when a new woman arrives at the Ten16 Recovery Network and is struggling, Brittany sends her to MCFOAR. The person who once needed someone to reach out a hand is becoming someone who can extend hers to the next person. And that, Brittany believes, is how communities become stronger.
“You start with one, and it takes a village. Imagine how strong that village will get when you help the people at the lowest end of their lives get even better. And then they can reach out their hand at some point and spread that. Tell me that’s not community.”