“Helping people take a step toward a better life - it’s an idea we want to make happen,” Project Turnabout’s CEO, Mike Schiks, shared with a gathering of educators, job training coaches, counselors and social service professionals at an afternoon meeting over coffee & dessert at Whitney Music Center in Willmar. He was talking about our alumni in early recovery, and today it was particularly about women in recovery.

Schiks said that what happens following treatment too often gets lost in the process. “And we want to do a better job of building the bridge with what comes after,” he said.

Project Turnabout hosted the gathering. But it was Willmar area agency representatives from Central Minnesota Jobs & Training, CareerForce, Glacial Lakes Consortium, Ridgewater College, Ridgewater Customized Training, Area Learning Center, Kandiyohi County Health & Human Services, Goodwill Easter Seals, CARRIS Health, Journey Home, and Recovering Hope who stepped up to help us see where and how our alumni can find their niche.

Affordable Housing is a Critical Piece

While making connections for adults completing substance abuse or gambling treatment has always been vital, Project Turnabout now has an opportunity – and an urgency – to invite partners in the post-treatment, life-planning process. Participants in the discussion learned about Turnabout’s recent purchase of a townhome property near our women’s sober residence, Cheri’s Place. Together with the purchase earlier this year of the “Gabbert House,” (which was torn down due to its deteriorated condition) Project Turnabout owns the block-long area in the 7th St. N. vicinity of the community. “Our ownership of this space is exciting for us,” Marti Paulson, Project Turnabout COO, said, “it gives us the opportunity to make real a long-term vision of our board to create a complete continuum of care for women in recovery. And we’ve always seen this happening best in the Willmar area, partly because of the education and employment options available for people new to recovery.”

Project Turnabout will complete the purchase of the 5-unit townhouse within the next few weeks, and after some refurbishing, the spaces will be ready for their next chapter.

Thanks to everyone involved, what we learned during the conversation was very informative and encouraging. “We are heartened by the potential you all have to offer women rebuilding their lives in recovery,” Schiks said in summarizing this initial conversation. “We’ll be sharing all we’ve learned here today with our board,” he continued, “and we hope many of you will be interested in furthering these efforts together with us, as well as suggest others who should be involved. We can’t do this without you.”

THANK YOU to each person and organization who took time and interest in our invitation to help us exchange ideas, brainstorm, and dream about how – together- we can support women in recovery discover and reach their goals!

Submitted by;

Lois Schmidt, Director of Development