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While an opening date isn\u2019t set, an Assembly of God church in West Virginia has offered its community center as a home for the state\u2019s first high school designed to help students with recovery from addictions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe said we\u2019d give them the space free,\u201d said Chris Kimbro, lead pastor of King\u2019s River Worship Center in St. Albans, a suburb of the state capital of Charleston. \u201cIf somebody would put money into it, it would blow up. It\u2019s needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once open, Bridge to Hope Academy will join more than 40 other schools around the nation devoted to helping teens in recovery. It will be based at Community Bridge, a ministry of King\u2019s River.<\/p>\n
Starting initially as an outreach to foster families, Community Bridge encompasses an 8,000-square-foot distribution center that dispenses food, clothing, household goods and other forms of assistance. Housed separately from the church, it also offers cooking classes and recovery groups for people struggling with addiction.<\/p>\n
After its launch in early 2021, the outreach grew until it incorporated last September as a 501-c-3 nonprofit. More than 40 churches are among 190-plus partnering organizations. Community Bridge helped more than 6,100 people in 2023.<\/p>\n
After learning last year about efforts to establish a recovery school, led by Tina Ramirez\u2014director of an addiction care program at the Marshall University medical school\u2014Kimbro said the academy could meet at their building.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be part of the answer,\u201d Kimbro said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t come together to bridge the gaps, nothing\u2019s going to change. If students have a substance abuse issue, they come out of recovery and go back to the same setting and they can\u2019t make it. Schools are not equipped to provide the wraparound services to help them succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most recovery schools struggle to find a location, said Ramirez, part of an eight-member contingent that visited a similar initiative recently in North Carolina. Community Bridge offering space has removed that obstacle, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is in place at the facility to launch the school as soon as funding comes so we can hire a director,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cThe ultimate goal will be for students to graduate with a diploma through the academy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of the program will include individual, group and family therapy on site.<\/p>\n
According to Ramirez, the need for such a school is great. Based on data from West Virginia Health and Human Services, she identified 1,500 overdoses among teens under 18 from 2018-23.<\/p>\n
However, Ramirez said there are many more who are administered drug antidote Narcan in a local setting and never show up in official records.<\/p>\n
The effort has drawn significant attention, including a recent tour of the facility by Carol Miller, Republican representative for the state\u2019s first congressional district.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am excited to see the great impact Bridge to Hope Academy will have on educating students and supporting them during their journey to recovery,\u201d Miller said in a statement afterwards. \u201cI have no doubt this (school) will provide a strong foundation for students and their future success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Association of recovery schools lists 42 high schools designed for students in recovery in the U.S.: https:\/\/recoveryschools.org\/find-a-school\/<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Ken Walker is a veteran freelance writer and book editor from Huntington, West Virginia. A contributor to numerous national publications and news services during his career, he has more than 4,600 article bylines and has worked on more than 90 books.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n