"Welcome To The Light!"

BCI's Lighthouse Program for women with children continues to grow in leaps and bounds! We will be filled to our 10 bed capacity within the next week or so. Our treatment schedule has added new topics like Developing Positive Values, Manners Matter, and Decisions In Action.

Several women have enrolled and are attending GED classes via Sussex Technical School. We have 2 moms who have been awarded regular visitation with their children, and another mom who has regained custody of her children while at the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is keeping these families together. It helps women find the courage to break the generational cycle of addiction and transform their lives to become productive citizens and good mothers.

That is why Program Director Natascha Hughes welcomes new residents upon arrival with a big hug and a smile and says, "Welcome to the Light!" Funding from the State of Delaware for this program continues to be essential, as does your support. Thank you to all who have contributed to the success of these important services.

Celebrating Shay Lipshitz’s 19 Years with BCI

Brandywine Counseling gives thanks to and celebrates the career of a longtime member of our team, Shay Lipshitz, as she leaves BCI for new endeavors.

Sheera Lipshitz, or “Shay” as she likes to be called, had many accomplishments in her 19 year career with Brandywine Counseling. She started as an outreach worker in 1991, providing education and intervention in high risk communities about drug abuse, safe sex, and HIV/AIDS. She then joined the Assertive Treatment Team, providing counseling and case management to severely and persistently ill I.V. drug addicts. She helped to develop BCI’s original program for pregnant women, Diamond Deliveries. This partnership with Wilmington Hospital provided supportive services to drug-addicted women with high risk pregnancies in their homes. In 1994 she returned to the Assertive Treatment Team as Project Director.

In 1997 BCI opened its Riverfront Site and Shay became Site Supervisor, overseeing the methadone program, transitional housing, transportation, and all BCI’s case management programs. In 2003, BCI expanded into Sussex County and Shay became Site Supervisor at the Georgetown Site, overseeing the Project Renewal homeless program. In 2007, when BCI was awarded state funding to start the Lighthouse residential treatment program, she oversaw the project from startup to opening within a 4 month period, including completely renovating an old shelter home, and forming partnerships with social service providers and the faith community.

Shay received her MHS in 1995 from Lincoln University and has been a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor since 1992. She was the project director on 3 grants from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). She served on the Homeless Planning Council; the Division of Drugs, Alcohol & Mental Health DUI Appeals Committee; and the Delaware HIV Consortium Policy Committee. She received the Kelly/Pazzaglini Memorial Institute Scholarship Award in July 1999 and the Brandywine Counseling President’s Award in 1999. Shay brought to BCI her experience providing women-specific treatment, treatment for pregnant women, and ability to implement non-traditional services. She knew that environment plays a crucial role in recovery from substance abuse and addiction. She also brought a passion for helping others in need and was quick to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty to get a job done.

Shay is a strong advocate for treatment and recovery because she knows personally that treatment works. She believes addiction is a deadly disease that left untreated kills more than the person, and destroys families, homes, health, dreams, hope and dignity. She takes joy in keeping families together that otherwise would have been separated, and watching the faces of children who are spared the suffering that comes with active addiction.

Our BCI family is grateful to Shay for her many years of service, for touching the lives of countless individuals affected by addiction, and for being a part of our lives. We will miss her and wish her all the best in her future pursuits.

Out Of the Dark, A New Dawn

On a bus stop bench on a frigid February morning, a young couple sat together shivering, and counting down the minutes until 9:00.

“How much longer?” Dawn asked her boyfriend.

“Four more minutes.”

Dawn broke into a smile in spite of the stinging cold. “Oh, I can’t wait! Soon they’ll open up… it’ll be so warm inside!”

He smiled back. “In four minutes, I’m gonna be layin’ on that comfy couch and gettin’ some sleep!”

A miserable, exhausting night neared its end. They had spent it at the bus stop on Lancaster Avenue, with all their belongings in their backpacks, and only their coats to keep them warm. But at 9:00, right behind them, they had a place they were welcome in the Brandywine Counseling Outreach Center. Dawn watched the buses come and go, full of people with places to go and things to do. Her plans today were simple: Get warm. Find some food. Hide from probation. Then, find some more heroin. Tomorrow, she’d do it all again. It wasn’t always this way. Six years ago, she had a normal life, a job, and a place to live. But one seemingly innocent car ride led her off course.

“I was working in a restaurant, and one of the other employees was asking me for rides. When he was getting out of the car, he was picking up drugs. I got curious about what he was picking up, and he let me try the heroin just by sniffing it one time. Eventually, he ran out of money to pay me for the rides, so he would start giving me drugs instead of gas money. I started to get sick if I wouldn’t use it, so I started to use it every day.”

“For a little while, I was okay. I could afford it. I started to be late for work. I started spending all my money on only drugs. I had to move back in with my parents, then I started to steal from them. I lost my job. I started stealing from cars and people’s houses, and ended up on probation.”

Dawn’s choices had led her down a destructive path of addiction, homelessness, and being on the run at age 27. She met her boyfriend and they stuck together, but there seemed to be no way out. They weren’t looking for help; only to survive. It was rare to find a friendly face that understood where they were. BCI case manager Sharon Brown was one who did.

“Hey, guys. Need a light?”

“Nah, we smoked our last cigarette hours ago.”

“Here. We’re not supposed to do this, but go on, take it.”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

“It’s too cold for y’all to be out here. Why don’t you come inside? There’s coffee and donuts. I can get you warm clothes, a place to wash up. You can crash on the couch, watch TV, read some books…”

Since that day, the pair became regulars at the drop-in center. “It became like a little home to us,” Dawn recalls. “We would go inside during the day, and sleep in there, and at nighttime we would just stay outside all night.” She began to trust the outreach staff. She began using their services, taking HIV tests, and visiting the needle exchange van. She learned about other services she wasn’t yet ready for.

“They would let us know that the methadone clinic was there, but they never seemed like they were judging us, or trying to push us into anything we didn’t want to do. They knew that we knew the services were there, and that we would use them when we were ready to.”

One day, a probation officer came to the bus stop. He took Dawn into custody, and she served six months in jail. In July 2008, she was released and reunited with her boyfriend. They were both free of drugs for a while, and even found themselves an apartment. But by September, they had relapsed and were using heroin again. They returned to the needle exchange.

“When we started coming back, they knew we were using again. They were a little more adamant this time. ‘You guys really need to try methadone this time, before you end up back in the situation that you were in.’” The couple faced a difficult decision.

“No way I’m gettin’ on methadone. It’s just another way to get high. It’s just as bad!”

“Well, I’ve heard those stories too, but what about the people we know who got on it? Seemed like it was working for them.”

“That’s true. They do look better. They’ve got jobs, they look stable.”

“Why don’t we try it? It’s the only thing we haven’t tried.”

With that, a window of trust had opened. The next morning, Dawn and her boyfriend went in to BCI, and they both started on methadone. She knew it would be a challenge to make her daily dosing, individuals, and groups, but she committed to getting clean as strongly as she had committed to getting drugs. Sharon Brown continued supporting her as her Safety Net Services case manager. Safety Net specifically targets two high-risk groups, women and recently released ex-offenders, often living on the streets. Knowing that willingness to accept help comes and goes, case managers meet clients where they are, ready to connect them to services they need when that window opens.

“Sharon was a big help,” says Dawn. “She’s always checked on us, made sure we have everything that we needed. I’m glad the outreach really latched on to [us].” But there was a big surprise for Dawn on her intake day. Nurse Barbara Garrity gave her the news at orientation.

“Now just to let you ladies know, when you get on methadone, it seems like it’s a lot easier to get pregnant. But Dawn, you’re already pregnant!”

“Oh! Really? Wow, that’s quite a surprise!”

“Yes! But we have a program just for pregnant women."

Dawn was 4 weeks along. Her surprise quickly turned to motivation to stick with treatment. She was determined to deliver a healthy baby. She was transferred to the pregnant and parenting women's program, which assists over 20 clients every year to deliver drug free babies. Her counselor, Aja Redmond, linked her with prenatal care, helped her identify her triggers for drug use, and taught her about FAS and nutrition. Four months into treatment, Dawn was staying abstinent. Things were going well. It was then that the couple received another surprise.

“We’re having twins! Oh, wow… two babies? How are we going to do this?”

“Don’t worry, Dawn, we can deal with it. Just one more obstacle in our way.”

“This is so difficult… I’m staying clean and doing what I need to do, but every day something else comes up.”

“Yeah, it would probably be easier to go back to the streets and start gettin’ high. But look at all the good things we’ve accomplished. We’ve come too far to throw it all away.”

And so, preparing for twins became the latest challenge in their shared journey to recovery. “We were already together when we were looking to get clean. We weren’t willing to separate for any reason, so we had to do it together.” Dawn recalls. “[It helped,] having somebody to walk through it with you, share all the ups and downs, and remind you how far you’ve come and where you still want to go.”

Dawn had support not only from her boyfriend, but from Aja and the women's program. She redoubled her efforts to set and achieve goals, worked on her parenting skills, and cut back on smoking. As her due date approached, a case manager made a home visit, making sure they had food, clothes, and baby furniture. On May 15, Dawn gave birth to healthy, identical twin boys.

“Being in a relationship and having the babies helped me get clean, because it gave me a reason to want to move forward in life,” she says. “Having the children and having a partner that loves you and is there for you, gave me my life back.”

Today, Dawn’s children are 4 months old, and she is nearing one year clean. She is a picture of composure as she tells her story and tends to her sons at the same time. She shifts one baby from her arms into a stroller to pick up the other, then reverses again. As they fuss, she remains calm and soothing, wiping mouths, giving them their bottles, even laughing cheerfully to herself as her son’s expression changes from restless to content. She shows no trace of her former life on the streets, sleeping at bus stops. She looks like a mom.

“I think for the two of us to go from where we were, to where we are now, it’s all pretty much thanks to Brandywine. This is the longest period of clean time either one of us has had. Being able to come up here every day and be accountable for your actions, and have people checking in on you, along with the medication that you get, has made us successful.”

Dawn sees a bright future ahead for her family. Life is not simply about surviving anymore; it’s about building a future for herself and for them. They’ve moved into a relative’s house, and they have a car. She hopes to one day own a home, put the children in a good school, and go back to school herself. For now, she wants to stay clean and sober, enjoy family life, and continue to build her support system. She’s on the right course again, and it all started with a friendly face offering food and shelter, no strings attached.

“It feels like a blessing. It feels that God was with me all along, and He’s looked out for me, and that He made a way for me to get better, and as long as I continue to follow it, things will continue to get better. It hasn’t been easy for us at all, but we’ve been able to get through it. I’m very happy with the way things are now.”

Brandywine Counseling services are funded by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA/CSAT; and Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. For more information, please call 302-656-2348.

5 Questions for Lynn Fahey, Executive Director

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Lynn Fahey
Job: Executive Director
Time with BCI: 16 years


1. Lynn, congratulations on becoming BCI’s new Executive Director. Tell us how you got your start in addiction treatment, and how you got to where you are today.
It’s funny, I kind of fell into addiction treatment. Coming out of college, all I knew was I wanted to help people. I applied to a couple of different non-profit organizations, and was offered a position at Brandywine, took it, and pretty much fell in love with addictions counseling. I started off as a Core Counselor. Cindy Lobis hired me, and Janice [Sneed] was the Clinical Director. Brandywine was one building. There were 30-35 employees at the time. I worked there for about two and a half years. I left and worked in the mental health field for about two years, and came back to Brandywine in the adolescent department.

The reason I came back to Brandywine was because of the organization. I think a lot of it had to do with Sally and the environment she created here. I actually took a cut in pay to come back to Brandywine, because the atmosphere and the supportive environment was more important to me than the money. The ability to focus on the treatment and care we provide, and the compassionate side of what is still a business, and that compassion and care extended not just to the clients, but to staff as well. So, to be able to help people, and to be able to grow as a person at the same time, I thought was an extraordinary opportunity, and something that I just wanted to continue to do.

And then I went back to school, got my certification, worked in the adolescent unit, then worked in the women’s department, eventually ran the women’s department. When Brandywine continued to grow and get bigger, I took on more and more responsibilities, and eventually became Site Director. I was moved around from Riverfront to Alpha, wherever I was needed. When [we started] Alpha, we only had two counselors, and maybe thirty clients in the drug free program at Brandywine, and of course since then, it’s been expanded to over 300 clients, and lots of staff. And from there, I worked closely with Sally and everyone else. Learned a lot. Went back to school again, got my doctorate in administrative, because by that point, I’m realizing that I’m more and more in administrative, and less in the clinical end, and knew that could be very beneficial to myself and Brandywine.

2. Tell us about your plans for Brandywine. What challenges are ahead and how will you approach them?
It’s all very exciting. [I’m looking forward to] working with everybody in the organization to take Brandywine to the next level. As far as the organization’s mission, just expanding that a little bit, to verbally include things we’re already doing, like our HIV services, mental health, and co-occurring treatment.

What Sally’s managed to do with this organization is nothing short of extraordinary. So, to take it and continue to grow and look towards the future, and what’s coming in the field, and being a viable, sustainable company that continues to provide the best services available to our clients, is very, very exciting. What has been said to me, even by Sally, is, I’m not Sally. So, to say that there won’t be change, wouldn’t be realistic. To say that I want to change the culture of Brandywine, is not what I want to do. I want to expand and change some of the services we provide to our clients. Those are the types of changes that I would focus on.

To state the obvious, [our biggest challenge is] the financial situation that the state of Delaware, and obviously, the country at large, finds itself in. When I talk about expansion of services, it’s all contingent upon obtaining additional funds, so there may be some really tough decisions coming about where to maintain our focus. Some of the goals that we have may end up being more long-term than short-term. I would love to see us create programs, or come up with plans for programs that we want, and look for funding to fit those programs. That might mean being more selective about what funds we go for, too.

3. What would you like to say to our clients?
I want to reassure them that the high quality care that they’re getting will continue. And that, as always, I welcome constructive suggestions on how we can improve. If they’re noticing things that are lacking, or not quite working, I would want to hear that in a way that provides solutions to those issues. I’m going to try, in the next couple of months, to make myself available to them. Maybe I’ll come into some groups in the different locations, or have a town hall meeting in each location, so they can speak, and meet me directly. I know a lot of the clients know me, but a lot don’t, so I think it’s important for them to know who I am and what I’m about, and to hear it directly from me, in person.

4. What’s been rewarding to you about working at BCI?
When I get a call from a client I worked with, years and years ago, and they tell me that they’re doing well. They mention the counseling they received from Brandywine, but just to hear that people are changing and growing, and creating better lives for themselves and their families, is why we’re all here. So, to hear those stories, and hear from recovering people, and know that we’ve been able to make a difference in their lives.

When I worked with the women and children’s program, we had an individual come in on a Friday afternoon at 3:00. She was pregnant, homeless, some health issues. Unfortunately, she was prostituting. Heroin, cocaine, relationship issues, mental health issues. She came in, basically, with most of the issues that someone can have, suffering with addiction. And I was able watch her, in the program, get into sobriety, and give birth to a healthy, beautiful, gorgeous baby girl. And she went back to school, because she didn’t have a high school education. Just the transformation, physically, mentally, spiritually, that this woman went through. Watching it happen, and then watching the way she was able to parent her child, was very exciting.

5. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI, what would you do with it?
There’s so many important things. I think I might focus on developing a parenting curriculum that targets the parents and the children, so that I would be able to train the staff appropriately in an evidence-based practice, that would impact and break the cycle of addiction, and the generational issues that addiction has. It’s sad when you see individuals come in and they report that mom and dad had an addiction issue, and they were raised in an abusive home, and grandma and grandpa had an addiction issue. Some of our clients aren’t here for extended periods of time, and if we can get to their children, then maybe we can plant a seed that will help them take a different direction in life, and obviously help the parents become better parents as well. So to me, taking that $30,000, and utilizing it that way, has the potential to have a magnifying or rippling effect in the community, and with our clients.

5 Questions for Sally Allshouse, Executive Director

5 questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Sally Allshouse
Job: Executive Director
Time with BCI: 21 years

1. You’re retiring at the end of June after a long and distinguished career in addiction treatment. How did you get started in the field?
It was sort of like a coincidence. I student taught in 1969 at Forwood Elementary School. And I ran into the woman who I taught under, at a department store where I was working, and she asked, “Why are you working here?” And [she] had a friend, Rev. Richard Hamilton, who had just been appointed by the Governor to start drug abuse services in the state of Delaware – because before then, there wasn’t any, it was only alcohol services – and she hooked me up with an interview with him. And I was one of the first outreach workers in the State of Delaware back then. So that was 1970.

2. What would people be surprised to know about your job?
One, I love it. That I do know about the clients, still. I do, through incident reports and through talking to the site supervisors, still get very involved with client issues. Every day’s different. There is no typical day. The biggest challenge over the years has been to keep my stress level down, not to prejudge things, try to be fair about situations, and keep a fresh look at what we do and how we do it. I dislike hearing, “That’s the way we do it.” And to me, that’s important, to be able to keep looking at things in a fresh way.

3. What advice do you have for someone who would like to do the job you do?
A student intern, maybe 5 or 6 years ago, asked me that question, and my response to her was that she should learn how to juggle. And I think that’s true. You need to be able to have more than one ball in the air. You need to be able to realize that everything you do is connected, so if you drop one, they could affect the whole organization. So someone needs to be able to think of their toes, and remain calm, and try and get a perspective about what’s going on.

4. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI, what would you do with it?
You know, there’s so many areas. And I’ve read what people have said to you about what they would do. I would really like a fund established for the kids. There are so many children that are affected by this disease. They stand in line with their parents, or we see them in our outreach, and we see them in all the programs. We have people who are generational here, whose parents were here, and now they’re here. And if we could do something in the prevention area for those kids, I think that would be wonderful.

5. What are you most proud of in your time at Brandywine?
So many things. Services for women, and their children. That’s always been a priority to me. And outreach, I think. Doing our outreach has been very valuable. There’s been a couple of clients that I’ve been really proud of, that have gone from being clients [to being employees.] Someone who served on our board for awhile and then became an employee, I think he’s a great success. Clients who have gone from entry into our medication-assisted programs, all the way to Newark and just coming in monthly. I think there have been great successes for that.

Moms Learn There's More to Parenting Than Having the Baby

Focus on Families, BCI's parenting program, held graduation on June 10 for six moms and their kids. There was lunch, cake and presentation of certificates. The moms talked about what they learned in the 16 week program:

“[I learned] how to deal more with my daughter, and her attitude and her mouth, instead of cursing and getting angry and hollering at her all the time. That was a big issue, I always hollered at her for anything. Now I know how to discipline her, and talk to her in more of a constructive way.”

“What I got out of the program was how to deal with your children of all ages. I’ve also learned how to frame sentences better, and how to put words in sentences better. I also learned that you can be a parent, but it takes a mother to be a parent - or a father to be a parent - not just to have the baby, but to spend quality time with the child. Also that you can discipline a child, by not hitting a child, by timeout, learning how to say no, and just not abuse your child by hitting.”

“I learned how to step back and take a look at things. My favorite thing was to jump in and yell and scream, and I’ve gotten better with that, I think. I’ve gotten a little better with communication with my kids. It’s taught me quite a bit to deal with my oldest.”

We also asked our graduates why they would recommend Focus on Families to others:

“It is wonderful. If you take your time and really appreciate what the information has to offer, and what the facilitators have to offer, and you really put your heart into it, you get out what you put into it. It’s a wonderful program if you are ready to learn, and willing to take it all in, and actually do the work. It’s wonderful.”

“It’s lots of homework, but the homework is so that you can take it home and you can think about it more. Instead of getting it done real fast in class, it gives you time to get inside yourself more.”

“I did the program twice, and the second time I got even more out of it than I did the first time. If you want to improve yourself as being a good parent, not just raising a kid, but to actually be able to deal with your kids, to bring them up in a more positive way than you were brought up, I think that you should take advantage of the program and what it has to offer.”

The next round of Focus on Families begins Monday June 22, from 11 AM to 12 Noon at 2713 Lancaster Avenue. Group takes place Mondays and Thursdays from 11 AM to 12 Noon. Focus on Families is free and you do not have to be a BCI client. For more information or to sign up, please contact Jackie Akins at 656-2348, ext. 118.

Register for the Next Round of Focus on Families

The next round of Focus on Families at BCI begins Monday June 22, from 11 AM to 12 Noon at 2713 Lancaster Avenue. Group takes place Mondays and Thursdays from 11 AM to 12 Noon. Graduation will be Thursday October 29, 2009.

BCI prevention programs increase protective factors for youth, educate parents and children about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and increase the perception of danger of drug use.
Focus on Families is a science-based intervention for families in which parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

• Parents and children attend group counseling and receive case management aimed at reducing parents' illegal drug use and children's risk factors.
• Individual case management by our Prevention Specialist reinforces the skills learned and applies them to the home environment. Children practice the skills with their parents.
  Session topics include family goal setting, relapse prevention, family communication skills, and helping children succeed in school.
• Upon completion of the 16 week program, participants graduate and receive a certificate.
• Focus on Families is free and you do not have to be a BCI client. For more information or to sign up, please contact Jackie Akins at 656-2348, ext. 118.

5 Questions for Threasa Brittingham, Resident Manager

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Threasa Brittingham
Job: Resident Manager, Lighthouse Program
Time with BCI: 1 year


1. What’s your job at BCI?
I do everything! I try to guide the women in their daily task of taking care of their children, getting them on a schedule, just trying to get them to have a consistent schedule so they have a routine in their life. Sometimes they need to talk, they can talk to me, pull me aside. I’m constantly on the phone -- every doctor’s office, every court, every division of child support -- we are constantly on the phone! That’s basically what I do.

I usually work in the morning. I come in, I join in the morning meeting with the ladies. Sometimes I attend their groups. If they have an appointment, I usually take them to their appointment. Or I might have to go out and pick up needs for the house. I usually go over to lunch with them. Then in the afternoon, I usually do their afternoon groups with them also. I sit in, but also try to participate, especially when it’s parenting.

2. What made you want to do this kind of work?
I kind of stumbled across the job in the newspaper. I had been a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) for years, liked it but didn’t love it, and decided to try something new.

3. What would people be surprised to know about your job?
We probably know our clients more than their counselors do, because they spend a few hours a week with their counselors, but they’re spending 24 hours a day with the residential manager. So when thoughts and feelings come up, we’re always available to talk to, where maybe their counselor isn’t. With all the different personalities, we have changes constantly. So we know them very well, and our counselors appreciate us for that. They take our feedback very seriously.

4. Tell us your favorite client success story.
There’s one client -- and she actually left the program early. She had been in treatment before. And I saw her last week. She has, on loan, a new car. She’s gotten custody back of one of her children. She goes to school. She’s just doing awesome. So, seeing her lets me know that treatment does work.

5. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI, what would you do with it?
Put in a second story on this house! I wish that we could help more than ten women. I wish that everybody wanted the help, and I wish we had a 100% success rate.

Volunteers Visit Lighthouse for International Women's Day

Sunday, March 8th, a group of volunteers came to the Lighthouse Program to recognize the women in the program on International Women's Day.

They were led by Lauren Pearce, the Constituent Relations Liaison for Delaware Governor Jack Markell, who collaborated with Sarah Wyshock-Wolfe, the Program Coordinator of Community Services for the YWCA, and a veteran volunteer to the Lighthouse Program. All together, there were about 8 volunteers who participated.

They brought books and coloring activities for play time with the children. The volunteers and the women of the Lighthouse worked together on reading and creating with the children. The volunteers were also kind enough to bring snacks for all of the women and children.

The women of the Lighthouse enjoyed the outside volunteers. They provided time to enjoy being a mother and develop a further bond with their children. The Lighthouse staff and clients are grateful to the women for generously giving their time to provide positive support in the lives of all of the women in the house that day.

Kelly Enfield

Counselor/Case Manager

Sally Allshouse's Testimony at State Budget Hearings

Good afternoon and thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf of addiction services in Delaware. I am Sally Allshouse, Executive Director of Brandywine Counseling, Inc., an addiction treatment and prevention agency. I would first like to thank you for your efforts in the past and want to remind us all about the facts of addiction:

• One in four people between the ages of 15-54 has an addiction problem.
• One in four children lives in a home where alcohol is abused.
• Addiction is hidden in the diseases and injuries it spawns, including: Cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, hypertension, strokes, pneumonia, kidney failure, asthma, bronchitis, hip fractures, HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis C.
• $10 billion in acute care hospital charges result from addiction in women over the age of 59. 98% was spent to treat the illnesses and injuries that are the consequence of addiction. Only 2% is spent to treat addiction.
• School failure, infant mortality or low birth weight, and child abuse are consequences of not treating addiction.
• More than 50 epidemiological studies in the past decade have found small to modest increases in the risks of breast cancer associated with drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Between 80 and 95 percent of alcoholics smoke cigarettes, a rate that is three times higher than among the population as a whole. Approximately 70% of alcoholics are heavy smokers.
• Adolescents who begin smoking are more likely to begin using alcohol and smokers are 10 times more likely to develop alcoholism than nonsmokers.
• Considerable evidence suggests a connection between heavy alcohol consumption and increased risk of cancer, with an estimated 2 to 4% of all cancer cases thought to be caused either directly or indirectly by alcohol.
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the leading known cause of mental retardation in western civilization.
• Most teenage pregnancy cases result from unprotected sex, which likely occurs between teens who are under the influence of alcohol. Only 75% of teens use protection when sober, and as teens consume more and more alcohol, that figure decreases. Just only a little over 10% of teens remember to use protection when intoxicated, and because of this, the number of teenage pregnancies have also risen.
• Addiction is the leading factor in: 40% of homelessness, 38% of child abuse and neglect, 50% of domestic violence disputes, 50% of auto accidents and 62% of aggravated assaults.
• Every person in the US pays approximately $1000 per year for unnecessary health care, extra law enforcement, auto crashes, crime and lost productivity resulting from untreated addiction.

Why do I quote these numbers? It is because of your concern about cancer rates, infant mortality rates, HIV/AIDS rates, and tobacco use. It is a hard fact for us as a society to admit and say that unless we treat addiction and offer addiction prevention efforts, some of our major health concerns will not be addressed. I ask that you continue to support addiction treatment and prevention services.

Thank you.

5 Questions for Darlene Pezzullo, Nurse

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Darlene Pezzullo
Job: Nurse, Newark Center
Time with BCI: 4 years

1. How did you get started in the field of addiction treatment?
I have been a nurse for 37 years. The first few years I worked in the Medical Surgical Department of a Hospital and then a Geriatric Rehabilitation Center as a Treatment nurse. Then the next 20 years were spent as a Case Manager for USHC, AETNA and Cigna Medical Insurance Companies. I had spent so many years behind a desk working in an office, I felt that I had lost the one on one contact with clients. I missed that. Don't get me wrong, I loved nursing no matter how I could care for my patients, but I truly missed the hands-on aspect of nursing.

In 1998 my husband and I relocated to Delaware from Northern New Jersey. I landed a job at Upper Bay Services and Counseling, I worked in the Sunrise program, which was responsible for the direct care of clients being discharged from long term psychiatric facilities and reintroduced to society. This program allowed me to get directly involved with patient care again. After 3 years, the program closed down and I took a job with Northeast Treatment Center’s Kirkwood Detox. This facility offers a short term, inpatient detox program for alcohol and drugs. This was my first taste of the addiction field.

One of the part-time nurses I worked with at Detox was Ena Dryden, a full-time nurse at BCI Lancaster site. She informed me that a new facility of BCI would be opening down at the Riverfront for opiate addiction. We discussed the methadone program and what Brandywine had to offer in services to opiate dependent clients, and I was extremely interested, so I was eager to interview for the position. And, here I am 4.5 years later, happy, content, loving my job, my co-workers and the wonderful relaxed atmosphere of the Newark site.

The typical day at the clinic starts around 4:30 in the morning, getting the dispensing pumps ready with methadone, preparing the clinic for new intakes, preparing the exam room for yearly physicals. The nurses observe urines for drug screens scheduled for the clinic as well as the Drug Diversion Program. We offer Suboxone, and alternative choices for clients for opioid treatment. Our department is responsible for keeping accurate medical records on our clients. I assist Dr. Glick with his appointments of clients who see him for continued prescriptions of psychotropic medications.

I think I have a very good open relationship with my clients. I greet them in the morning with a smile, ask them how they’re feeling, and what’s going on with them in their daily lives. I remind the clients of the positive choice they have made by facing their addiction, and taking the right action to better themselves and their families. And that there is "Always Light at the End of their Tunnel."

2. What would people be surprised to know about your job?
That methadone really does work! Through education, counseling and taking methadone, we have seen clients be able to regain their life back, employment, and a happy home.

We are a staff of dedicated, compassionate nurses and counselors who come to work every single day and face our clients with a smile. We watch some succeed in the program, move on to the 30-day program, or no longer need our services. We have done our jobs! But, for the ones who fail, we are here to pick them back up with a smile, and without judgment. They’re no different than we are. Everyone has a story of how their addiction was started and OUR job is to listen and offer the best services and help we can give. I would encourage any nurse with an interest in the Drug and Alcohol field to come and look at the methadone program. These are people just like us. They have their own problems. We’re not here to solve them, we’re here to help them as much as we can, through education.

3. The Newark site had a 25% increase this year in number of clients who had stayed in opioid treatment for one year or more. What do you think is the reason for this?
Dedication of the Newark Staff! We have wonderful, caring, compassionate nurses, concerned and well-educated counselors and a clinic which offers treatment with a smile. Why wouldn't a client want to come our clinic? We care. We offer methadone, counseling, psychiatric treatment and medical care, all wrapped up in one. We are a well-rounded treatment facility. We have made our clients feel comfortable and safe. This type of caring from our staff has allowed us to be the BEST in the industry.

4. Many of our staff express their personality in how they decorate their office – tell us what you have at your work station.
I’m a big New York Giants fan. I’m from northern New Jersey, I grew up right outside the Meadowlands. I have a NYG coffee mug and I hang up newspaper clippings of NYG game highlights, if I can get away with it! With almost every man that walks up to my dispensing window during the football season, we can talk about the teams, players and standings! And I think, they think that’s kind of neat.

I am also known to have holiday decorations in my window, beanie babies, Easter bunnies, St. Patty's pot of gold, Xmas tree, but the best of all is my four stuffed Dwarves named Grumpy, Doc, Dopey, and Sleepy. My office space isn't that big (it's a dispensing window area), but what I have definitely entertains the children while their parents are getting medicated. I like to think I put a smile on everyone's face and it makes their day brighter! "

5. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI what would you do with it?
I would use the money for a salary for a Prenatal Counselor and/or Case Manager at the Newark site. We have had many young women deliver babies this past year, and they struggled during and after delivery with being on their own, abandoned by their husband, boyfriend, loss of housing, insecurities, mental issues, and facing their own addiction, and difficulty understanding the withdrawal process of their newborn. Our facility could use the education and expertise to help educate and direct these young women. There are many new fathers as well, who could use help with understanding the complete role of parenting. With the addition of a prenatal counselor, it would allow our team at Newark to be versatile and well rounded in all phases of care with our clients.

Women Get Free Breast Cancer Screenings at BCI

The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition was at the Brandywine Counseling Lancaster Avenue Center today providing free mammograms. Between 9:00 and 3:00, 19 female clients and staff took advantage of the service. Many of the clients would not otherwise have been screened. Some were unable to read or write.

Evelyn Handley, receptionist at BCI Alpha, coordinated today’s event. She stepped away from her desk for the day to get the women out to the van, sit with them to help fill out their paperwork, and make everybody feel comfortable. Evelyn had this to say:

“This was a great opportunity for a lot of the women. A lot of our clients here don’t have primary physicians, so [nurse practitioner] Chris Zebley and Dr. Glick were amazing today. They were the ones writing the prescriptions for them to be able to be seen today, and Brandywine Counseling and I are very appreciative of that.

“Melany and Laura [from the Breast Cancer Coalition] were very kind to me, helping me put this together. When I called back to explain about our clients and how early they come here, they were willing to come here an hour earlier, and they did. The nurses here on the vehicle, they’re so kind, they’ve been very patient, because they had no idea it was going to be this many people this fast in the morning. We had the first 12 people show up before 10:30. All of our women have been screened, and I’m appreciative of that. This has been a lot of fun.

“I’d like to thank Chris Zebley first and foremost, and Joyce Bunkley, and Dr. Glick for allowing this to happen. Also Sally Allshouse, who was all for this, and Lynn Fahey and Mark Lanyon helped as well. Also I’d like to give some credit to one of our counselors, Daniel Norvell. This was his idea, I just took on the task, and we got it done!”

Women's Health Screening Day at BCI November 6

If you are a female BCI client, you may be eligible for a free mammogram on-site, Thursday November 6.

The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition will be at the Lancaster Avenue Center with their Women's Mobile Health Screening Van from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The address is 2713 Lancaster Avenue, Wilmington, Delaware, 19805.

The American Cancer Society estimates that a woman in the United States has a 1 in 7 chance of developing invasive breast cancer during her lifetime. Approximately 3 million women in the U.S. are living with breast cancer: slightly over 2 million have been diagnosed with the disease and an estimated 1 million who do not yet know they have the disease. Mammography screening may detect the disease before symptoms occur.

Several women have already signed up for their mammogram November 6, but we have many slots still remaining. Call Laura at 1-888-672-9647 to schedule your appointment, and to learn more about free health screenings for those who qualify. Most insurances accepted.

You may also call Evelyn Handley at 472-0381 for more information.

5 Questions for Tanyel Johnson, Counselor

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Tanyel Johnson
Job: Counselor, Alpha Drug Free Program
Time with BCI: 4 years

1. Tell us what you do at BCI.
I provide encouragement for clients who are coming through the disease of addiction, who are addressing their issues - for whatever the reason, whether they were coerced or if they are self-referred here. I offer feedback for clients, pointing out discrepancies about things that they say. I provide referrals for clients who are in need of other resources than what I can provide here at Brandywine, like clothes closet referrals, mental health referrals.

I also listen. That’s a big part of my job. Listening, and hearing things that clients are saying without saying. Watching for body language, watching for any problems with the ability to communicate, because a lot of our clients are not capable of articulating specific needs. Showing genuine congruence. I think because I am in recovery, I can feel the pain that a lot of people go through. Because the disease of addiction, it doesn’t discriminate. It tears families apart. It destroys people’s very soul.

2. What can I expect if I come to your group?
I run the Women’s Education Group, which is held on Tuesdays at 10. And I gotta put a plug in for Brandywine! They worked with me, because I go to school now, and so they adjusted the schedule of the group. So now it runs Tuesdays at 10:00. And then I run the Relapse Prevention Group Tuesday night at 5:30 to 7.

For my Women’s Group, I provide salads. We do a mix-up, because I know a lot of our clients are strained when it comes to nutritional issues. So, trying to make sure that a little filling happens on Tuesday at 10:00, that’s a big difference. It started because I was trying to breathe life into the Women’s Group, trying to increase my population. When you mention food, folks show up. And it just works. I am open to my women bringing their toddlers, their young folks to the group, because babysitting is an issue for women. And a lot of times, they bring their children in and they eat, and that’s always a win-win. [And] my population did increase. So, it worked.

I also have a small clothes closet in my office that is available for my ladies, when they express, “Y’know, I need a shirt.” “Well, c’mon. Let’s go in my office and look and see.”

3. Why did you decide to work in addiction treatment?
It was an assignment by my Creator. Actually I’ve been preparing for this role all my life. So when it came to pass that I needed to make the change in my life, I evaluated what I had, and how I could continue my life on a positive note, and drug addiction counseling was it. I realized I needed to go back to school as a part of this, because just wanting to do it wasn’t enough. I needed to improve academically, how to write a sentence, how to speak. It took me going back to school. I did that. I got my Associates degree.

And as I journeyed, I realized more and more that this was something I really wanted to do. Especially with women, knowing all of the issues that I personally went through as I began my journey of sobriety. I was faced with things like, how do you get a job when you have a police record? And when you have been marked “unsuitable” for so many years, how do you build self esteem?

So my own journey needed to play itself out in other people’s lives, not to change anyone, but to show that it can be done. You can do it if you work hard, if you open up and let the information in, and know that it’s not about you anyway, it’s about helping another person. And watching families be destroyed made me closer to this issue. So that’s why I stay and why I do it. I feel it.

4. Tell us your favorite client success story.
A female came to me as a referral from Gateway Foundation. She had already done six months [of residential treatment], and we were her aftercare, and we were tying her into the next piece, which was housing. She needed to get a support system, and she needed to get a place to live. She named everything that she wanted when she walked in our door, and piece by piece, she accomplished each one of them.

She now is in a place of her own, she has a new renovated apartment, she now is chairing her home NA group. She is employed full time on her job. She is going to community college. I’m a big advocate for going back. When my clients come in, one of the first things I suggest is community college, and this client followed up with it.

So, all of the things that she came in this door saying that she wanted to do, she’s done each one of them. She was successfully discharged recently, and has been asked to speak at various places on what recovery has done for her. I think that was a big success story.

5. You can tell a lot about a person from their office. Tell us what you have in your office.
As you see over here: “Live, laugh, and love.” “Dream, believe, and discover,” are my philosophies. I also say, “How do you change? By being honest, open-minded, and willingness.” And I put these on the wall so that my clients, when they come in and do a survey, they’ll get a feel of who I am.

Then over on this side, are my accomplishments, because these are the degrees that I’ve afforded myself, because of hard work, because of some sacrifices that I had to make, and I like to put this on display. When I got my CADC [Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor], it was Lynn Fahey and Mark Lanyon and Luther [Whiting] who prepped me for my orals. And I had failed my orals. It was simple enough, but I kept stumbling through it. So when they took charge, giving me a mock audience, and the feedback that actually pushed me where I needed to go, I think that was my shining moment. When I finally passed the orals and became CADC, I had proven to my colleagues, my peers, that I was qualified to become a drug and alcohol counselor.

Then, the center of my life is my Heavenly Father. And of course I believe in recovery and sobriety, which is posted there. And “New Life.” It’s about nature. If we pay more attention to how nature replenishes itself, then I think we would get a feel of what we need to do for each other. It’s important to remember, to continue to encourage, assist, detach, and stay healthy. So that’s why my office looks like it looks.

"To Have Their Kids With Them - It's A Motivator."

Denise Kitson, Lighthouse Program Director, is interviewed in the latest issue of the Coastal Point newspaper. She provides an inside look at this one-of-a-kind program in Delaware, including our therapeutic philosophy and how the residents spend their days. I encourage you to check it out!

Lighthouse Program to Open Re-Entry House

The Lighthouse Program will be opening a re-entry house on October 1, 2008, where moms and their kids will live as they prepare to complete their treatment and live independently. The house will provide an opportunity for the women to practice what they’ve learned in treatment, in the community.

A woman eligible for the re-entry house must be in the final phase of her treatment, the re-entry phase. She will be employed in the community, and may have a car. She will pay a reduced rent, so she can continue to save and meet her self-sufficiency goals. Program requirements become less restrictive, as the client will continue to provide drug screens, attend one group a week, and receive case management as needed to continue her transition to independent living with her children.

Each re-entry resident will also make a commitment to work one shift a week at The Lighthouse inpatient facility in Ellendale. She will serve as a role model and demonstrate responsibility and clean and sober living skills. After 3 months, she may submit a proposal for “Candidate Out,” and graduate the program.

We are very excited about this addition! It will allow us to serve more new women as we phase successful clients out of the program, while maintaining their input and connection to The Lighthouse.

Volunteer Spotlight: Eul Lee, Lighthouse Program

Eul Lee does a weekly "Creative Expression" group with the moms at The Lighthouse Program on Wednesday afternoons. They do everything from crocheting, to painting, to making jewelry. She also teaches computer skills. In our latest volunteer spotlight, Eul tells us about her experience in her own words:

I had been looking for ways to help women in trouble, particularly female prisoners who have kids whom they could not tuck in every night. My idea was to teach them to make tuck-in blankets for their kids as a way to connect with their kids while making them and for the kids to feel their moms around them especially at night. I had no idea what [The Lighthouse Program] would be like. Then, I found the problems these women are in are much bigger than I had ever imagined.

I had initially tried to teach them how to crochet. Some already knew how to crochet and some didn't. Even very novice ones picked up crochet very quickly, generally much quicker than others I had taught before. I found they are very creative and resourceful. They enjoy small projects they can finish in an hour or two and show off, such as painting a picture frame, making earrings, etc.

I also tried to work with them on computer skills. They all enjoyed Mavis Beacon program (a very good software to help improve typing skills) very much. Most of the women seem to have some knowledge in MS Word and some other MS software, but not in depth.

I saw the real improvements in most women as weeks go by. I see smiles on most women there. Sometimes I hear them sing. Some would encourage others and try to get the newly joined ones involved in activities. Some decided to leave the program, which is a very heart breaking experience for me. I wish I could see them again somewhere some time.

While they have to live with the consequences of their choices - losing kids and family, sometimes their freedom, and precious years of their lives - it is good that there are programs such as BCI if they are willing to get help.

I am not sure whether I can take much credit for helping them, but I do hope they acquire the skills they need to cope with the lifetime recovery and learn the importance of their soberness in their kids' lives.

It's Playtime! Thanks to You, Our Kids Have A Playground

We did it!!! Seven months ago, BCI appealed to you to help us build a playground at The Lighthouse Program. Today we have surpassed our goal of $17,000. To everyone who contributed, we appreciate it so much!

Take a look… the playground is here! And it's great that we've gone over our goal because now we can make it even better with benches, a sandbox, and toys.

We want to say a special thanks for a grant that put us over the top, from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Bank of America’s Local Grants support community organizations helping make their neighborhoods better places to live, in areas including affordable housing, arts councils, and children’s advocacy groups. The foundation awarded over $11 million to organizations in the Wilmington community in 2006.

Building this playground is a big deal – it’s not just about giving the kids a place to play. It’s about creating a cheerful, home-like environment for kids displaced from the comfort of their own home. It’s about giving them an outlet for relaxation and releasing stress while their moms work on their recovery. It’s about family bonding for families who need it.

Soon, we will announce a special event to honor all the donors and volunteers who have supported The Lighthouse Program. On behalf of our moms and kids, thank you again for your generous support. Celebration time!!!

Linda DeShields, A Pioneer of Addiction Treatment in Delaware, Dies at 63

Linda DeShields, a steadfast advocate for Delaware's most disadvantaged citizens who helped build programs for treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation, died on Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware. She was 63.

Linda was one of the pioneering black females in Delaware’s treatment services. She opened the doors for people of color to enter this field, and is thought of as “the Harriet Tubman of treatment” for the state’s African American women and men. This legacy continues today, as many of the outreach workers she hired have ascended to supervisory positions. Her daughter, Rochelle Booker, is the supervisor of Delaware’s first needle exchange program.

In the late 1980’s, Linda started her career at Brandywine Counseling, Inc. (BCI) as Delaware's first HIV/AIDS outreach worker. Later, as Director of Outreach Services, she hired a team of indigenous outreach workers who were in recovery themselves, and often recently released ex-offenders. She had a strong work ethic, often working 10-12 hours a day when it was necessary to get the job done. She passed on these values to her team, many of whom had never held a job. Throughout her career, she became the voice for her clients in the community and diligently worked on behalf of them to ensure better access to the services they needed.

Linda recognized that addicted persons face interrelated challenges such as housing, crime, and domestic violence. In addition to her full-time job, she worked with numerous community organizations that dealt with these social ills. She was a liaison with the Wilmington Housing Authority for drug and alcohol services, a position that was the impetus for the creation of the NSAFE HIV case management program at BCI. She also worked with Mayor Sills’ administration as a community liaison focusing on substance abuse and related problems. Linda also appeared on the cable TV show “Women 2 Women” on channel 28 to interview women on women’s issues. She highlighted successful business owners, struggling domestic violence victims, as well as those addicted to drugs, and offenders.

One of the populations Linda was most passionate about was inmates, particularly women. For nearly 20 years, she volunteered at the Women’s Correctional Institution. She would go to WCI on a daily basis, meet with inmates about to be released, and prepare them for what to expect and to meet important goals like rejoining the workforce. She was also a very dear friend to the staff and often called to just check in on them. The staff remembers her as “an inspiration [who] always had a listening ear, and never turned away.” The way she touched the lives of the offenders and so many officers was like “being touched by an angel.”

Linda also volunteered at the Plummer Center, coming to the dining hall to have lunch with ladies who did not get family visits or any money. Her heart was in this work and she genuinely cared for the inmates. She continued her visits even after suffering a stroke that left her in a wheelchair.

Linda was also a member of the Police Advisory Board, and went to many parole board hearings to advocate for ex-offenders. She did substance abuse evaluations on offenders who had been referred to the Public Defenders office, and made recommendations for treatment as well as for pre-sentencing investigation.

Another passion of Linda’s was children in at-risk situations. She did weekly prevention and education interventions with arrested youth at Bridge House and Ferris School. She also worked with organizations seeking mentors, such as Eighth Street Baptist Church’s "Magic and Minds Together," which developed therapeutic drama skits for kids. The program was the result of a faith-based partnership with Brandywine Counseling, a connection Linda initiated before such partnerships were mainstream.

Rev. Ty Johnson recalls that Linda “was way before her time. She made the connection between the power of spirituality and power of recovery and knew it was vital to success and healing.” She knew that once she connected Eighth Street Baptist, whose board members were ex-offenders in recovery, to the recovery community that had resources, that things could change.

Linda DeShields was an inspirational and influential figure at BCI. She laid the groundwork for many of the services we provide today, and positively affected the lives of countless Delawareans. She will be greatly missed.

Funeral services will be held Monday July 14 at 12 Noon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2300 N. Claymont Street, Wilmington, 19802, with viewing from 10 am - 12 pm only.

5 Questions for Susan Hammond, Counselor/Case Manager

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Susan Hammond
Job: Counselor/Case Manager, Lighthouse Program
Time with BCI: 5 years

1. The Lighthouse Program was started to fill a need that wasn’t being met in Delaware. Where would these women and children be right now, without this program?

My job with Brandywine used to be the DFS [Division of Family Services] Liaison. I saw women who had either lost their children, or they were close to losing their children because of addiction being in their lives. And there was nowhere that I could help them go. I’ve seen moms come in with kids that they really didn’t know that much. Maybe it was babies, maybe it was kids that stayed in daycare a whole lot, or stayed with other relatives.

But now that we have The Lighthouse, the mothers can choose to come here, receive their addiction treatment, and bring their children with them. So there’s no need to stick kids in foster care. There’s no need to separate mothers from young children. And it’s kind of neat.

2. What kinds of things do you help the women with?
I do a lot of case management during the individual sessions. Most of the time, by the time women hit treatment, their problems are kind of multiplied. I have some clients who don’t have their driver’s license, they have never received any job training, some of them needed eyeglasses. So my job is to refer them for services, and there are agencies that provide help with some of that stuff.

Most of the women work with Vocational Rehabilitation. Some of them have sought out help with passing their GED. Some of them are looking at classes at Del Tech. Some of them are getting to the level here at Lighthouse where they can find some employment, so some are actually seeking employment now. And it’s good to watch them grow, and to see them becoming responsible, productive members of society.

I just finished an Education Group on maturity, about measuring their own maturity. This morning we had a Concern Group. Usually we have process groups, we have other education groups. There’s parenting people who come in here a couple times a week. There’s all kinds of different groups! There’s Computer Group, Sewing Group, all kinds of different groups.

3. One of the most difficult things the women must do is learn to change long-held behaviors and attitudes associated with their addiction. How do you help them do this?
This is a modified “T.C.,” therapeutic community. In a therapeutic community, ultimately it’s the people in it who run it. In a modified therapeutic community, it’s a little bit different, we still have staff overseeing the women running the program.

Usually, women notice behavior of other women. And if it bothers them, most of the time it’s something within themselves. Maybe it’s a behavior that they find themselves doing sometimes. Or maybe it was a behavior that they used to do that caused damage. Usually there’s some reaction to it. But it’s up to them to use the tool of the therapeutic community, and call these women on their issues. If a resident would see another resident acting out in some way, it’s up to them to bring it to Concern Group, because here, I think they say, “I am my sister’s keeper.” And that’s because those who know the people well are the ones who can see their behaviors.

4. What advice do you have for someone who would like to do the job you do?
Go back to school. It’s never too late. I was doing a job that I really didn’t want to do anymore. And that was painting houses, and hanging off the ladder, and scraping paint, having it in my eyes and my mouth and my nose. And I was no longer physically able to do that work. I went back to school - this was after I got clean, of course - and I got a degree, and I came to work. I worked several jobs before I came to work for Brandywine, but I’m glad I’m here. I’ve known Shay [Lipshitz] for a long time, and when I heard that Brandywine was going to open in Georgetown, I said, “Oh, I want to work for you!”

As a recovering addict, I hope to soon be celebrating 19 years clean on July 27. It takes a lot more than I thought it did, but it’s really rewarding work. I can go home at night and lay my head on the pillow, and fall fast asleep, knowing that I’ve done the best I can do at any given time.

5. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI, what would you do with it?
Make Lighthouse bigger. Buy the parcel of land over there next door, or maybe that one back there, or that one there, because I think we need to be bigger than ten moms.

It's A Girl!

Our Lighthouse family has grown by one! One of our moms delivered a healthy baby girl early today.

Director Shay Lipshitz, always one to go the extra mile for her clients, was on hand to lend her support.

Mom and daughter are both doing well. Congratulations!

Another Gift Toward the Playground

We are happy to announce another major gift toward the Lighthouse playground - the Welfare Foundation has awarded us $3,000. Thank you! We are closer than ever to our goal - I think we will get this playground built this summer!

The Welfare Foundation is a local, private, charitable foundation established in 1930 to support local charitable, educational and scientific organizations. Fields of Interest include Arts, Environment, Education, Hospitals, Social and Human Services, Community Development, and Government/Public Administration. The foundation distributes approximately $5 million annually to various charities.

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The Art Group's Lighthouse Donations Box

This is Daniel Norvell, I'm a Counselor at ALPHA and I run the Art Group. The Art Group ALPHA Program has created a donation box for The Light House Women's and Children's Program for raising funds for a Playground for the residents children which is located at the right hand corner of the front desk coming into the BCI/ALPHA Wilmington site. 15 individuals participated in the project over a five week period. The donation box includes a sled ( for the money to roll into the box) and a merry –go -round that moves, a swing set that swings and a see saw that moves up and down with carefully crafted paper dolls and a sandbox. On each side of the box is a collage for each panel of the box reflecting the joys of playfulness and imagination of childhood. The Art Group came up with the idea based on the concept of a miniature playground as a group challenge taking available Art materials to create the miniature play ground. Each person discussed the joys of having a play ground when they were small, being a a child and rekindling positive past memories and creating positive memories and futures for the children of the The Light House Women’s and Children’s Program.

Playground Update: Longwood Foundation Makes a Gift

BCI has received another major contribution toward the Lighthouse playground. The Longwood Foundation has awarded us a grant of $3000 toward this project. This is wonderful news!

The Longwood Foundation is one of the nation’s largest private foundations, and among the top Delaware foundations by total giving. Fields of Interest include Arts, Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment, Health and Human Services, Youth Services, and Hospitals. The foundation distributes over $35 million annually to various charities, primarily in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

We've sought the support of foundations while we also appeal to you in the community. Though the playground itself costs $10,000, the total costs will be higher when we include installation, play mulch, and landscape fabric. So we still need to hear from you! Our goal remains at $10,000 from our supporters in the community, and if we can get there, foundation grants will cover the remaining costs. Just over $2500 to go – this blog is up to more than 250 visitors a month, so if we all gave just $10, we would reach our goal!

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Community Shows Their Generosity to The Lighthouse Program

We at BCI continue to see a wonderful response from people in the community who want to help out the Lighthouse Program by donating time or items. Thank you to all of you!

Several volunteers are teaching classes for the women, including crocheting, card making, and computers by Eul Lee, sewing and ceramics by Ann Morrow, and Life Skills and early recovery by Nancy Bloom. Their help has been incredible and the women LOVE the classes - thanks ladies!

We want to thank everyone who has donated toys, clothing, a huge train set, five sewing machines for the sewing class, and handmade quilts for babies. We also received a care package from Bear Hugs for Babies, a local charity that specializes in providing baby supplies to families in Lower Delaware affected by extreme poverty, homelessness, and/or disease. This is a great organization - please check out their website to learn more.

What do we still need for our 8 women and 9 children? Pampers. Lots of Pampers! I believe there's still a need for strollers, bicycles, tricycles, and wagons. If you have items or services to donate, please call 302-484-8080 or send us an email. All donations are tax-deductible. Thank you, donors and volunteers, for being such an important part of our women's and children's recovery.

A Sketch of Our Playground

We've picked out the playground we want to build at the Lighthouse Program - here's a sketch! There will be three different slides, climbing equipment, a critter puzzle, and a sandbox (not pictured). Those will be some lucky kids.

We are less than $3000 away from breaking ground, so if you haven’t contributed yet, there’s no better time. Donate today and help give our families a place to play, relax, and bond.

Playground Update: Donors Large and Small Show Their Support

BCI has taken a big step toward our goal of building a playground at the Lighthouse Program, thanks to a major gift from the Miriam and Robert Zadek Charitable Gift Fund as well as all the smaller contributions that have come in. We are almost three-quarters of the way to our $10,000 goal!

Now that the weather's getting warm, it would be great to get the construction started and give the kids a place to play outside. We've met with playground salesmen and had some plans designed. But we need to reach our goal before we can get underway. You can help make it happen!

If you would like to donate, you can send a check using our mail-in form, or give online through JustGive or American Express. No gift is too small, because the more dollars we raise, the better the playground. Thank you!

Faith and Recovery Strike a Match to Start The Lighthouse Program

Shay Lipshitz and Bishop Major Foster are an unlikely team. She is a strong-willed, outspoken, Jewish native of the Bronx, who overcame drug addiction to become a treatment program supervisor. He is an affable, modest Pentecostal preacher in rural Ellendale, Delaware, whose faith has moved him to nearly three decades of service to the underprivileged.

But after a chance meeting two years ago, they formed a partnership. The result was The Lighthouse Program for women and children, now open as a joint venture of Brandywine Counseling, Inc. (BCI), where Shay is Director of Sussex County Services, and Delmarva Clergy United in Social Action (DCUSA), where Bishop Foster is President.

The two found common ground in their passion for helping others in need. Both are quick to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to get a job done. Shay first met the Bishop and his staff at Philadelphia Pentecostal Holiness Church when she was looking for temporary housing for her clients at BCI’s Georgetown Center. DCUSA, the non-profit arm of the church, had been running a shelter home for over twenty years, along with child care, computer classes, and a GED program, and were looking to expand their services.

“The great thing is, when we got here, they already had plans on the wall,” Shay recalls. “They had blueprints. They already had a vision. They already wanted to do something.” So when state funding became available to start a residential treatment program, the pieces quickly fell into place.

“It fit like a glove,” says Bishop Foster. “They needed the place, and we had programs that they needed, so everything fit. We didn’t have counseling, we didn’t have the money we needed, so those two pieces made it a fit. It made it come together.”

That compatibility was evident in the plan they proposed to the State of Delaware, and they were awarded the funding. The next four months were a whirlwind of work to get up and running. The aging DCUSA shelter home was extensively renovated and expanded, transforming it into a modern and inviting residence. Staff were hired. More partners were brought on board, including La Red Health Center. On December 10, 2007, the program opened its doors, and within weeks, six women and seven children were living there.

“Those families would have been shattered,” without a place like this to go, says Shay. Many of the women delivered their babies while incarcerated on drug charges. “They would have been separated. And we know that all bonding occurs in those beginning months. They might have lost their kids to foster care or permanent adoption.”

“We knew that locking them up and putting them in jail wasn’t the solution,” adds the Bishop. “They needed some treatment and love which the prison couldn’t give.”

Up to 15 women and 20 children per year from throughout the state of Delaware will now get that treatment at The Lighthouse Program. The mothers will get help for their addiction, trauma, and mental illness, while taking classes in life skills, computers, and parenting. Children will get assessments, counseling, health care, and a safe space to learn, grow, and heal. The program uses evidence-based practices, or models that are scientifically proven to produce successful outcomes. Shay explains, “Here, they get to practice how they’re living. We’re able to mirror back to people when their behavior is inappropriate. In traditional outpatient treatment, you go into an office, its over in an hour, and you go home. Here, you’re practicing all those things with your community.”

It is all designed to bring about some intensive behavior change in a short time of 9 to 12 months. The program has different levels, each with its own responsibilities and privileges. There are structured activities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At first, residents have limited contact outside the program so they can concentrate on their recovery. It may be up to six months before they may go out unsupervised. Before discharge, a transition plan ensures a return to the community with the strongest possible opportunity for continued recovery.

But as much as the program incorporates the science of addiction treatment, it also incorporates faith. Though their religious beliefs are different, Shay and Bishop Foster have passed on a strong sense of spirituality to the women of The Lighthouse. “We’re puttin’ a little God in ‘em!” says the Bishop with pride. “It’s a bad world out there, but they got God helping them.” Spirituality has a correlation with the 12 Steps of recovery, adds Shay. “The word God can scare people, and we tell people in the beginning, think of that as ‘Good Orderly Direction.’ You’ve been misdirected, you’re going all over the place. You need to rely on something else, something greater than you.”

On February 21, The Lighthouse Program was dedicated by Governor Ruth Ann Minner. Several of the residents spoke about how much the program meant to them. “This program has given me a second chance with my family,” said Sarah. “This program has helped me become a better woman and a better mother to my children.” Sherry expressed thanks for the opportunity to work on recovery while keeping her son. “When we’re here, we get to grow together. It’s very open, very loving. Everyone here is just here for us all the time.”

After the ceremony, Bishop Foster and Shay Lipshitz reflected on what they had achieved. “Words can’t express how we feel,” the Bishop said. “Because the fact is, we’ve done something that God wanted us to do, to help people. And when you do that, that’s the joy you feel inside, because you’ve just made somebody’s life happier.” Shay agreed. “It’s been exciting to see a dream, that was something that was thought about a few years ago, actually come to fruition, and today we gave birth to it, so it’s pretty exciting.”

“She’s the one that did it, I didn’t do nothin’, I was just here waiting for her to get here!” Bishop Foster laughed.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Shay replied. “He was on the backhoe! He raised up that building! I’ve never seen anybody work as much, and be a worker among workers. He’s been a real example to me. Something needs to be done, all you have to do is call the Bishop, and he’s on it.”

What they do agree on is that this partnership of a non-profit and a faith community was meant to be, and this is only the start of the good they can do. “We had a combined interest. They’ve been caring about people longer than I’ve been around in the field,” says Shay. “It’s just nice that we had matched missions and goals and worked together. There’s a wonderful church family here. They’ve been very supportive of our collaboration, and we’re excited.”

The Bishop believes higher forces brought them together. “We believe that it’s something that God did, because of the fact that I was missing something, and didn’t know what I was missing. When Brandywine told me, ‘Okay, let’s partnership together,’ hey, we didn’t know how it was going to work. But now, we can see, it fits. It fits.”


The Lighthouse services are funded by and are part of the system of public services offered by Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. For more information about The Lighthouse Program, please contact Denise Kitson at 302-424-8080.

Playground Update: One-Third of the Way To Our Goal!

A children's playground at The Lighthouse Program is one-third of the way to becoming a reality, thanks to your generous contributions! We have raised a total of $3,337 in three short months!

If you would like to donate, you can send a check using our mail-in form, or give online through JustGive or American Express. Another simple way you can help is to click the envelope icon at the end of this post and email this to five friends.

The playground will give kids who are temporarily displaced from the comfort of their own home a safe place to relax, release stress, laugh, and play. And happy kids means happy moms while they work on their recovery.

The Lighthouse Program means a great deal to the women living there. Sarah says, “This program has given me a second chance with my family. This program has helped me become a better woman and a better mother to my children.” Sherry calls the program a great opportunity to work on recovery while keeping her children. “When we’re here, we get to grow together. It’s very open, very loving, everyone here is just here for us all the time.”

With your donation today, you can be a part of these women's recovery.

The Lighthouse Dedication by Governor Minner

It was a great honor to have Governor Ruth Ann Minner dedicate The Lighthouse Program on February 21. Our work would not be possible without her support. The following are her complete remarks at the Open House.

"Good morning. Thank you for coming out on a cold nasty morning when we see all that snow out there on the ground. I wish I could tell you it was going to be real nice weather, but look out tomorrow! Another day where we’re going to get snow, and they’re saying 3-4 inches, so get ready this afternoon so you won’t have problems tomorrow and having to go out in that snow. I have a feeling it’s going to be probably be our worst storm of the winter. So at least we know when we get it over, spring’s coming, it makes a difference.

“Thank you for inviting me to be here. Renata’s right, I have enjoyed very much interacting with the agency and what they do in the community, because it makes a difference. I can only say to you that every one of us, at one time in our life, has a time that we’re down, whether it’s just because of the death of a loved one, or some huge problem that I wouldn’t even comprehend to know what to tell you what to do. But we have that time we’re down. And I think Renata Henry is one of those people who always has the broadest smile. It sort of makes you feel better just to see her. And so I know that people in the community have that same exposure to her, and it is the same pleasure in knowing how deeply she cares. There is not a more compassionate person in our state than Renata Henry. We are fortunate to have her at the state facility.

“I remember some of the things that we’ve talked about over the years, and her saying to me, ‘We really need to do more, we really need to do more.’ And I’ve had to say exactly what a lot of you say every day, when it comes to, what can you do: ‘Do you have any more money?’ And so when it came to the point where they explained to me how they could just do some different things, and use money in different ways, I said, ‘Go do it. That’s fine with me.’ And so, they have made a lot of changes within the department that mean so much to our community. And that’s what government is all about. It isn’t about our jobs or what we do. It’s about what we do for the community, the impact that it has on those of you here. And boy, what an impact they have in our community, there is no question.

“Brandywine Counseling has made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people. There is no way that we could simply stand here and say thank you to them, and it would mean enough. Because the lives they touch, touch other lives in the community. It’s not just the mother, it’s the mother and the children. They said it right, it affects a whole family. But it isn’t just a family, it’s a community, it’s your neighbor, it’s the people you work with. What they have done in this state is something we could never say enough thank yous for. They’ve been doing it a long time. Twenty years, that I know of. If you look at the people that they have touched, they have changed their lives. And see how much they have changed after they’ve gone through one of the programs and worked with some of the counselors. There’s no way that the state could have done that without the volunteer hours they give, as well as their daytime jobs. Because they give those hours if it’s 1:00 in the morning or if it’s 4:00 in the morning, and they know that one of their friends is in trouble. And I haven’t ever heard them call the people they work with their ‘clients.’ You’re not ‘patients,’ you’re not ‘those people who have trouble,’ you’re their friends. And they want to make sure you reach your goal, and that’s why they’re there working with you.

“Substance abuse is a powerful disease, and it can ruin lives, there is no question. But Brandywine Counseling saves those lives. It helps those people to achieve, to regain their self respect. Each one of us in our own way is very important to this state, and that self respect means a great deal. Think about it. It’s difficult. I know how difficult it is for some people to break that cycle. But they, working with you, cheering you on, making sure that you have the advantage of working with them, whatever hours of day or night, it makes a difference. The counselors are trained. They do their job well. Many of us can have all the compassion in the world, but we don’t know how to achieve what needs to be done and what needs to be said. And I say ‘done’ and ‘said’ because it isn’t always something clear.

“I had a gentleman one time, who told me that he was having problems, and he said, ‘You know, my neighbor just came and sat with me. Didn’t talk to me, just sat with me. I just knew there was someone who cared because he was there.’ But when I think of this church, that’s what I think of, the people who are always there, and continue working together. I know we will achieve great things. Bishop Foster has done an outstanding job in this community, and Brandywine Counseling will do even more. So we’ll look forward to their continuing at helping people to get themselves back on the right track. You never know what they might achieve.

“I always tell the story of a young man that I met when I was with the Board of Pardons, and he came before us to get a pardon. He had been in jail and just gotten out. And I said to him, ‘Well, now that you’re out, you’ve got your troubles behind you, what do you intend to do?’ And he said, ‘I want to become a lawyer. I was a good student. I want to become a lawyer, and I want to help - legally help - those people who can’t afford it, to pay for a lawyer.’ That young man is working in our public defender’s office today. He helps people who cannot. I feel good about that. The people who work for Brandywine Counseling must feel good about that a hundred times a day, and they help all of you who need it.

“Not everyone could do that. I don’t think I could do what they do, I would be depressed after about the sixth or seventh one I had to work for. But they’ve always got a smile. They’re always out there. They’re always ready. And let me tell any one of you who is in one of their programs, or thinking about going into one of their programs, they’ll be there. Anytime that you need them, just give them a call. It is amazing how much they can do to make you understand what your problem is. They don’t tell you, they help you understand what your problem is, and achieve your goal of changing your life. I know that every one of them goes home from work every day feeling good about themselves, and well they should. Our state, our country, in fact, our world is a better place because they’re there, because they reach out and help. Lives are changed. People are different, and they move forward with their lives as well.

“Congratulations on the opening of the new facility. Congratulations on the achievement that you have. And I’m sure that, this close to Reverend Foster, you’re going to have all the support you need, and a heck of a lot of prayer going on to make sure that you succeed. It makes a difference. Thank you to all of you, and congratulations.”