June 5th, 2019:
Today was a full day of learning and exploring! We first
went to the Snowbird Residential Treatment Recovery Center. We learned so much
about this facility and how it works. People who have completed detox and are
in recovery from alcohol or drugs come here to do their treatment. You must be
over 18 years of age and Cherokee in order to attend this center. They go to
therapy, group, and receive medication treatment that they need while there.
They level up and eventually graduate. Sadly, not everybody graduates because
they leave AMA. They live in the facility while going through treatment and are
only allowed certain things and visitors at certain times. It was a beautiful
facility with gorgeous views and I believe that we need more of these throughout
the United States to help people with addiction recovery. This is where I truly
learned how hard it is for people to bounce back from stress, challenges, and vulnerabilities.
When talking about the facility they told us that they will often see people on
average 6-7 times in the center because their ability to bounce back to a “normal”
life after the center is not good. However, in this facility children and families
who have not talked to or seen their children or family member for years are
able to reconnect and try to repair their relationships. It is very heartwarming
to know that this community is so family driven that even at years they try
very hard to make things work. After Snowbird, we traveled to lunch and then
back to the cabin to get ready for a church service.
We traveled to Macedonia Baptist Cherokee Church for church
service at 1800 (6pm). This is also where we delivered the school supplies that
were donated to us by generous people. (Thank you so much if you are reading
this and donated!) During this church service, I got to observe and learn a lot
more about family structures and dynamics in the Cherokee community. There were
many kids of various ages there and not all of them were Native American. It is
very common in the Cherokee community for grandparents to raise children or
families to adopt children (Native Americans and White) and this was seen first-hand
during our church experience. The whole Cherokee community is a support system
to one another but especially those of the church. They offer many resources
for people no matter what their past is and they help each other out when it is
needed. It is truly a place of welcoming!
Tomorrow is an early morning and another long drive to
Asheville, NC!