My Sister’s Garden

Dear Friends,

A few years ago, the founder of our organization, Dr. Harris, who practices psychiatry in an academic setting, learned that her friend’s daughter was molested in high school and had turned to opioid use to treat her emotional pain. Around that time, another friend shared that her nephew struggled with substance use. He was in and out of multiple recovery programs, with each stay lasting for 90 days at most and then he would be back on the street when his insurance coverage ran out.

Despite her years of experience as a psychiatrist, Dr. Harris, like many other medical providers and the general community, misunderstood substance use as a “bad choice people were making.” She became aware, along with our other clinically-trained board members, that the current short-term treatment model was broken. Without a long-term recovery plan, it frequently resulted in a cycle of continued drug use.

My Sister’s Garden, a not-for-profit organization, was founded to offer therapy, job skills, life skills and supervised supportive housing for women in recovery from the combination of trauma and opioid use to support their life-long success.

Over the past two years, we built the infrastructure of a well-functioning board, were awarded certification with Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services, opened our office and hired staff. Now you can be a part of helping us open the doors of our first recovery home!

Our 2022 campaign goal of $30,000 will help with

If you are a first-time donor, we hope this is only the beginning of your journey with us. If you have previously donated, we are thankful for your continued support. No gift is too small to make a difference. If you cannot donate at this time, we hope you will still feel compelled to share our story with friends and family.

We also welcome all donations, including volunteer work and other non-monetary forms of support.

About Us:

My Sister's Garden provides a whole-person approach to supporting women recovering from addiction. Here, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to recovery. We explore how each woman arrived at her current stage in life. We strive to heal wounds of the past and help women cultivate healthy skills that build a strong foundation for their future. Women can expect to be cared for in a way that is unique to their own journey.

When speaking with people who have first-hand experience with substance use, we have learned that many treatment programs in our area merely scratch the surface and leave individuals feeling alone, potentially contributing to the cycle of addiction. We are proud to use evidence-based, scientific methods. We include members of the recovery community in the conversation to shape our therapeutic program.

Our mission is to support the life-long success of women who have experienced the harms of addiction. We will ensure that every woman in our care has access to the tools and resources they need to be successful today and every day.

My Sister’s Garden is a Section 501(c)3 nonprofit, and your gift may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes to the extent allowed under applicable law.

Learn more at www.mysistersgarden.net

My Sister’s Garden is a non profit organization formed to sustain the long-term recovery of women who have experienced the harms of  addiction. 

Donna’s* parents called her, “Stupid” and “Ugly.” They locked her in the basement for hours at a time “in order to teach her a lesson.” Both of her parents used drugs. She dropped out of school at 14 and shortly thereafter she went to live on the street.

 

At age 30, Donna was picked up for soliciting. She was so bruised by the men in her life that she could barely lift her head from the jail cell floor. Donna listened as Beth, crouched beside her, spoke softly and assured her that she is a worthwhile person.

 

As Beth began to explain the benefits of joining a 2-year supervised program called CHANGE court, Donna felt hope. Donna opted to join the program and she began to happily count each day that she was healthy and free of substances.

 

Beth is at the forefront of helping women break the cycle of addiction. She works as the CHANGE court coordinator and she volunteers with My Sister’s Garden. Beth channels her own survival from a serious medical condition to empowering other women to be survivors.

 

Donna overcame many obstacles during her time in CHANGE court — physical cravings to return to using illicit substances, being honest about a relapse, a pregnancy and difficulty finding housing but she graduated with a healthy baby, a job and her own apartment.

 

Sadly, Donna’s strength continues to be tested every day.

 

As she waits at the bus stop to get to work, people throw drug samplers at her feet. Bus drivers often drive past her, claiming they are full, so that they can stay on schedule and not wait for a stroller to be folded and carried aboard.

 

My Sister’s Garden is building capacity to support the safe housing and transportation needs of CHANGE court graduates and other women in recovery from opioid dependence.

 

Your contributions will fund:

 

My Sister’s Garden could use a partner like you in order to extend our reach. Please consider a generous gift today.

 

My Sister's Garden is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible as charitable contributions to the fullest extent allowed by the law.

 

My Sister's Garden

P.O. Box 37169

Cincinnati OH 45222

https://mysistersgarden.net/

 

 

*name and minor details changed to protect identity