Kay᾿s Story

…in her own words.

Years ago, when my life was coming to an end due to drug and alcohol abuse, I prayed for help and guidance. When I had lost every ounce of my soul, my prayers were answered. People I didn’t know reached out to me and provided me with a safe and structured place to live—they provided a recovery house. While living in this recovery house, I learned how to stand on my own two feet again and found compassion and companionship among the other women who lived there. I was never alone; someone was always there when life got almost too hard. I was surrounded by women who understood what I was feeling because they too were feeling the same pain. We bonded and grew throughout the time I lived in that house.

After leaving the house, I realized that other women in recovery could benefit from my experience. Soon, I was working in one of the best recovery house organizations in the area. As Manager of the houses, I was able to learn and grow, while also teaching the men and women that became residents of our organization. Drawing from my own personal experiences, and using the resources available, I was able to teach the same structure and self‐reliance I had learned during my own recovery house residency. It was during this time as House Manager that I realized I wanted to have a recovery house of my own, so that I may pass on what I had learned and help as many women as possible.

After working in this wonderful recovery house for 5 years, I married and moved to the Daytona Beach, FL area. Soon after arriving in the area, I discovered there were not many recovery houses geared toward women. I was asked to sit on a committee for another recovery house and this where I met a women by the name of Janet White. She had a vision similar to mine. Janet and I soon became good friends and this is where our journey together began. We set upon establishing a recovery house together; one whose door is always open to any woman who is ready and willing to do what it takes to get sober and clean. A house to help any woman become the woman that she has always dreamt of becoming. A house where no woman will be asked to do anything that I haven’t done myself—nor will not do—for my own sobriety. Avenues 12 is that house.

In life a new door opens every day, and we can choose to either stand to one side and let life continue on, or we can make a choice and walk through the door and experience everything that life has to offer. We can choose to live. The journey begins when we make that choice. I invite you to join me on the journey. When you’re ready, I invite you to come on in.

The door is always open.