The Rotary Club of Warren met Tuesday, March 11 in First Methodist Church at noon in the first of its two meetings this month. The club heard from Junior Rotarians Aaliyah Walton, Kaitlyn Broughton, and David Barajas while Gabriella Loomis drove them there and provided moral support in the crowd. Then the program turned to representatives from New Beginnings Center for Alcohol and Substance Abuse. Qualified Behavioral Health Provider and CIT Joseph May spoke at length about the services New Beginnings provides and talked about his own battle with substance abuse earlier in life. He touched on success stories and the need to stick with people and give them a chance to recover from their addictions and how New Beginnings helps this process in the lives of many people. New Beginnings services 10 counties, but DHS has also added another six to its service area, and they have offices in Warren, Crossett, Monticello, Pine Bluff, and McGehee. In Warren the residential and outpatient office is located at 412 York Street, while the one-year anniversary for the residential facility located on Woodlawn Street is coming up this month. They also have other residential housing available. Executive Director Holley Curry spoke about her passion for helping people in our community and wanted to let the community know that their residents have a curfew and are transported back to their communities of origin once they complete their care. In addition to the residential environment, they offer a family education group, social support group, urine testing, early recovery skills group, relapse prevention group, MAT (medication assisted treatment) program, outpatient treatment, and individual or conjoint sessions. They ended the program by answering some questions from those in attendance. The Rotary Club of Warren’s next meeting is Tuesday, March 25. If you are interested in joining, come join us for a meeting. Additionally, our main project is the Imagination Library. If you’d like to donate to the cause, get in touch with a Rotary Club member.
