How wonderful it is when things come together so seamlessly.  What is the saying?  If you never ask, the answer will always be no.  How true that is in this situation. 

The following events all evolved from a simple question raised by Captain Todd Sorenson on his first day at the helm of the Support Services Division of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. In diving into his new assignment, Captain Sorenson toured the Pathways Village Recovery Living Program.  As he learned more about the program and the remarkable work they do to help citizens in the community, he became inspired to help and simply asked Director Jennifer Godwin, “What do you need?” and she answered plainly, “I need a van.”  Having a van to transport the clients in the program around town to appointments, treatment, and meetings was a massive need for Jennifer, but Captain Sorenson could not think of an easier request to try to fulfill.  As a member of the 970 Church, Sorenson approached his Pastor, Jon Drackett, and again, asked a simple question.  “Can we help?”  His pastor answered, “Absolutely, we can help!”

Yesterday in Clifton, the 970 Church donated a 15-person passenger van to the Pathways Recovery Living Program.  “Peri,” as they had nicknamed the periwinkle-colored vehicle, is a bit older and actually requires real keys to open the doors and start the ignition.  “Peri needs to warm up a bit before you take him for a drive,”  warned Pastor Drackett, but he assured the group that came to take the inaugural ride that the van was reliable, but if they ever had any problems with it, the 970 Church would step in and fix it for them.

The Pathways Village Recovery Living Program (RLP) is located in the Pathways Homeward Bound Building in Grand Junction.  RLP is a six-month, faith-based (Christian) substance use treatment program.  It offers mental health, medical, laundry, meals, housing, and work opportunities, trauma-informed substance use disorder treatment, life skills, employment preparedness, case management, and peer support, among many others.  The program is contained within that one building, and the participants in the program spend most of their time in treatment: attending classes, meetings, reading, and journaling.  Twenty-five hours each week is set aside for purposeful onsite work assignments.

When Pathways Director Jennifer Godwin arrived to accept the keys to the van, she stated the clients had already been “calling” their seats in their new ride.  So, we had them all climb in and show us the seats they chose to call their own.  The excitement was certainly contagious, and the generosity was inspiring.

Thank you, Captain Todd Sorenson, the 970 Church, and Pastor Jon Drackett; your generosity and thoughtfulness have made a massive difference in many people’s day.