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We say this a lot at Haywood Pathways. It is, through the transforming power of the love of Jesus Christ, our mission. We do this by feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and working to reduce recidivism in Haywood County.
As a child, Kelli was no stranger to the presence or effects of alcohol. In her teen years, she started to use alcohol herself. Before she knew it, Kelli was fully addicted to alcohol as well as other substances. Her relationship with her oldest son was strained when Kelli found herself in jail on possession charges. While there, she met one of the Pathways’ Peer Support Specialists who helped support her desire for recovery. Kelli was pregnant and realized she wanted the cycle of addiction and poverty to stop with her. Kelli went into labor while in jail and had her baby while handcuffed to the bed, furthering her resolve to provide a different future for her baby. Kelli and Baby Eli entered the MyrKen Dorm for Moms and Children when Eli was just 5 days old. He is, to date, our youngest resident. Kelli focused on Eli and her future. She maintained sobriety, fed her faith, completed probation, rebuilt relationships with her extended family, reinstated her driver’s license, obtained a vehicle and nurtured her baby. At the end of her time at Pathways, Kelli successfully moved into transitional housing where she and Baby Eli will have the opportunity to reside for another year. This is what breaking cycles and building foundations look like. Baby Eli has a new and different chance than he would have otherwise had. So does his older brother. So does his mom.
Power of a Community
This is also the power of a community that comes together to embody what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Pathways’ staff were here, but so were the multitudes of volunteers who cooked and served food, donated time and money to create the building that sheltered them, the Bible study leaders, dorm hostesses, chaplains, and babysitters. YOU matter. YOU change lives. WE have the power to give these babies a new and different chance in life than they might have otherwise had Haywood Pathways Center is at a critical moment. We are offering increased quantity and quality of services, but we need your help to keep going. Without the support of the Haywood County community, Pathways would not be able to help people move out of homelessness. Did you know that in 2019, over 70% of Pathways’ residents had stable monthly income with over 50% of those people working? Of those working, 80% are working full-time. They are contributing to the community economy, saving money, moving forward. Approximately 60% of those who leave Pathways move into housing. For families, 75% move into housing. Within the jail, 90% of the 290 people served are leaving jail engaged in recovery supports!
Breaking Cycles. Building Foundations.
This is what Easter is all about. Jesus came into the world and disrupted the status quo, the destructive cycles of the world as it was. Then, through his death and resurrection, he provided the base for a new foundation—the gospel and its message of grace, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, and resurrection.
Thank you again for all the ways in which you support Haywood Pathways!
Sincerely,
Mandy Haithcox,
Executive Director
2020 Haywood Pathways Center Board Members
Lee Davis, Chair
Jim Blyth, Vice-Chair
Tom Fogarty, Treasurer
Aryn Williams-Ruebel, Secretary
Greg Christopher
Lane Perry
Nick Honerkamp
Michelle Mull
Wendolyn Forbes
Ken Brown
Kristine Cartwright
Jared Iraggi
Consider an annual sponsorship:
Gold ($25,000)
Silver ($10,000)
Bronze ($5,000)
Mandy Haithcox,
Executive Director
179 Hemlock Street
Waynesville NC 28786
mandy@haywoodpathways.org
828-246-0332
