Applications are being accepted through May 15 for the first of two cycles in the 2019 Bridge of Hope scholarship program, which provides funds for those in addiction recovery to pursue vocational training or education.
"Last year for the year of 2018 we gave nine scholarships away," said Susan Hoover, a program officer with the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, which administers the program.
"They went to Garnett, Marshall, West Virginia State, WVU Parkersburg and Marshall University School of Medicine, but they can also be used for other kinds of training programs."
Bridge of Hope started, unofficially, about three years ago when Lynne Fruth, of Fruth Pharmacy, met a recovering addict at a town hall meeting about drugs.
"I was so impressed to see somebody who had been formerly a drug user who was now a handsome, well-dressed young man that was a good role model, that was really giving all that back, in terms of trying to give what he got to other people," she said.
It was particularly touching because, like so many people, Fruth said her family, too, has been touched by substance abuse issues.
With a well-established history of providing scholarships through the family businesses, what came next was a natural step.
"We agreed to do a scholarship for a young man who had finished a Recovery Point" residential addiction treatment program, she said.
"And it would be used for education because my big thing was, you can get people well but if you don't get them back into a gainful employment where they have a better sense of self-worth, where they're able to contribute to the care for their family and returning them to the community, then, you know, we've gotten them all the way up to the end but then we haven't crossed that finish line."
At a ceremony to acknowledge scholarship recipients, Fruth remembers seeing the family members for the recovery scholar.
"What I realized was, these people are not embarrassed that their son used to be a drug addict. They're proud that he's overcome that," she said.
The next year they offered two scholarships specifically earmarked for those in recovery. But it still felt like there was more that could be done.
"Bridge of Hope got established in December of 2017," said Fruth. The name came from her favorite movie, "The Shawshank Redemption."
"They talk about hope and how hope is a good thing and that you have to hang on to hope, and I said most people who are in these circumstances suffer from a loss of hope. They don't have any hope that their life will ever be different than what it is now, that they could ever be in a different position. And so to be able to give people hope was a critical function of getting this going."
For decades, her family had focused its scholarship efforts on traditional programs for graduating high school seniors, employees and their families, or people going into the pharmaceutical industry. But there was so much suffering and despair attached to addiction issues that she felt it was time to broaden the focus.
"The world was changing and it was time to think about scholarships in a different way," she said. "So I said we would commit $20,000 to kick the fund off."
She called a meeting with key health and recovery officials, excited to announce the new Bridge of Hope program. What she got was a polite, lukewarm response.
They were pleased about the program, sure, but overwhelmed at the prospects of fundraising.
Planning to formally announce the program at Recovery Point on Dec. 17, 2017, Fruth began quietly reaching out -- and collecting checks -- from contacts in the pharmacy world, including Walgreens, the Cabell Huntington Foundation, Cardinal Health and others.
"When I stood up I said, you know, here's the $20,000 check from Fruth but I want you all to know that we have a commitment for $100,000," she said. "They were all just blown away."
Arron Walker is working as a recovery coach through the Appalachian Re-entry Assistance program, which works to lower recidivism rates for addicts being paroled in Kanawha, Cabell and Mercer counties.
He is the picture of success, but he has been where they have been. He has struggled and fallen, and has found the strength to get back up and move forward. His home, his family and his job are things he doesn't take for granted.
By the spring of 2018, notices about the new Bridge of Hope scholarship program went out, and landed in the inbox of a colleague.
"He said, 'I think you would be a really good candidate for this.' ... And lo and behold about a month later, I received an email that said, you know, 'You qualify. We've accepted you as a recipient,'" Walker said.
"It was wonderful. You're talking to a guy who hasn't qualified for much other than food stamps. So that was a pretty big deal, you know?"
Being invited to the recipient dinner, being able to attend a fancy event with his wife by his side, was also a big deal, he said, and a meaningful sign that the community is rallying behind those in recovery.
He received $1,500 toward tuition or books, and plans to enroll at West Virginia State University this fall. He might study criminal justice. He might study business and marketing, which would come in handy for future projects like the Spartan House he and a partner started this year.
Mainly, though, he wants to do it for himself and his children.
"The reason I decided to go back to school was because I really never completed much in my life," he said. "And to be able to say, 'Hey, I got an education,' that's pretty important."
Applications for round one of the 2019 Bridge of Hope scholarship program will be accepted through May 15, and round two will be open from Sept. 1 through Nov. 15. Applications can be submitted online through the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation's special initiatives section: www.tgkvf.org/special-initiatives/bridge-hope-scholarship/.