Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: The Journey Hometown Journal
[00:00:03] Speaker B: so the climate in Lynchburg is actually this is one of the most pivotal places for substance use because 460 and 81 are railroads for substances like methamphetamines, fentanyl and other substances that we see in Lynchburg.
[00:00:18] Speaker C: Welcome to the Hometown Journal. I'm Mark Edwards. Today we want to introduce you to the Unlimited Potential Foundation. They are a Lynchburg based organization with a mission to provide hope, healing and recovery.
Is upwithrecovery.org and with us is Detoan Shelton, a resident in counseling and Alonzo Fisher, a peer recovery specialist navigator. Thank you both for coming in today.
[00:00:43] Speaker D: Thank
[00:00:43] Speaker B: you. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:00:45] Speaker C: Tell me a little bit about Unlimited Potential, what that means when it comes to helping people provide hope, healing and recovery.
[00:00:55] Speaker D: Yes. So the UP foundation is a nonprofit organization.
We've been in the community for 10 years now and we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary where we had a gala last month. So with the UP foundation is a peer and counseling services for those who have substance use and mental health challenges. And so we are a small organization, but we service the larger Lynchburg area where we are very active with a lot of our participants are youth and adult services also.
And so that's some of the things that we have been doing in the community.
[00:01:35] Speaker C: So the two main emphases, it's substance abuse and then mental health.
[00:01:39] Speaker D: Yes,
[00:01:41] Speaker C: counseling as well on substance abuse.
What's the climate right now in Lynchburg?
[00:01:48] Speaker B: So the climate in Lynchburg is actually this is one of the most pivotal places for substance use because 460 and 81 are railroads for substances like methamphetamines, fentanyl and other substances that we see in Lynchburg. What I will say is that Lynchburg does a great job of providing support for those things to kind of supplement some of the dangers of substances in Virginia and especially in central Virginia between Lynchburg and Bedford. And one thing that I will say, especially with the UP foundation, is that we collaborate across the board with different organizations to make sure that we're able to provide services for all individuals across central Virginia.
[00:02:26] Speaker C: Is there a crossover? At times somebody comes in with an issue with substance abuse, but then there's also a mental health issue as well.
[00:02:35] Speaker B: Absolutely. Absolutely. And a lot of times those two things go hand in hand. We call those like comorbidities.
So we see that mental health happens. We see mental health struggles that lead to substance use or substance use that lead to prolonged mental health issues. And we try to target those things by either handling the substance use first and getting someone into recovery like a recovery mindset or where the foundation is built in enjoying life without substances, learning to regain and relearn how to live as an adult while dealing with some of the mental health struggles that you've had to deal with your entire life. And then once we are able to get that to a place where you feel comfortable and strong enough to navigate life without substances, we start to go backwards and start to work through some of the mental health challenges that kept you in that place.
[00:03:21] Speaker C: The people that are getting counseling and treatment, do they come through referrals or how do they get involved with the UP Foundation?
[00:03:29] Speaker D: Some of them are through pathways of treatment, starting with the treatment facility. With a higher level of care, we get a lot of people from just walking into the facility. Also, one of the things that we've been able to do is partner with the DSS services and providing services for some of those youth that we see. Also with the Bedford Drug Court and the Lynchburg Drug Court, we are able to service a lot of those individuals and their process and their recovery. Also
[00:04:03] Speaker C: today on the Hometown Journal, we are talking with detoan Shelton and Alonzo Fisher with the Unlimited Potential foundation. You can visit upwithrecovery.org to find out more. We'll have more of the Hometown Journal in a minute.
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[00:05:00] Speaker C: Mark Edwards, Back with you on the Hometown Journal. Today we are discussing the work of the Unlimited Potential Foundation. They offer services for people recovering from substance abuse and dealing with mental health issues. Their website is upwithrecovery.org and with us this morning is Datuan Shelton, a resident in counseling and then Alonzo Fisher, a peer recovery specialist navigator with Unlimited Potential Foundation. Datuan, when it comes to the counseling, do you work with other organizations that provide the counseling or is that all done in house?
[00:05:34] Speaker B: So we do collaborate with a lot of organizations and it really does depend on the person. And something that we say in counseling is it truly does depend. It depends is the saying.
And it depends if this person needs a higher level of care, if they need all 24, 7 wraparound care. Because there are treatment facilities in Lynchburg. So we try to make sure that it's like an alleyway from back and forth. If you need a higher level of care, we can refer you to a higher level of care and they can refer you right back to us when you're done and you've gone through that work in process because we're a step down process as well. So they're referred to say mainsprings is someone we collaborate with which is an intensive, really intensive substance use treatment facility. And once they've gone through the 90 days of recovery and they're abstinent from, they're abstinent from all substances and they're able to really have a foundation, they're able to come back and transition into working on one on one with a counselor while also receiving support from a peer. Which means daily check ins. It means talking about financial stuff, getting your finances correct after being in treatment for 90 days and not having a job. It means having someone who can help you with medication management, who can get you to those people who could also support you while we navigate what 101 traumas that you've been dealing with.
[00:06:48] Speaker C: Do the people, those that seeking care, are any of them, do they live on the facility or is it all outpatient?
[00:06:57] Speaker B: So at the upfront dish, we also collaborate with recovery corps. So we have two recovery homes where we have two men's homes and one woman's homes for individuals who are looking for housing while they reassure their recovery and then while they're doing that, they're able to get one on one outpatient counseling.
[00:07:15] Speaker D: And I also want to say about a lot of people, when they hear the word counseling, they kind of know what that looks like. But when they hear the word peer recovery specialist, like what is that? And so a peer is a person with lived experience.
They can also walk beside that person in their recovery just because of they have had some faces of challenges themselves and they understand what that process looks like. And being a navigator and, and collaborating with some of the other organizations is that like myself, I began to help other people get into the right hands of services. And that's what we do as a navigator, like we out resource a lot of things like if a person may need just shelter, they may need clothing, food, sort of things like that. And so we do do A lot of collaborations with a lot of other organizations and making that available because in the recovery space, it's very important.
It takes a community.
And we are that community of people.
We see that the one on one peer, peer to peer, is a very good model that we definitely at the UP foundation, we hold to a high standard when it comes to individuals with mental health and substance use.
[00:08:26] Speaker C: You mentioned earlier, it's a mix of. You have teens and adults.
[00:08:31] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:08:31] Speaker C: Okay. Yes.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: Youth.
[00:08:33] Speaker C: Is it predominantly teens?
[00:08:35] Speaker B: No, actually we are about 60% adults, 40% youth. We see about 40 youth and we see about 70, 75 adults.
[00:08:45] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:08:46] Speaker B: And then that's also. We also serve groups. We also hold groups, substance groups like NA and AA groups.
A little less, I guess, a little less strict about the boundaries of rules. We have our own rules, but it's a therapeutic group for substances that we hold every Tuesday and Thursdays. And. And you don't have to necessarily be a part of the UP foundation to be a part of those groups.
[00:09:07] Speaker C: Okay. UP has recreational activities as part of your program. Tell me a little bit about that. How does that work?
[00:09:15] Speaker B: That's something that we're really big on and I think that speaks to our community piece. Something about the UP foundation is that we want individuals to live their lives substance free. And I think one thing that we've come together as a team to understand is that like most people these days don't know what that looks like. And our goal is to continue to provide engaging activities for youth and adults to do that. Don't revolve around substances speaking to that. We just had an event last Friday. There were no substances, but people were dancing. We were in the park dancing. People were laughing. We were passing out T shirts. We were passing. We were doing bingo. And there was so much camaraderie surrounding that. And substances weren't even a thought. It was simply just having fun with the community and giving the community something to look forward to. And that's something that we pride ourselves on. So each other each. Every couple of weeks you try to host a community based event. If it's for our youth, it's making sure that they have the materials that they need for school or even giving them gifts just so they can feel appreciated and seen. We did a youth event in June at the Jubilee center. And the whole goal was to promote smoke free environments, no smoking and smoking cessation amongst youth and trying to understand that with our kids it's important that we provide space for them. And that is healthy. That is not just surrounded by substances or smoking or vaping. But it's a place where kids can just be kids. They can enjoy themselves, they can laugh, and then they bring their parents. And their parents find that most times when they're engaging with their kids, they're also not thinking about substances or not thinking about smoking. All they're thinking about is, wow, like, I'm acting as if I'm a kid, but I'm also a parent. I'm able to kind of step out of that parent role and just be a human being. And that's come. That's kind of the. The picture that we want people to have is that at the UP foundation, we want people to be human beings and we want them to have fun, but we also want to know that. We also want them to know there's an importance that substances can derail that for you, and it can really affect your life going forward. And the importance of just staying away from it and seeing what life looks like on the other side.
[00:11:17] Speaker D: And definitely for the youth, we have a summer camp that we do every year where we have a lot of kids that come in and we have fun. We take them horseback riding.
I'm not from Lynchburg, and my first time riding a horse is with the UP foundation. And those are some of the great things and experiences that we get to have with the youth and give them that experience of things in a healthy way where they can have fun.
[00:11:41] Speaker C: Alonzo, can you share some of the success stories of people who have come to the UP foundation needing help?
[00:11:48] Speaker D: Oh, wow. Yes.
I could just think of many, but one in particular is that we definitely, when it comes to the youth, they come in in a state of what a parent, they may say to a parent, you don't understand what I'm going through. Right. And when they get there and they see the family like atmosphere that we create there for them, we see the light begin to light up in their life, and then they begin to make decisions. And so what we try to get them to do is we try to get them to see it for themselves. Right. And we don't force them to make the change. We just try to get them to see it, and then they want to make the change on their own. And some of the success stories. Well, one of the success stories, I would say is it was this one young gentleman. He was coming to me and he had struggles, and his mom wanted him to get help. And when he first came in, he was kind of like a shy, a shell of a kid. And then he began to just open up. And then he began to express himself. And what I saw was I saw an individual who just needed a place to be able to be safe and express himself in a healthy manner. And, and once he did that, then we began to like, show him the patterns of life and what some things are going to happen to him, you know, if he continue to go down this road. Right. And so they continue to make better choices when they can understand, like, you know, sometimes the consequences and unfortunately, sometimes that it's hard to understand that, you know, when you don't really comprehend like what's going on. Right. Life is just life and. Right. Well, that's what most people would say. And the kids experience that at a young age. And so we try to just be there for them and having that healthy environment. And like I say, that word healthy is very important because that's the catalyst to like what recovery is. It's healthy, a healthy way of living. Right. And it takes time. It's a process.
[00:13:37] Speaker C: Today on the Hometown Journal, we are talking with Detoan Shelton and Alonzo Fisher with the Unlimited Potential foundation in Lynchburg. Their website is upwithrecovery.org back with more in a minute.
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[00:14:40] Speaker C: Mark Edwards, back with you on the Hometown Journal. Today we are sharing with you the work of the Unlimited Potential found.
They offer services for people recovering from substance abuse and dealing with mental health issues. Their website is upwithrecovery.org with us is Detoan Shelton, a resident in counseling, and then Alonzo Fisher, a peer recovery specialist navigator. It really is amazing work that the Unlimited Potential foundation is doing in our community.
When you talk about the stories of people's lives who literally have been changed,
[00:15:15] Speaker B: something I will say is I think one of the most eye opening things that I've seen, especially working with people, is that I've seen people Who've come in who are 10 years in recovery and abstained for 10 years. And now they're coming just to spread the knowledge of, like, life is better.
And we have a lot of that. Where individuals who were once in recovery or once using substances are now peers who are able to turn their lives around and now be a part of the support that helps people get over the hardest times in their life. And I think that's something that we don't see often is people who go through that experience and are able to get to the other side. And now they're providing psychoeducation. They're providing just testimonies that really do attest to the other side of substances. And we do this frequently. We have peers who are in recovery for five years. We have peers who are in recovery for 20 years. And we have. We even serve people who have been in recovery for 40 years. And they're coming to us because we've always been their safe place. And we were the place that created the most homelike environment, where just because you use a substance doesn't make you a bad person. And just because you are struggling with an addiction doesn't mean you don't deserve care, empathy, and unconditional positive regardless for who you are as a person. And at the UP foundation, we pride ourselves on just being those staple people that, however you come, we will meet you where you are, and we will help you, support you, and make sure that you are cared about until you are where you want to be in life.
[00:16:49] Speaker D: I just share on some of the goals as an adult. I've seen mothers get their kids back. I've seen fathers become father again. I seen the relationships where you may have had troubles in the past, where they rebuild relationships.
And that's one of the amazing things, is to see a person to come in is just so broken. And I can remember what that felt like. And I just couldn't get to understand, like, how to go through life without having to cope with something, right?
Having to cope with something and watching a person and it lights up when they say, man, I'm never gonna get to see my kid again, or I never get to be involved with my kid again. And then they show up with their kid, and it's like, man, that's amazing, man. Right? And so just to watch that, it is a gift. And, you know, just to be able to work in the field that I do.
[00:17:41] Speaker C: What's the one thing each of you want people to know about the UP Foundation?
[00:17:47] Speaker B: I think I would want to lead off with the one thing that makes the UP foundation one of the best places to work is that there are no limitations to who we can serve.
We try not to limit people based on their financial standing, and we make sure that we create a place where if someone needs help, we can support them. So if you need help, if you need support, if you need just someone to listen, we have space for you. There is not a financial obligation. And we will work with anyone who needs help because we want everyone to have a space where they can grow to be the best person they want to be.
[00:18:19] Speaker D: And Dr. James Stewart is the director. He's the founder of the UP foundation.
And with his vision and his will to want to help here in the Lynchburg area, it's been very impactful, restored a lot of lives.
We are a center for hope, healing and recovery. And it really, really is amazing that, you know, to be a part of that. Yeah. So I'm just honored just to be even here sharing this with you today in a broader community that we are here.
We are located on 2420 Memorial Avenue. We have a lot of amazing things that we'll continue to do and we'll continue to grow. Continue to grow because those are people. There are still people out there that needs help. We are here.
[00:19:08] Speaker C: Well, we hope today's program has given you more information about the Unlimited Potential foundation in Lynchburg. Again, their website is upwithrecovery.org my thanks to Datuan Shelton and Alonzo Fisher for being our guests, and thank you for joining us on the Hometown Journal.
[00:19:25] Speaker A: You've been listening to the Journey Hometown Journal. If you're a part of an organization or know of one in the communities we serve and would like to be considered as a guest, please make your request at myjourneyfm.com email officemyjourneyfm.com or call 800-424-9594. The Hometown Journal is a presentation of the Journey.
