Category: Success Stories

Open post Hallie's Journey to Recovery

From Survival to Revival: Hallie’s Journey to Recovery

At age 41, Hallie Franceschi never thought she’d be here.

After decades trapped in addiction, multiple incarcerations, and losing custody of her children, she now wakes up each morning in her Mountville home with something she never had before: choices.

“I never thought that I would ever be here,” Hallie said, her voice filled with a combination of relief and disbelief. “The fact that I get to wake up today and decide what I want to do—and I can change my mind tomorrow if I want—I can do that now.”

But the path to this point was anything but straight.

Early Descent

Hallie’s struggle with addiction began early—around age 11 or 12. There was no gradual progression, no slow descent into substance use. As she put it, “It was off to the races as soon as I started.”

While her peers experimented with alcohol or marijuana, Hallie quickly gravitated toward harder substances … pills, heroin, “anything I could get my hands on,” she said. Even then, she felt like an outsider—someone missing what everyone else seemed to have.

“I could be in a room of my peers and just not feel part of the group,” Hallie said. “I always just felt like an alien, like I was missing something that everybody else was getting.”

Growing up in what she describes as a “good house” with working parents—her mother a nurse, her father a mental health services worker—Hallie was “the last person anybody would have thought would grow up and be a heroin addict.” Her parents’ divorce during her early teens created plenty of emotional turmoil, but it also created something else, too: opportunities for her addiction to flourish under decreased supervision.

The Spiral Continues

Despite her struggles with substances, Hallie managed to excel academically, taking accelerated classes and graduating high school. She even earned acceptance to the University of Pittsburgh, where she planned to study marketing and advertising design. But the pull of addictive substances proved stronger than her academic ambitions.

“I wasn’t able to show up for any of it,” she said. “Could I pass things? Could I write papers? Yes. I could kind of white-knuckle my way through it. But I could only go so far with that before professors were like, ‘All right, I don’t know what you’re doing, but you can’t do this.'”

Years of Survival

What followed was decades of what Hallie described as “living like an animal.” Her world shrank to a singular focus: drugs—how to get them and what she needed to do to obtain them. Everything else fell away.

The cost was devastating. She lost custody of her three children. Multiple arrests led to years of incarceration. Despite attempts to enter recovery and maintain sobriety through various programs, nothing stuck.

“I had completely accepted that this is what my life had become,” she said.

The cycle of substance abuse led to increasingly dangerous situations. She faced multiple DUIs, assaults, and other charges.

“Chaos was just kind of my jam,” she said, reflecting on years spent cycling through jail stays, failed attempts at stability, and deeper descents into addiction.

Rock Bottom and Beyond

Even during periods of apparent stability—maintaining jobs as an executive assistant or in commercial cleaning—her addiction always won.

“Who wants to show up for work?” she remembered thinking. “I want to go out and do drugs.”

The pattern seemed unbreakable until her final incarceration. This time, the court offered early release on one condition: she had to go to rehab. This ultimatum led her to Colonial House in York, PA, where she spent three months. It was there she first heard about The GateHouse and faced a fork in the road.

“I still had a home to go back to,” Hallie said, “but I knew if I did, it was just going to be the same thing. So, I took a leap of faith, listened to a couple of people, and ended up at The GateHouse.”

Finding Her Way at The GateHouse

When Hallie arrived at The GateHouse in May 2021, she said she was “a shell of a person.”

“I had nothing. I didn’t even have myself,” she recalls. “I wasn’t capable of holding a job. My clothes were disgusting. I had just spent the last 25 years surviving.”

The GateHouse became more than a recovery program for Hallie—it became a bridge back to humanity. Staff members helped her navigate the basics of modern life that had passed her by during years of substance abuse and incarceration. Simple things like electronic payments at stores or using ride-sharing apps were foreign concepts.

“They took me out and just showed me the world with this whole different mindset,” Hallie said. “They showed me that I can fit in somewhere without the use of drugs.”

Learning to Live Again

The program introduced Hallie to activities she’d never experienced before—bowling, miniature golf, movies with friends.

“These were not things that I did,” she said. “Just participating with other people that were staying straight and didn’t want to get high anymore, it was strange. Getting through all of that weird, awkward stuff was uncomfortable, but I did it.”

Through The GateHouse’s programs, Hallie progressed from Residential Extended Care to GateHouse Transitional Living. Each step built upon the last, helping her develop crucial life skills and self-confidence.

“They showed me how to do things for myself,” she said. “Nobody did anything for me. They just showed me what I could do. That empowerment—I can’t even explain how much that meant to me.”

Building a New Life

Today, Hallie has her own place, shares her home with a roommate she met at The GateHouse, and works at an aerospace engineering company. More importantly, she’s exploring new career possibilities that align with her desire to give back to others. She’s even reconnected with one of her children.

Her goals have evolved as she’s grown in recovery.

“Things that I thought I wanted, I no longer want,” she said. “I’m trying to find a job, a career that is more authentic to who I am and what I can contribute. That’s become super important to me.”

The Power of Support

As Lancaster County’s Extraordinary Give approaches, Hallie’s story exemplifies why The GateHouse is so vital. The transformation from survival to revival doesn’t happen in isolation—it requires support, structure, and a community that believes in second chances.

“Everybody deserves a chance at success,” Hallie said. “If I can do this, and if my life can change because of a place like GateHouse, it can happen for anybody. I’m not special. There are so many people just needing that little bit of extra encouragement, those little glimmers of hope that their lives can get better.”

When asked how it feels to be at this point in her life, Hallie paused for a moment and then smiled.

“It’s nice to get to a place where I feel like I can just breathe,” she said. “I can trust in the fact that, because I put the work in, I can figure it all out without burning my life to the ground. That is a wonderful feeling.”

 

Hallie (right) and her roommate in their new apartment after Hallie’s graduation from GateHouse Transitional Living.

 

During this year’s Extraordinary Give, please join us in ‘Giving Extra’ to help community members like Hallie continue their journey to recovery and build healthy, meaningful lives. Your support helps to provide a foundation that makes transformation possible. Visit our Extraordinary Give page to bookmark our page and make a contribution on Nov. 22.

 

 

Open post Bryanna Adams reunited with her family after completing The GateHouse addiction recovery program in Lancaster PA

‘Giving Extra’ by Rebuilding a Life: Bryanna’s Recovery Story

Bryanna Adams knows how quickly substance use disorder can consume a life.

“I would have never imagined that I would have had to go through what I went through,” she said. “But in some crazy, weird way, it was meant for me to be in recovery.”

Today, at 26, Bryanna is three years into her recovery journey. She works for a treatment center, helping others find their way to recovery. But before she could help others, Bryanna had to find her own path – a path that led her to The GateHouse.

 

From Casual Use to Losing Everything

Bryanna Adams

Bryanna’s journey into addiction began like many others – casual use as a teenager that gradually deepened.

“I was always that person that wanted more and more and more of everything,” she said.

Growing up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Bryanna came from a good family with a promising future. She was a homecoming queen, played sports, and graduated from one of the best high schools in Pennsylvania. Not long after graduation, she started college, pursuing a degree to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN).

But beneath the surface, Bryanna was struggling.

“I always knew that there was something wrong,” she said, reflecting on her tendency to get into troubling situations even before her substance use escalated.

By her early 20s, Bryanna had dropped out of nursing school without telling her family. She moved in with a boyfriend, and her drinking and casual drug use began to increase. Soon, she met people who introduced her to harder drugs.

“I left my mom’s house,” Bryanna said. “I didn’t tell her where I was going. She had no idea that these types of things were happening.”

Bryanna found herself living with a dealer, caught in a cycle of addiction that included crack cocaine, MDMA (a.k.a. ecstasy or molly), and other substances. The once-promising student was now trapped in a world she never imagined for herself.

“It got really, really ugly, really, really fast,” Bryanna said. She lost touch with her family, engaged in dangerous situations, and even turned to prostitution to support her habit.

“I was in a lot of dangerous situations,” she said. “I could have lost my life plenty of times.”

 

The Turning Point: A Mother’s Love and a Judge’s Decision

Bryanna Adams recovery story familyAfter years of substance abuse and multiple attempts at rehab, Bryanna’s turning point came when she faced legal consequences for violating her probation. She had been on probation since 2018 for a minor charge unrelated to her drug use, but her addiction kept her from dealing with her legal obligations.

Bryanna’s mother, desperate to help her daughter, convinced her to attend a court date, knowing Bryanna might face jail time.

“May 2, 2021, I planned everything out,” Bryanna remembered. “I told my mom. I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to court. I’m just gonna get myself together and make it to court.'”

Knowing it might be her last chance to use, Bryanna got as high as she could before her mother picked her up.

“I don’t even remember getting in the car,” she said. “It was just like everything was moving in slow motion.”

The judge sentenced Bryanna to 98 days in York County Prison.

“May 3, 2021,” she said. “That was the last day I used anything.”

 

The GateHouse: A Foundation for Lasting Recovery

Bryanna Adams recovery story The GateHouseAfter completing her jail sentence, Bryanna was sent to a rehab facility for another 98 days. It was there that she first heard about The GateHouse.

“Everybody kept telling me about The GateHouse,” Bryanna said. “It was The GateHouse this and The GateHouse that. They kept saying how it was this incredible place.”

Intrigued by what she heard, Bryanna told her counselor she wanted to go to this long-term recovery program everyone was talking about.

When Bryanna arrived at The GateHouse, she found more than just a place to stay clean. She found a supportive community, guidance for building a career, and the tools to reconstruct her life.

“The GateHouse made me feel like a person again,” Bryanna said. “The sisterhood with the women that were there was amazing. To this day, I’m still in contact with the women I met there. We really bonded. We carried each other while we were in there.”

At The GateHouse, Bryanna began to face the many emotional challenges she had been avoiding.

“I think for me, it was just like, facing them demons,” she said. “I could not face all the hurt and the pain that I put myself through, that I put my family through… the guilt was so overbearing.”

The staff at The GateHouse provided the support and structure Bryanna needed to confront these challenges.

“They just pulled stuff out of me,” she said. “They didn’t allow me to fight them. They were like, ‘Listen, we’re here to save your life. We’re here to help you get back into society.'”

As Bryanna progressed through the program, she began to rebuild her life. The GateHouse helped her find employment, reconnect with her family, and establish a foundation in recovery.

“If it wasn’t for The GateHouse, I don’t know where I would be today,” she said. “They literally saved my life.”

 

A Life Restored: Giving Back and Moving Forward

Today, Bryanna works at a treatment center, using her experience to help others struggling with addiction. She’s rebuilt relationships with her family, found a supportive partner who is also in recovery, and is actively involved in Narcotics Anonymous.

Bryanna’s recovery journey has brought her full circle. Her grandfather also suffered from substance use disorder and she said she remembers attending NA meetings with him as a child, making coffee for the attendees. Now, when she goes to meetings in Harrisburg, people remember her from those days.

“It’s a weird thing,” Bryanna said. “It’s like I was meant to finish what my granddad started.”

Bryanna’s commitment to helping others is a direct result of what she learned at The GateHouse.

“I have so much to give,” she said. “These were the things that we were taught at the GateHouse; help the next person, be there for somebody else.”

With three years of sobriety behind her and a new life in front of her, Bryanna continues to grow and face her challenges with the tools she gained at The GateHouse.

“I still go to meetings, I still do my step work,” Bryanna said. “I’m very involved with my sponsor. I have a lot of support—like, a lot of support–in the community.”

As she continues to focus on her recovery, her work, and giving back to others, Bryanna knows how close addiction will always be to her. And even though the desire to use drugs will never truly go away, Bryanna can envision a world where it no longer dominates her life.

“I’m finally starting to get to a place where it’s not even my first thought,” she said. “And that’s a blessing.”

 

The Ripple Effect of Recovery

From the depths of addiction to a life of purpose, Bryanna’s recovery story illustrates the vital role that long-term, supportive recovery programs play in changing people’s lives.

But the impact doesn’t stop with Bryanna. Every life touched by addiction affects countless others – family members, friends, and the broader community. By helping individuals like Bryanna find lasting recovery, The GateHouse creates a ripple effect of positive change that extends far beyond its walls.

As we approach this year’s Extraordinary Give, your support can help The GateHouse continue to provide the foundation for lasting recovery to individuals like Bryanna. By giving extra, you’re not just supporting an organization – you’re helping to rebuild lives, reunite families, and strengthen our community.

Join us in ‘Giving Extra’ to The GateHouse during the Extraordinary Give. Your contribution can be the turning point in someone’s journey from addiction to recovery, just as The GateHouse was for Bryanna.

To support The GateHouse and help more individuals like Bryanna find their path to recovery, please visit our ExtraGive page on Nov. 22. Every gift, no matter the size, can make an extraordinary difference in someone’s life.

 

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The GateHouse Turns 50: Remembering Recovery Program Supervisor Janice Potter

In December 2022, The GateHouse celebrated its 50th year of offering people a meaningful path to recovery. As part of this celebration, we are spotlighting prominent staff, leaders, and alumni and sharing their stories of their time at The GateHouse.

This month, we’re putting a spotlight on the late Janice Potter, a beloved Recovery Program Supervisor and one-time resident of The GateHouse, who passed away in 2022.

A Free and Compassionate Spirit

Before she became part of the team at The GateHouse, Janice Potter was a resident here. One of her best friends, Irene Mouchlizis, vividly remembers her arrival in 2000.

“She was a hot mess,” Irene said with a chuckle. “She was always fun … just a bit all over the place. She struggled to pay attention and had difficulty controlling impulsive behaviors, both of which made it difficult for her to focus on any one task.”

Despite this challenge, Janice displayed courage and determination through her early recovery.

“She worked really hard on being a better version of herself,” Irene said. “She knew that we are always a work in progress, so she never thought that she had reached a point where she had ‘arrived.’ She knew there was always more work to be done.”

Due to an unfortunate false positive on a drug test caused by an approved medication, Janice was let go from The GateHouse program a month early despite being clean. After her discharge, she was loathe to return to her hometown out of fear of getting caught up with her old crowd, so she moved in with Irene.

“Janice was just the type of person that you just felt comfortable to be yourself with,” Irene said. “She wasn’t judgmental; she was accepting of everyone, and she never held a grudge. She would help anyone in need however she could.”

As roommates, the two formed a tight bond.

“We called each other sisters,” Irene said. “She was my other half.”

A Selfless Life and a Lasting Legacy

Despite her early release from the program, Janice returned to The GateHouse several years later—this time as an employee and mentor. Having found a sense of inner peace thanks to the work she had done in recovery, she was better able to assist others on their own recovery journeys.

“Every year in recovery brought an increased self-awareness and the changes that come along with that,” Irene said. “Her faith became a big focus of her life.”

Jodi O’Reilly, who now serves as executive director of The GateHouse, said Janice was in a much different place when she returned: equally free-spirited, but much more grounded.

“This is something she really cultivated in recovery,” Jodi said. “She did a lot of work on herself in preparation to serve others.”

Janice felt drawn to The GateHouse, Jodi said, because of how much the program had helped her and Irene. Janice also knew her words could empower people during their recovery journey and was eager to offer a space of no judgment. She eventually worked her way up to Recovery Program Supervisor, Jodi said.

“She treated everyone with the same dignity, respect, tenderness, and empathy,” Jodi said, recalling Janice’s immense impact on women in recovery. “She was an advocate for every woman at The GateHouse and spoke the truth, even when it was tough.”

No matter how difficult the client, Jodi said Janice always approached them from a place of compassion. She recognized how crucial this was to eradicate the shame held by so many residents entering the program.

“These are wounded women,” Janice would often say. “They deserve a chance to be understood.”

“Every training we sent her to, she was the best in the room,” Jodi recalled. “I’ve never run into an employee who is optimistic in every situation. Most folks struggle at some point, but Janice never wavered.”

A Life Defined by Commitment, Community, and Character

Janice wanted to give back what was given to her and help others enjoy the freedom that recovery brings, Irene said.

The tragic personal losses she had suffered in life – her mother and sister both dying of cancer and her brother being taken by a heart attack – compelled her to create her own chosen family, which included her surviving sister. Janice’s infectious enthusiasm, her carefree spirit, and her zest for life naturally attracted people to her, Irene and Jodi said.

“She was 40, but she acted like she was 22,” Irene said. “Even in her 50s, she was the same fun-loving person. She loved to see people smile. She had a way of making you forget about your troubles and learn to laugh.”

Throughout her life, Janice remained close to the people she connected with, including Irene’s children, with whom she would often visit, spend time, and post TikTok videos.

“It was hard not to consider her a part of your family,” Irene said.

Janice cultivated her close-knit network by regularly attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings and events, another touch point that connected her with others in recovery.

“Connection was her lifeline,” Irene said. “She got so much joy out of watching people ‘grow up’ in recovery and start to live better lives. She was always available to anyone in need, whether it was via text, a phone call, or in person. It didn’t matter the time of day; she was there if you needed her.”

The Lessons Janice Left

If there are any lessons Janice left behind, it would be her compassion and her deep reverence for every human being. She created a safe space for everyone to be seen, heard, and understood. It may sound simple, but her capacity for empathy had a profound effect on the people around her and it truly changed people’s lives.

The inner peace and sense of faith Janice had found in recovery stayed with her even in her final moments.

“She had found peace with God,” Irene said. “Even in the last months of her life, there was no fear. She knew that God was by her side.”

The example she set and the way she lived her life impacted many people at The GateHouse and beyond, Jodi and Irene said.

“Her legacy will continue to live on,” Jodi said. “She was a light in everybody’s life.”

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The GateHouse Turns 50: An Anniversary Story Featuring Judy Bohner

In December 2022, The GateHouse celebrated its 50th year of offering people a meaningful path to recovery. As part of this celebration, we are spotlighting prominent staff, leaders, and alumni and sharing their stories of their time at The GateHouse.

This month, we’re featuring Judy Bohner, a former resident at The GateHouse who is celebrating 33 years of recovery this month.

Judy Came to The GateHouse Later in Life

Judy Bohner arrived at The GateHouse when she was 46 years old.

While she was certainly not old in a big-picture sense, she was entering the program later in life than most residents.

“I came with a long history of drinking and drug use,” she said. “Nearly 32 years.”

Judy had also already experienced many of life’s milestones, including becoming a parent and being married multiple times. She believed this life experience set her apart, and thus was skeptical of her fellow residents.

“I was going to show everyone how to do this,” she said.

She soon realized, however, that her hubris was keeping her from doing the actual work. When she was encouraged to actually look at herself and her own patterns, she began to recognize that perhaps she was not so above other people’s struggles.

“I had to look at myself honestly,” Judy said. “I started to see that everything I thought other people were doing wrong … I was actually doing myself.”

Bruce Caldwell Held Her Accountable

It was a former Executive Director of The GateHouse, Bruce Caldwell, who wound up playing a pivotal role in Judy’s recovery.

“He is the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said. “He believed in me while also calling me out on my stuff.”

For example, Judy came to The GateHouse with a history of false check scams. When she applied for a job during her time at The GateHouse, Bruce Caldwell called the employer and told them she would be a good hire, but to also keep an eye on her when it came to finances. It was this honest advocacy intertwined with strict accountability for her past actions that made a big difference in her life.

Judy got the job and wound up working there for 12 years.

The bond between the two continued well after Judy graduated from The GateHouse. She even became friends with Bruce’s wife. When Judy celebrated five years of sobriety, Bruce offered her a position on The GateHouse board.

“At a certain point, most people had written me off,” Judy said. “Not Bruce. Bruce became my family.”

The GateHouse Taught Judy How to Build a Life for Herself

Judy’s biggest takeaway from her time at The GateHouse is the independence she gained. She not only learned to be independent from drugs and alcohol, but also to build a life on her own.

“The GateHouse made me grow up,” she said.

When she first arrived, Judy was practically estranged from her family and had had multiple failed marriages. Her substance use disorder left her without a strong community or a sense of purpose. The consequences of this went well beyond her own situation.

“My children did not grow up with a real parent in their household,” Judy said.

Yet through her work at The GateHouse, Judy was able to start over.

“At 46, I learned to be responsible for myself,” she said. “I got both a job and an apartment.”

One of Judy’s most profound memories of her early recovery journey is the night before she left the program. That evening, her father passed away and her counselors at The GateHouse allowed her to go visit him one last time. Judy recalled how healing it was to see him.

“He had written me off a long time ago,” she said, “but now, he could pass peacefully because he knew that I was going to be okay.”

After leaving the GateHouse, Judy remarried but her husband soon passed away. She has now been a widow for 15 years and the independence she cultivated during recovery has been crucial to her building a fulfilling life on her own.

Today, Judy plays an active role in the Alcoholics Anonymous community and has served as a sponsor for 26 years.

“My AA home group has become my chosen family,” she said. And on May 28, Judy will be celebrating 33 years of sobriety with her chosen family.

Now 79 and living in Ocean City, MD, Judy said she is living her best life.

What’s the secret? Something she said she learned at The GateHouse.

“A sense of humor,” she said. “I learned to not take myself so seriously.”

***

The GateHouse is Central Pennsylvania’s leader in accredited addiction recovery care, recognizing the unique challenges individuals face on their journey to recovery. For 50 years, we have helped individuals in our community restore their lives and rediscover the strength of the human spirit.

We provide each client with a support system that helps them break the cycle of substance abuse disorder and put them on the path to recovery. The GateHouse is here for you, whether you need outpatient support, transitional living conditions, or resident treatment programs. Reach out to us today!

Open post The GateHouse Anniversary Stories-David-Morgan

The GateHouse Turns 50: An Anniversary Story with David Morgan

In December 2022, The GateHouse celebrated its 50th year of offering people a meaningful path to recovery. As part of this celebration, we are spotlighting prominent staff, leaders, and alumni and sharing the stories of their time at The GateHouse.

Surrounded by a wonderful community and filled with a passion for the arts, David Morgan leads a rich life in recovery.

He said he’s always had an interest in classical music and discovered that both the opera and the ballet stir great emotions in him.

“The first time I went to the opera, I ended up crying,” David said.

The GateHouse is partly responsible for those tears. It was actually a connection he made here that led David to discover his interest in the performing arts. In fact, he and his wife have remained on good terms with that connection—Vicky Parker, his former counselor at The GateHouse—and her husband. They still make regular outings to The Met.

David’s appreciation for the performing arts and the sense of artistic fulfillment he gleaned from it wasn’t built overnight, however. He says members of the recovery community, which included people like Vicky, were his saving grace. When he first came to The GateHouse, he was in desperate need of such a community.

“I was beaten down,” David said.  “I came close to death a couple times.”

David Morgan Needed Something Different

David arrived at The GateHouse after his fifth rehab.

His counselor told him about Bruce Caldwell, who at the time was the director of The GateHouse, and suggested he try the program.

“I got drunk every time I went home again, so my counselor thought I should try something different”, David said. “I would do whatever I was told to do.”

Because David had to pay out of pocket to participate in The GateHouse program, he found he had a real stake in the outcome. He knew he had a lot to work on and recognized his need for a community that would hold him accountable and help him meet the high expectations he had set for himself.

“It was really great being in a group with twenty other guys,” David said. “They didn’t tolerate my ego.”

 Vicky and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Changed David’s Mindset

A key to making these changes was getting “locked in” to Alcoholics Anonymous.

“The GateHouse really taught me the importance of AA”, David said.

The fellowship he experienced in AA offered him the structure, tools, and community he needed to forge a new path forward.

David also began doing a lot of service work, serving as both the General Service Representative (GSR.) and an Inter-Group delegate for his home group.

“It was a great restart for me”, he said.

Between AA and the work he did with his counselor Vicky, David began to gain new insight into the nature of his substance use disorder and the path forward for his recovery journey. At the time, David and his wife were separated, and he frequently expressed to Vicky how he needed to repair the relationship.

“Vicky helped me understand that I wasn’t necessarily powerful enough to just ‘fix things,’” David said. “I really had to go within and work on myself.”

A Renewed Love of Life

After three years of separation, David and his wife got back together – a testament to the progress he made in AA.

After leaving The GateHouse, David worked as a roofer in Lancaster, staying with the company for quite a while and finding community in unexpected places—like his superintendent, who was on his own recovery journey. This shared experience allowed David to be open and honest with his employer, which made his first job after The GateHouse a very positive experience.

“My whole life now revolves around AA,” David said with a grin. “All my friends, people I go out with, people I do things with, they’re all in AA. And it’s a great life.”

To this day, he continues his work with the AA community and finds great meaning in acting as a sponsor for other members.

“Getting sober is the best thing that ever happened to me”, David said.

When asked what he found to be the most rewarding part of his journey to recovery, David said it was finding a “sense of willingness”.

“In your head you think you do everything yourself, but you can’t figure it out no matter how smart you are,” he said. “You have to be willing to listen and change.”

***

The GateHouse is Central Pennsylvania’s leader in accredited addiction recovery care, recognizing the unique challenges individuals face on their journey to recovery. For 50 years, we have helped individuals in our community restore their lives and rediscover the strength of the human spirit.

We provide each client with a support system that helps them break the cycle of substance abuse disorder and put them on the path to recovery. The GateHouse is here for you, whether you need outpatient support, transitional living conditions, or resident treatment programs. Reach out to us today!

Open post The GateHouse 50th Anniversary - Dan Schultz

The GateHouse Turns 50: an Anniversary Story with Dan Schultz

In December 2022, The GateHouse celebrated its 50th year of offering people a meaningful path to recovery. As part of this celebration, we are spotlighting prominent staff, leaders, and alumni and sharing their stories of their time at The GateHouse.

When Dan Schultz first came to The GateHouse, he was broken.

“My bottom led me to a straitjacket in a hospital,” he said. “I arrived at The GateHouse a defeated individual … alcohol had defeated me”.

With the help and guidance of The GateHouse and its team, Dan’s recovery journey would take him from the depths of despair to the promise of a meaningful life. Now a veteran alumnus of the program, Dan continues to see this promise fulfilled by giving back to the recovery community in every way he can.

This is his story.

Dan Arrived at The GateHouse Looking for Change

On May 6, 1982, Dan Schultz crossed the threshold of The GateHouse and embarked on his journey through recovery.

At 34, he was searching for a way to transform his life. Alcohol, his substance of choice, had riddled him with personal issues, legal troubles, and a complete lack of structure and stability.

His first stop was the Caron Foundation in Wernersville, PA, where he completed rehab. The Foundation recommended The GateHouse. In 1982, the typical program stay at The GateHouse was about 90 days, but Bruce Caldwell, the executive director of the organization at the time, made an exception for Dan. Dan had pending court dates for a series of DWIs back in his hometown of Rochester, NY, and needed the time to move through the process before he could fully settle into his recovery plan.

On November 11, 1982, a Rochester court sentenced Dan to 60 days in county jail. After doing his time and serving his sentence, Dan returned to The GateHouse, the best place he believed for him to transition back into a sober community post-incarceration.

“I felt safe there,” Dan said. “I knew if I stayed in Rochester, I would have never stayed sober.”

The Foundation for A New Way of Life

The GateHouse provided Dan with a completely new way of living his life.

“I was given a sense of structure,” he said.

Part of that structure was attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings regularly. This offered Dan access to the recovery community he was so sorely needing.

In AA, he became acquainted with the concept of “People, Places, and Things,” a general idea that stresses the importance of recognizing the “people, places, and things” that are typically the drivers of alcohol and drug cravings and replacing them with something else. With The GateHouse, he had the opportunity to do just that.

“I had never lived with 18 men before,” he chuckled, remembering the sober group outings that were part of the program. “They gave us the opportunity to feel somewhat normal … to learn that it’s possible to live without alcohol.”

Another part of Dan’s recovery structure was his relationship with his counselor, Rick Reed. The two men were close in age and thus held a certain kinship in common. Dan could relate to Rick.

“He helped me realize that your mind is a very very complex thing,” he said. “But also, that things weren’t always as earth-shattering as I thought them to be.”

Counseling sessions at The GateHouse gave Dan the opportunity to really look inward and begin the journey of rebuilding his self-esteem. Eventually, he rediscovered religion, brought it back into his life, and started mending relationships within his family.

Next up was repairing his sense of responsibility and purpose. During his time at The GateHouse, he found meaningful work in maintenance in the local community. Throughout his time at The GateHouse, his job gave him a sense of stability; so much so that he remained with the company long after his exit from the program, ascending to the management level, where he remained until his retirement in 2016.

“Keep It Simple”

Community. Structure. Self-respect. These are the tools Dan was given at The GateHouse. These are the tools that have helped him sustain his recovery since he left. A year ago this month, he celebrated 40 years sober.

From that first broken day in 1982, Dan has come a long way, having built a meaningful life for himself. In 1987, he remarried and became the parent of two stepchildren. He’s also a grandfather to five grandsons, who he says are “a real blessing and a wonderful reward of sobriety.”

He’s never too far from The GateHouse, either. He is literally a 15-minute walk away. And he remains very involved in the recovery community. He speaks regularly with groups in the senior recovery program at the Caron Foundation. He also serves on the board of the 521 Club, a non-profit recovery community organization in Lancaster.

“I try to give back to the community,” Dan said. “I try to help them when I can.”

Asked to pinpoint what most helps him maintain his recovery, he says it’s all about keeping it simple.

“I want to be sober more than I want to drink,” Dan said. “I want the life I have today. In early sobriety, it’s so easy to get overwhelmed. Keep it simple. Don’t drink. Go to meetings.”

It’s the meetings, Dan said, where people are reminded that they’re not alone in their journey.

“If you keep going long enough,” he said, “you’re going to hear your story from someone else.”

***

The GateHouse is Central Pennsylvania’s leader in accredited addiction recovery care, recognizing the unique challenges individuals face on their journey to recovery. For 50 years, we have helped individuals in our community restore their lives and rediscover the strength of the human spirit.

We provide each client with a support system that helps them break the cycle of substance abuse disorder and put them on the path to recovery. The GateHouse is here for you, whether you need outpatient support, transitional living conditions, or resident treatment programs. Reach out to us today!

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The GateHouse Turns 50: a Spotlight on GateHouse Founding Member, Jere Stabley

This year, The GateHouse is celebrating its 50th year of offering people a meaningful path to recovery. As part of this celebration, we want to spotlight prominent community members who have played an integral part in making The Gatehouse what it is today.

Jere Stabley, one of the original founding members of The GateHouse, was one of the key players whose hard work and dedication helped lay the foundation for what The GateHouse is today.

The GateHouse Had Humble Beginnings

Now a staple in the Eastern Pennsylvania recovery community, the GateHouse had modest beginnings. It began in 1971 when a group of friends recognized the need for a halfway house in Lancaster. Before The GateHouse, the area didn’t have a place for people to go after rehab where they could receive support as they rebuilt their life in sobriety.

Jere Stabley – now 95 years old and 53 years sober – was part of that group of friends. He met many of his fellow GateHouse co-founders when he arrived at Alcoholics Anonymous in 1969.

In reflecting on the start of the program, he recalls how “there were no facilities in Lancaster for detox. We had individuals coming from all different programs, but nowhere to go after getting sober.” And thus, the idea for The GateHouse was born.

He said he remembers searching for the perfect place for the new halfway house like it was yesterday. The team initially looked at some properties south of Lancaster, but the streets were too busy and too noisy. That’s when they landed on a house in Lititz, PA.

Funding for the house initially came from the Lancaster County Office of the National Council on Alcoholism, but much of the initial handy work was done by Jere Stabley and other founding members.

“The house needed a lot of work,” Jere said. “It needed to be cleaned, painted, and the floors had to be redone.”

The group would go on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and all-day Saturday for about five months until the house was complete.

“It was good therapy for all of us to work together,” Jere said. “It felt good to give something back to the community after taking so much.”

The First Years Were A Community Effort

The GateHouse admitted its first official resident in December 1972. Much like its founding, the first years were a community effort. Jere Stabley recalls the founding members taking turns serving as program director on the weekends.

“It was our responsibility to make sure everyone had something to eat, get to know them, and be a good listener,” Jere said. “We’d often take people to appointments, interviews, or to run errands in our own private vehicles.”

During this time, weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings were also established at The GateHouse.

The guiding principle for these beginning years was simply to provide a space for those in recovery to get together and converse.

“We wanted The GateHouse to be somewhere people could take it one day at a time,” Jere said.

He said anyone was welcome; the only rule was that you had to leave if you picked up any drugs or alcohol. Jere emphasized the importance of encouraging others to “not take that first drink.” He envisioned TGH as a place where individuals could meaningfully rebuild their lives.

The GateHouse: 1978 and Onward

For a brief moment, The GateHouse shut down in April 1978 due to competition from other halfway houses in nearby counties. This was quickly rectified, however, when the Halfway Environment for Alcoholics Recovering (H.E.A.R Inc.) was created.

In March 1979, The GateHouse reopened under H.E.A.R. Inc. and admitted its first resident. The GateHouse continued to grow by opening The GateHouse for Women and establishing an outpatient program.

Even as The GateHouse continues to expand its robust programming, it maintains the simple, yet profound values of its founding members: to provide community and support for individuals in recovery. As Jere reiterates, “It’s all about taking it one day at a time. Without Alcoholics Anonymous and The GateHouse, I wouldn’t be here.”

The community remains the bedrock of The GateHouse to this day, and its continued legacy of offering people a path to recovery remains as important as ever.

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The GateHouse is Central Pennsylvania’s leader in accredited addiction recovery care, recognizing the unique challenges individuals face on their journey to recovery. For 50 years, we have helped individuals in our community restore their lives and rediscover the strength of the human spirit.

We provide each client with a support system that helps them break the cycle of substance abuse disorder and put them on the path to recovery. The GateHouse is here for you, whether you need outpatient support, transitional living conditions, or residential treatment programs. Reach out to us today!

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The GateHouse Turns 50: an Anniversary Story with Denyse Glover

As The GateHouse celebrates its 50th year of offering people a meaningful path to recovery, we’re highlighting the experiences of a few of our alums and sharing some of their stories.

This month, we’re featuring Denyse Glover, a former resident at The GateHouse who’s celebrating 20 years of recovery.

Denyse Glover Arrived at The GateHouse at a Crucial Turning Point 

After being clean for 14 years, Denyse relapsed and found herself at The GateHouse for women. She came determined to do things differently this time.  

“I didn’t want to go 14 years again and use,” Denyse said. “I felt like I owed that to myself.” 

Today, Denyse is very open about the fact that her time at The GateHouse wasn’t always easy.

 “I think that had to do a lot with my steel rebellion,” she said.  “Up until that point, it was difficult for me to cope with life’s ups and downs. I couldn’t handle my emotions and believed I was going to die if I felt some of the things I needed to feel.” 

She also wasn’t entirely sold on attending AA and NA meetings — staples of The GateHouse’s 12-step recovery program — and it was initially difficult for her to relate to the experiences being shared by others in her group. 

“I wasn’t the nicest client at first,” she said with a chuckle.

A GateHouse Counselor Helped Bring Her Wall Down

Despite her rocky start, Denyse slowly began to accept The GateHouse community. She credits one person, in particular, with helping her get past her early resistance — her GateHouse counselor. 

Not that it was always smooth sailing. As a black woman, Denyse was initially suspicious of her counselor, who was white. But with time, this hesitancy faded. As it became clear how deeply her counselor cared for her as a person, they built a meaningful relationship based on trust and understanding.

Denyse tells the story of a particular Saturday at The GateHouse with her counselor. When Denyse felt stuck, or “jammed up,” as she describes it, she would blow up balloons and then let the air escape. Watching the balloon release this air was therapeutic for her. 

On this day, however, a GateHouse staff member began complaining that Denyse’s “balloon therapy” was making a mess. That’s when her counselor stepped in.

Denyse’s counselor told the staff member to let her continue to use the balloons, assuring them that Denyse would keep the space clean.

 “She allowed me to make mistakes which brought my wall down,” Denyse explains.  

Denyse’s relationship with her counselor continued even after Denyse left The GateHouse, and she remained in touch with her until her passing.

 “I loved her, and I knew she loved me unconditionally,” Denyse said. “I felt so sad that the fellowship and the recovery community lost a good one. That was a heavy loss for me.”  

A Restored Sense of Humanity 

Beyond the relationship with her counselor, Denyse emphasized how The GateHouse program provided her with a critical sense of ownership in her recovery process. During her time at The GateHouse, Denyse focused on developing a more effective decision-making process and learning how to ask for what she needed. This became a crucial part of her ongoing recovery.

 “It wasn’t just about staying clean. It was about learning how to live, learning how to rely on others, and asking for what I needed,” Denyse said.

As an example, Denyse recalled a day at The GateHouse when she had trouble recalling words during a meeting. Years of substance abuse had made it difficult for her to remember words and phrases. She knew she needed a dictionary to help expand her vocabulary again, so she asked for one. While it may sound like a simple request, it’s one she would not have made prior to her time at The GateHouse. 

“They allowed me to go down to the local K-Mart and get a dictionary,” she said. “I still have that dictionary today. I don’t know if I had been anywhere else if I would have been able to ask for this.” 

Denyse says that experiences like these helped restore a sense of humanity within her. “They allowed me to be me,” she explained. 

A Life-Long Recovery Community

Denyse credits The GateHouse with giving her the foundation to sustain recovery, and she remains in touch with many people she met during her time here.  

“So many different people helped me grow,” she says. “These are people who have become family.” 

In addition to the relationships, the tools she learned helped her reconnect with other individuals in her life, like her daughter. She says recovery has helped her gain perspective on how to build and maintain relationships with people in her life, even the not-so-easy ones. 

When asked about the most important skills she learned at The GateHouse, Denyse was quick to answer: “Love, stability, expansion, and acceptability. The sky’s the limit. Just one day at a time.” 

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The GateHouse is Central Pennsylvania’s leader in accredited substance recovery care, recognizing the unique challenges individuals face on their journey to recovery. For 50 years, we have helped individuals in our community restore their lives and rediscover the strength of the human spirit.

We provide each client with a support system that helps them break the cycle of substance abuse disorder and put them on the path to recovery. The GateHouse is here for you, whether you need outpatient support, transitional living conditions, or residential treatment programs. Reach out to us today!

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The GateHouse Turns 50: an Anniversary Story with Robin Skiles

As The GateHouse celebrates its 50th year of helping people find their path to recovery, it’s only fitting that we shine a light on the many individuals credited with building and strengthening the organization that has helped to reshape so many lives.

To that end, we begin with Robin Skiles, former Executive Director of The GateHouse, along with a remembrance of his mentor and predecessor, the late Bruce Caldwell.

Robin Skiles Moved His Way Up from Resident to Executive Director of The GateHouse

Robin Skiles first came to The GateHouse in 1982 as a resident. After leaving residential treatment and reconnecting with his community, he found his way back to The GateHouse as a counselor helping those working towards their own recovery journey.

He kept serving clients and gradually worked his way up to the Executive Director role. During his tenure, Robin developed programs and policies, ran the day-to-day operations, and participated in fundraising efforts until his retirement in 2014.

“Throughout the years, I saw how The GateHouse earned its reputation for success,” Robin said. “We were well respected in the surrounding area and in the recovery community because of our team’s great work and the difference we were making in our clients’ lives.”

The GateHouse also earned respect for its focus on giving back, getting involved, and building relationships.

“We did a Christmas party each year for underprivileged children,” Robin said. “We helped with community projects—efforts to clean up the community, for example, and other programs. Wherever we could contribute. I think those relationships and our involvement with the community played a big part in making the program what it is today.”

Robin dedicated his career to The GateHouse not only because the organization taught him how to live life in recovery, but because it allowed him to build and sustain a career with the purpose of helping others.

In particular, he considers The GateHouse’s staff development program a contributing factor to his own success in recovery and in life.

“While I was an employee at The GateHouse, I earned my master’s degree with tuition reimbursement as a part of the staff development program,” Robin said. “I also got my counselor’s license. Both had a big impact on me professionally, and I know the program has done the same for others as well.”

Mentor, Leader, and the Face of The GateHouse for Two Decades: Bruce Caldwell

Mentorship is a powerful tool for supporting and encouraging others. This is especially true in recovery. For anyone beginning their recovery journey, the best mentors are those who’ve experienced their own struggles with substance abuse and managed to find their way to recovery and, ultimately, a better life.

Bruce Caldwell was this type of mentor to Robin Skiles—and to countless others as well. Bruce directly preceded him in the Executive Director role at The GateHouse and went on to serve as Robin’s mentor in both work and life.

After his own battle with substance abuse disorder and recovery, Bruce joined The GateHouse as an entry-level resident manager and eventually advanced to the role of Executive Director. Bruce died in December 2016, leaving behind a 23-year legacy with The GateHouse and the recovery community.

“Bruce was The GateHouse,” Robin said. “He was known throughout the state as a leader in the drug and alcohol treatment field. He always asked everyone around him, ‘Are you all right?’ He was a big personality and just a caring, down-to-earth guy.”

50 Years of Dedication to The GateHouse’s Clients and Our Community

The strong foundation that Robin, Bruce, and other members of our team and community have cemented over the past five decades is why we have the privilege of serving families, individuals, and our community for the past 50 years. It has been an incredible journey. With the foundation these men created, we believe we will stay in a position to continue to help individuals and families find recovery. We are honored to carry and continue their legacy and vision.

 

The GateHouse is Central Pennsylvania’s leader in accredited addiction recovery care, recognizing the unique challenges individuals face on their journey to recovery. For 50 years, we have helped individuals in our community restore their lives and rediscover the strength of the human spirit.

We provide each client with a support system that helps them break the cycle of substance abuse disorder and put them on the path to recovery. The GateHouse is here for you, whether you need outpatient support, transitional living conditions, or residential treatment programs. Reach out to us today!

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The GateHouse Serenity Stories: Stephanie Prete

In September 2021, The GateHouse broke ground on its Serenity Gardens, a beautiful, tree-lined memorial garden providing a place for peaceful reflection for residents and families who lost loved ones to substance abuse disorder.

Families, GateHouse alumni, staff, and community members contributed to the creation of the gardens at The GateHouse’s Marietta, PA, residential treatment facility. Some sponsored bricks inscribed and displayed along the Gardens’ pathways. Others sponsored trees and benches adorned with messages remembering loved ones.

One such donor was Stephanie Prete, GateHouse alumni, and advocate for women working towards recovery from substance abuse disorder.

Stephanie Contributed to Serenity Gardens to Honor Other Women in Recovery Like Her

Since her time as a resident at The GateHouse, Stephanie has continued to give back to the community of women who supported her during her treatment.

“I came to The GateHouse from Delaware County, entering the Residential Extended Care program in 2013,” Stephanie said. “After leaving residential care in 2014, I decided to stay in Lancaster County because of the support I felt from the community here.”

About a year after treatment, Stephanie joined The GateHouse Alumni Association.

“I was the treasurer of the alumni association for about five years,” Stephanie said. “We organized The GateHouse’s softball tournament every summer. We also raised money to host picnics for the women’s events house and buy Christmas gifts for the clients in the house at the time.”

Through her work with the alumni association, Stephanie found the motivation to help other women in recovery.

“If I’m not helping other people, I lose my way,” Stephanie said. “There have been times in my recovery when I focused more on my own life and less on helping others. But during those times, I never felt as good as when I was helping someone else.”

Stephanie has since returned to Delaware County and is happy in her new life.

“My life is vastly different now. I’m still really involved in recovery. I go to AA. I’ve been a sponsor for other members. I still try to help as many women as I can.”

Through her journey of helping others, Stephanie has created a new life for herself, living independently and creating a stable future.

“I’m working to become a registered dental hygienist and will graduate soon,” Stephanie said. “I bought a house three years ago, my credit is good, and I own a car. These are things that may seem small to some, but it’s exciting to me that I did this on my own. I have a nice little group of friends, and I’m engaged. Life definitely looks different than it did before I arrived at The GateHouse.”

Stephanie attended the opening ceremony of the River Tower in Marietta—now the home of The GateHouse’s Residential Extended Care for Women—and donated a brick to be placed in the gardens. It reads:

“When the solution is simple, God is answering.” – Albert Einstein

Please Join Us in Support of the Serenity Gardens Project at The GateHouse

We welcome more community support for our Serenity Gardens project. You can donate a brick, plant a tree, sponsor a bench, or help fund the purchase of a pavilion. Click to learn how you can Donate to Serenity Gardens.

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When you or a loved one are ready to start living life in recovery, The GateHouse is here to help. With facilities around Lancaster County, PA, we provide substance abuse treatment services for long-term addiction recovery.

The GateHouse provides each client with a support structure to break the cycle of substance abuse and put them on the road to recovery. Whether they need outpatient support, a transitional living setting, or residential treatment services, The GateHouse is here for them.

The GateHouse can help you with your next step in recovery. Reach out to us today!

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