While the nation’s attention focuses on a day of thanksgiving, there are some who embrace each day with gratitude for a second chance at life through the revitalization of fundamental relationships and an opportunity to fulfill their potential.
The uplifting and inspiring stories of such men and women have been captured in the “Comeback” series of videos, depicting how transformation was possible in lives that were once seemingly beyond hope.
The stories are a testament that material needs are not the only thing lacking among those in poverty. Much more devastating is a “spiritual” poverty: a lack of purpose, meaning, and value in life that draws men and women into a downward spiral of destructive and self-destructive behavior. Among these individuals, this poverty of the spirit must be addressed and healed before material support can have a substantial and sustainable impact.
That crucial task is the forte of the community leaders in the nationwide network of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, an organization founded by Bob Woodson 35 years ago to bring recognition and support to their life-transforming work. The Comeback videos feature the seven of these “community antibodies” who have enabled seemingly lost individuals to reclaim their lives from the clutches of drug addiction, alcoholism, and gang violence.
Though these grassroots servant-leaders address a spectrum of crisis in various parts of the country, they share common defining characteristics. As Woodson says, they live in the same “geographic and cultural zip codes” as the people they serve, they are available on a 24-7 basis, and they are typically inspired by faith. They are committed for the long haul, and many have personally overcome the problems that they help others to face.
Among those featured is Jubal Garcia, who currently directs the “Outcry in the Barrio” outreach to addicts and alcoholics, an effort launched by his parents in their tiny San Antonio bungalow more than 40 years ago that has since expanded to include 70 satellite centers throughout the Southwest and other countries and has freed more than 13,000 men and women from their addictions.
The videos also highlight Omar Jahwar, who took his “Vision Regeneration” initiative into Texas prisons to reach and transform hardened gang members, including the founder of the Dallas chapter of the notorious “Bloods.” Also featured is the Washington, D.C.-based House of Help/City of Hope, whose founder Shirley Holloway has empowered addicts and former felons to emerge as loving spouses, caring parents, and responsible employees and business owners.
With gritty on-site footage and personal testimonies, the series powerfully depicts the odds that those individuals faced, the depth of their affliction, and the incredible transformation that is possible when a sense of value, hope, and potential is instilled and revived.
