Southern Pines, NC- Sandhills Adult & Teen Challenge (ATC) is excited to announce that students enrolled in the organization’s 9-month substance abuse program will soon have another great opportunity to prepare for success after treatment. Sandhills Community College (SCC) has been meeting with a few key leaders at ATC, including Brian Decker, Assistant Director, who has a burden to see students equipped with education and skills aimed at sharpening their toolboxes in preparation for their eventual return home. Decker, a 2009 graduate of the ATC program, is orchestrating a new partnership with the college that will bring a college-level skills training to students in the Adult & Teen Challenge Training Center’s Phase III program. Decker stated, “We’ll meet with students in Phase I to begin sparking interest in the college-level skills training and certificate programs that await them in later phases of our program. This gives them something exciting to look forward to, but only after they work through their addiction issues and the reasons they initially came to ATC.“
Currently, clients enter the program and after the initial 30-day crisis program, transfer to one of the organization’s Induction Centers in either the Greater Charlotte or Fayetteville areas for 90 days. “These first 4 months are intense and a lot of healing, counseling, and spiritual formation takes place. However, once the men begin feeling better and more time has passed since their days of active addiction, many of them wonder if they need to continue in treatment or begin looking forward to what is next. Now, we will have the opportunity to join them on that journey as they discover next steps” said Russ Cambria, CEO. The expanded partnership with SCC is generating excitement across the organization. Steve Coleman, Executive Director, believes this is a game-changer. “We have been in partnership with SCC for our GED program and have experienced great success. Moving forward, we can expand by offering college-level training beyond general education assisting students in preparing for a new life and, possibly, a new career.” Larry Caddell, Chairman of the Board for Adult & Teen Challenge Sandhills also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees for SCC. He believes that the two organizations have a lot to offer one another and is excited to be a part of this pilot program.
SCC and ATC look to January 2023 as the launch date for the new program.
For ATC students who are in need of basic job-readiness skills and basic education regarding resume building, interviewing techniques, along with personality and career assessments, the organization is also working with Central Carolina Community College for additional options. The possibilities are many and the timing for this type of addition to the ATC program is right. As the organization establishes new partnerships and programs, the leadership team is constantly considering opportunities that support growth and healthy program development.
