Who We Are
SpiritWorks Foundation Center for the Soul is a 501(c)(3) Recovery Community Organization (RCO) based in Williamsburg, VA. Founded in 2005, we are pioneers in a growing field of peer led addiction recovery and wellness organizations.
SpiritWorks Foundation is comprised of, and led primarily by, people who live in recovery from addiction. We deliver peer-to-peer programs and services for children, youth, and adults living in recovery from the disease of addiction. Our programs and services build resilience in children, inspire youth to live drug free, and support, educate and empower adults who live in recovery.
Our Organization's Mission
The mission of SpiritWorks Foundation is to help individuals live free from the intergenerational cycle of addiction in their families.
Who We Serve
We serve individuals affected by the disease of addiction by helping them live drug free. We provide peer led programs and services to individuals and families to deepen their understanding of the chronic disease, equip them with effective recovery management skills and deliver them specialized recovery tools. SpiritWorks offers a wide range of programs, for all age groups including children and teen educational groups, discovery groups for women and men, recovery support services and community activities.
Our Programs
Discovery Groups for Women
Discovery Groups are empowerment groups for women of every race, religion, ideology and sexual preference who seek to commune with other women to expand their definition of Self, to heal from addiction, abuse, racism, sexism, to become more whole, and to develop a passion for all of life.
The group uses the healing concepts developed by Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D., as outlined in her book – Many Roads, One Journey. Dr. Kasl examines self-esteem, addiction and co-dependency in the context of internalized oppression. The model is designed to empower women to find their own voices, sources of strength and spirituality.
Children of Families at Risk (CFAR)
The Children of Families at Risk program is a curriculum based education program for children and youth grades 1-12 growing up in families with, or at risk for, alcoholism or other drug addictions. CFAR empowers children and youth to feel safe, to develop resiliency, and to be supported.
The mission of CFAR is:
To break the intergenerational cycle of addiction in families.
The vision of CFAR is:
By 2032, we envision a world in which children living in families with addiction are safe, resilient, and supported.
Recovery Support Services
Recovery Support Services are non-clinical services that assist in removing barriers and providing resources to those contemplating, initiating, and maintaining recovery.
The purpose of Recovery Support Services is to:
-prevent relapse
-promote long term recovery
-increase Recovery Capital
SpiritWorks Foundation offers three distinct types of Recovery Support Services for our clients
Recovery Management and Life Coaching
• Enables the individual to discover purpose and meaning in their life;
• Takes into account the individual’s life story and major life themes, tasks and lessons thereby allowing the individual to continue in personal transformation;
• Fosters personal transformation and a more conscious understanding of life;
• Utilizes the practice of observation, self-reflection, and artistic working to develop a sense of harmony and balance for the individual.
Telephone Recovery Support
Goal of the Telephone Recovery Support is to provide additional recovery support to individuals who discharge from residential treatment programs, to include jail programs, or who are clients in active outpatient treatment.
Recovery Action Planning
The purpose of Recovery Action Planning is to develop and incorporate wellness tools into a personal management and recovery system.
Recovery Action Planning is designed to:
• Decrease and prevent relapse
• Increase personal empowerment
• Improve quality of life
• Assist people in achieving their goals and dreams
Upcoming Events
Lights of Healing December 2007 Lights of Healing is an annual event held during the winter hioliday season. A labyrinth made of luminaries is available for members of the community to walk. The purpose of the event is to allow individuals to honor a loved ones life in recovery.
Leadership Profile
Jan M. Brown is an advocate and champion for wellness and choice around living a drug free lifestyle. Ms Brown has lived in recovery from addiction for the past twenty years. Jan's vocation is as a consultant coach. She utilizes her life experience as part of her experiential knowledge base. Her areas of expertise are in addiction recovery and brain injury recovery. In her role as consultant coach Jan works as a Recovery Coach for Soul Salt working with people throughout the country.
Jan serves as Founding and Executive Director for SpiritWorks Foundation Center for the Soul, the Center for Addiction Recovery & Wellness. Jan is a noted national speaker on brain injury and addiction recovery and committee member for various community, regional and national organizations. She is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a member of the ICF Special Interest Group on Recovery, a participant in Recovery Coaching forums and active in several e communities.
Jan earned a B.A. in Psychology from the College of William and Mary in 1996. She is currently seeking Associate Coach Credentialing with the International Coaching Federation and studying to receive certification as a Professional Recovery Coach through Crossroads Coaching.
Board of Directors
Bunkie Righter, David Allen, Karyn Painter, Penelope Ziegler
Board of Advisors
Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D., author of Many Roads, One Journey; Women, Sex & Addiction;
Major Supporters and Sponsors
Williamsburg Community Health Foundation
Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services
| Year Founded : |
2005 |
| 501(c)(3) Ruling Year : |
2006 |
| Full-Time Employees : |
1 |
| Volunteers : |
5 |
What Sets Us Apart
At our core is the fundamental belief system that WE DO RECOVER. As a peer led, peer run organization, our very lives depend upon that statement being true.
SpiritWorks Foundation is one of approximately 175 peer led recovery community organizations in the country. We are incorporated as a 501-c3 organization.
We utilize a strengths based approach in our work with our clients. At SpiritWorks, we believe that we are not broken and therefore do not need to be fixed. We operate under the premise that each of us is whole and hold as a truth that people are the experts on themselves.
We have developed an exclusive family of people who have chosen recovery. By recovery, we mean a voluntary lifestyle, which contains three essential and necessary qualities. The first is abstinence or sobriety, the second, health and wellness, which we describe as ongoing self-care and third, a connection to community.
Finally, we focus on women and families. This is not to say that we do not include men in our programming, we are simply very intentional about including women ensuring that they know SpiritWorks is a safe, supportive, affirming place for them to be.
Objectives for This Fiscal Year
The two Wildly Important Goals (WIGS) for the fiscal year ending December 2007 are to increase the number of distinct programs at SpiritWorks from 2 - 5 and to increase the number of individuals served from 10 - 110.
To date, we have met the first goal. We have done so by adding three new programs to the service menu, Recovery Support Services, the Recovery Resource Room, and Yoga.
For the second goal, we are slightly below 70% and are confident that we will exceed our goal by the end of the year.
In reality, we have served in excess of 800 people. We offer a newsletter, Pass It On... which has more than 350 regular subscribers. We offer monthly Community Hours with an average of 5 - 7 people attending. We regularly offer the Center to outside community organizations and individuals for meeting, workshops and retreats. These events have brought well over 150 people to the Center since March. We hosted the Recovery Month picnic which was attended by more than 100 individuals and families.
The 110 people that we plan to serve are those who receive direct support from SpiritWorks. These supports include adults that are members of Discovery Group, children and youth who participate in the Children of Families at Risk Program(CFAR), individuals who Recovery Support Services, adults, children and youth who take Yoga, and those who utilize the Recovery Resource Room for books and other materials.
Recent Accomplishments
The first ever Recovery Month Picnic was held in September 2007.
SpiritWorks held a successful Recovery Month film series in September.
SpiritWorks Foundation moved into its Center March 1, 2008.
