Get Clean, Stay Clean Initiative
I opened 7 Bridges Soap Company with my family, not just because we are passionate about what people put on their bodies-- but because we are passionate about recovery, mental health and poverty.
When I was a little girl growing up in Appalachia, my grandmother taught me many of the "old ways." She taught me that there was a time when people understood that if they took care of the land, the land would provide for all their physical needs; and if they took care of the mind, the mind would be at peace.
As I got older, I spent less and less time with my family, like most kids. I was busy with school, sports, extra-curricular activities, part-time jobs, and trying to get to college. I had my whole future mapped out. Everyone thought I was "killing it." But what they didn't know was that I had a secret... I was struggling with depression, anxiety and ZERO self-worth. Keeping those secrets was exhausting, so eventually I tried medications, which only led to more problems and before long-- I was in over my head. It took me thirteen years to find the surface.
During that thirteen-year struggle, I found myself deeply connected with a community of people just like myself... and I couldn't help but wonder, "Where is the way out for us?" as I watched countless friends lose the battle with mental health and substance use disorder. I almost lost the battle, myself. I made a promise that if I ever got better, I would give back.
I meant that. For almost a decade after I got sober, I worked in mental health facilities and addiction treatment centers. I volunteered religiously at recovery programs, and worked in court-ordered out patient treatment programs. I lead 12step classes, and started a parenting class to help people in recovery re-acclimate to parenting when their rights were restored to them. Those positions afforded me the chance to broaden my perspective and gain a deeper understanding of the healing process. I learned exactly what techniques are effective, and which ones need a complete overhaul.
My mission is to take everything I learned and put it to good use for the benefit of an entire community of people who are often cast aside, by opening 7 Bridges Alternative Care Center, (or 7BACC).
7BACC will provide tailor-made healing services via counseling, relapse prevention training, job coaching, confidence-building exercises, cognitive and dialectical behavior therapy, nutrition coaching, art workshops plus a vast array of opportunities to participate in workshops where clients can learn hands-on skills for sustainable and independent living. My clients won't leave my center with just a coin and a bill for the insurance company, and they certainly won't leave with a new addiction . My clients will leave with real skills that are applicable in their daily life, and my clients will leave knowing they are cared for because I GENUINELY DO CARE and I know that's the real medicine.
"So how are you going to make this happen?" you might be asking.
The answer is, I'm not, but WE ARE. Because every time you buy from us, your contributing to our mission. You are helping build bridges for a community.