Shelia Cauch, 41, wipes away tears while talking about moving past her addiction at New Hope Women’s Center in Dalton, Ga. Cauch said Thanksgiving was a high point on her road to recovery but that she is going through a little bit of a rough patch at the moment. The center’s clients are working to keep the facility funded.DALTON, Ga. — A nurse who abused prescription drugs. A mother of five who drank at night after she tucked her children into bed. A woman who began using drugs and alcohol as an 8-year-old and finally was turned out into the streets by her own family. A grandmother who was sent to jail again and again, only to be released to go straight back to crack cocaine.
Each of them has a story of years of loss and despair. And each has a story of hope and redemption as they fight every day to turn their backs on years of addiction.
Now the women of New Hope Women’s Center in Dalton have taken on a new fight — to save the funding for the place that has helped them reclaim their lives.
“I thought I would die with a needle in my arm,” said Patricia Baynes. “For so long I knew nothing but apathy — they have given me my life back, and now I’m not numb anymore. If they take this program away, the ripple effect in this community will be greatly felt for years to come.”
“It breaks our hearts to think it might close,” Vicky Thomas added.