HANCOCK COUNTY — When outside officials who were instrumental in getting the Talitha Koum Recovery House in Greenfield rolling, the Friends of Recovery, decided to split from the local recovery house last fall, people who still supported the local idea stepped up and become major contributors.
A new board is now in place at the Talitha Koum Recovery House, and the board is hosting its first major fundraiser at 6 p.m. Friday, July 14 at Adaggios, 5999 W. Memory Lane, Greenfield. Tickets are selling for $40 apiece for Designer Purse Bingo Night. Cost includes 10 game cards and dinner with all proceeds going to the Talitha Koum Recovery House. There will also be other game prizes and giveaways as well as “mocktails,” which are non-alcoholic beverages.
Support for the fundraiser has been more than organizers had hoped. As of late Monday, there were only eight tickets left to purchase.
While the old support group, Friends of Recovery, helped president and executive director of the recovery house, Linda Ostewig open the doors of the Talitha Koum Recovery House a few years ago, giving her the non-profit structure, they had other demands and needed to move on. That happened about the same time local officials realized they needed more internal support for the recovery house if they were going to grow as planned.
“I think everyone who supports the local program just realized we needed a new board that is dedicated exclusively to the advancement of the local organization,” board president Keely Butrum said.
The group had a formal and positive parting with Friends of Recovery at the end of 2022 and the new board took over and started planning. Now, they’re organizing events and making major plans for the future. That includes expanding upon the nine recovery beds that they currently have.
“We want to expand capacity in the future and grow the program, and that means we had to have a new board committed exclusively to that mission,” Butrum said. “We’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, I can tell you that.”
While the board has changed and grown to 10 members, Butrum noted they want more board members and are accepting applications.
“For sustainable growth in the program, we need more hands on deck and that starts with a good-size working board,” Butrum said.
The goal is to increase their fundraising and grant writing which in turn will allow them to help more county women get on their feet again. Butrum said the next big goal of the board is to have a “Next Step” housing program. It would help women who are part of the recovery program find an affordable place to live as they take steps toward restarting their lives.
“We need a place that will offer some apartments or some single-family homes where after a person graduates from the intensive recovery piece of the program they would have an option for a next step, which would be an apartment or a house below market rate,” Butrum said. “We hope to expand into that in the not-too-distant future.”
Butrum noted the women who do well at the local sixth-month recovery program and are ready for the next step of moving out on their own run into the hurdle of finding an affordable place to live in Hancock County.
“One-bedroom apartments are going for over $900 a month plus utilities and some of these women have children,” Butrum said. “When you’re working your way up from the bottom, many women have to stay longer at the recovery house than they need to.”
That’s why the new board is creating several new fundraisers in addition to the upcoming designer purse bingo night with the hope county residents will get behind the program.
“Once we can establish some more consistent funding sources for our basic needs, we’ll reach out to grant writer to see what kind of state and federal dollars are out there for us,” Butrum said. “When you talk about federal funding, it’s a long, robust process.”
The recovery house is currently being sponsored by local and state grants and through individual church donations as well as fundraisers, which they are expanding. There is also a state Recovery Works program that provides insurance for uninsured women who go through the criminal justice system. Plus, women who can work do pay toward their stay at the recovery house to be a part of the program.
Still, Butrum and the board need more funding and hosting fundraisers is a good way to get started, she said. Butrum also noted the recovery house would not be where it is currently if not for the self-sacrifices of Ostewig who has helped grow the program from its start, which will celebrate five years of service in October.
“Linda has sacrificed so much for the recovery house and The Landing the last five to 10 years for virtually nothing in return,” Butrum said.
Tickets for the designer purse bingo night coming in mid-July are on sale until they run out at Cynthia’s Hallmark, 1500 block of N. State Street, Greenfield; The Landing, 18 W. South Street, Greenfield; and Penny’s Florist, 80 W. McKenzie Road, Greenfield. Officials must turn in a final head count by July 7. All bingo players must be over 18.
