Keep Eagle Recovery Center Open
Donation protected
Eagle first began as Eagle Christian Ministries as the vision of Jim and Lisa McWhirter to serve as a healing place for men struggling with addiction. The vision came from the pain of addiction and recovery in their own family experience.
They found and purchased the current Eagle campus at great personal financial risk after much prayer and strong faith. They, along with their son, Scott, provided a program of intense, Christ-focused addiction recovery and healing for men who were full- time residents learning accountability, responsibility, turning bad habits into good and learning to fall in love with Jesus. Over fifty men went through this program between 2008 and 2011, and dozens gave their lives to Jesus, being baptized in His name. The men’s program was phased out in the summer of 2011 when the focus shifted primarily to women.
The Eagle Women’s Sober-Living program began in early 2010 after Lisa had attended a seminar where she learned the plight of a certain population segment of women in the state of Oklahoma. She learned that Oklahoma had the highest rate of incarceration of women for non-violent offenses in the nation and that many were caught in a vicious cycle which kept sending them back to prison with little hope of breaking that cycle. Upon release and after accruing steep fines while incarcerated, women were expected to be productive citizens and repay their fines with absolutely no support system. They were handed fifty dollars and dropped off on a street corner and basically wished “good luck”.
This convicted Lisa into action and the current women’s program was born. Again, at great personal risk and sacrifice, they renovated a townhouse apartment building into a group home suitable for comfortably housing at least ten women. Lora Williams, herself recovering from addiction with a passion to help others who has never received compensation, was recruited as a resident volunteer to direct this program.
When the men’s program was phased out, the women’s program was moved to the 13-acre campus on East Reno. There have been times when the current location and the renovated townhouse were both used. Currently, the townhouse is only used for overflow.
The women’s program is designed to provide an opportunity for women who have struggled with drug and/or alcohol addiction to rebuild their lives and relationships in a safe, structured environment where accountability is top priority and where Jesus is King. We provide transportation to and from work, court and parole/probation appointments, grocery stores, recovery meetings, medical appointments and church. Residents are required to work, remain drug/alcohol-free, attend regular recovery meetings, Bible studies and church worship. Professional Counseling is provided for those who need it at no charge.
The women pay a weekly program fee which covers about 20% of operational costs. Since inception, we have served more than 140 women, dozens of which have recommitted their lives to Jesus or given them to Him for the very first time.
Recently, we added a facility minister on staff, Donna Stevens-Leonard, who has added stability and nurturing to the Eagle experience.
This work is not glamorous and it often gets messy. We always operate under a financial deficit, but the commitment of the McWhirters allows us to continue, for now. We have a few financial supporters, but for us to continue this work on the front lines of addiction, we need more. We need you. We currently run with a $25,000 deficit every quarter. To keep Eagle Recovery Center open, we must overcome this deficit. Will you help us save lives and restore families? Your gift is tax-deductible since Eagle Christian Ministries, dba Eagle Recovery Center, is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.
They found and purchased the current Eagle campus at great personal financial risk after much prayer and strong faith. They, along with their son, Scott, provided a program of intense, Christ-focused addiction recovery and healing for men who were full- time residents learning accountability, responsibility, turning bad habits into good and learning to fall in love with Jesus. Over fifty men went through this program between 2008 and 2011, and dozens gave their lives to Jesus, being baptized in His name. The men’s program was phased out in the summer of 2011 when the focus shifted primarily to women.
The Eagle Women’s Sober-Living program began in early 2010 after Lisa had attended a seminar where she learned the plight of a certain population segment of women in the state of Oklahoma. She learned that Oklahoma had the highest rate of incarceration of women for non-violent offenses in the nation and that many were caught in a vicious cycle which kept sending them back to prison with little hope of breaking that cycle. Upon release and after accruing steep fines while incarcerated, women were expected to be productive citizens and repay their fines with absolutely no support system. They were handed fifty dollars and dropped off on a street corner and basically wished “good luck”.
This convicted Lisa into action and the current women’s program was born. Again, at great personal risk and sacrifice, they renovated a townhouse apartment building into a group home suitable for comfortably housing at least ten women. Lora Williams, herself recovering from addiction with a passion to help others who has never received compensation, was recruited as a resident volunteer to direct this program.
When the men’s program was phased out, the women’s program was moved to the 13-acre campus on East Reno. There have been times when the current location and the renovated townhouse were both used. Currently, the townhouse is only used for overflow.
The women’s program is designed to provide an opportunity for women who have struggled with drug and/or alcohol addiction to rebuild their lives and relationships in a safe, structured environment where accountability is top priority and where Jesus is King. We provide transportation to and from work, court and parole/probation appointments, grocery stores, recovery meetings, medical appointments and church. Residents are required to work, remain drug/alcohol-free, attend regular recovery meetings, Bible studies and church worship. Professional Counseling is provided for those who need it at no charge.
The women pay a weekly program fee which covers about 20% of operational costs. Since inception, we have served more than 140 women, dozens of which have recommitted their lives to Jesus or given them to Him for the very first time.
Recently, we added a facility minister on staff, Donna Stevens-Leonard, who has added stability and nurturing to the Eagle experience.
This work is not glamorous and it often gets messy. We always operate under a financial deficit, but the commitment of the McWhirters allows us to continue, for now. We have a few financial supporters, but for us to continue this work on the front lines of addiction, we need more. We need you. We currently run with a $25,000 deficit every quarter. To keep Eagle Recovery Center open, we must overcome this deficit. Will you help us save lives and restore families? Your gift is tax-deductible since Eagle Christian Ministries, dba Eagle Recovery Center, is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.
Organizer
Ivan Gonzalez
Organizer
Oklahoma City, OK