Chapin, SC (Paul Kirby) – The Courage Center has expanded into the Chapin area to better serve the families of Lexington-Richland School District 5. The Courage Center offers families and young people 15-26 years-old a safe space where they can gather with and receive support from other families and young people on a substance use or addiction recovery journey.
The Chapin meeting has been named the "D5 Family Meeting.” It is to be held at 7:00 p.m. each Thursday at St. Jacob's Lutheran Church. The church is located at 844 Columbia Ave, Chapin.
The Courage Center (TCC) was founded in September, 2016 in Lexington, South Carolina by parents who were concerned about their adolescent son’s substance misuse. Although they enjoyed a wide circle of personal and professional friends and a strong church family, they knew few others truly understood what they were experiencing with their child. After trying other programs geared more towards adults, the couple founded The Courage Center.
TCC is a Recovery Community Organization (RCO). RCOs are independent, non-profit organizations led and governed by representatives of local communities of recovery. They are part of the larger Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care, which are networks of formal and informal services developed and mobilized to sustain long-term recovery for individuals and families impacted by substance misuse and substance use disorder. TCC is the only RCO in South Carolina focusing specifically on youth and young adults.
Today, TCC offers quality no-cost peer-led prevention and support programs and services. They also provide recovery coach training and certification, and engage in community outreach, education, and advocacy.
Adrienne Bellinger has been the executive director of TCC since May, 2019. Her first day on the job, she attended TCC’s Lexington Family Meeting and became acquainted with several Chapin residents who had been through the addiction journey with their own child. They had been driving to Lexington regularly to attend TCC support meetings.
Bellinger quickly approached one of these Chapin residents who was serving on the Saint Jacob’s Lutheran Church Council. Within a short amount of time, that church’s council gave approval for TCC to begin holding meetings in the Chapin area in the church’s Fellowship Hall. TCC held their first “official” D5 Family Meeting on July 9, 2020.
Nicholle Burroughs and Al Koon with the Town of Chapin have now become involved with TCC. With further assistance from Amy Monroe and Captain Craig of the Chapin Police Department, TCC has connected with a number of Chapin non-profits and businesses. According to Bellinger, “The response from the Chapin community has been humbling and overwhelmingly supportive.”
If you are interested in learning more about TCC or its D5 family meetings, contact Adrienne Bellinger by email at adrienne@couragecentersc.org. You can also learn more about TCC or register for their upcoming golf tournament using their website at www.thecouragecenter.org.
