Adult and Teen Challenge to build transition dorm

Adult and Teen Challenge Mid-America held its annual banquet over the weekend at the Show Me Center. The faith-based drug rehabilitation program helps men overcome the struggle of addiction. The Christian ministry has an impressive track record of helping its students make important life changes.

The theme of this year's banquet was "Bridge the Gap", which highlighted a new opportunity for the organization to build a transition dorm.

"When our students graduate, many of them don't have a job or have a place to go. So we're going to build a transition house. I've already got students and graduates that want to go into this. And then we have employers here in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson area that will want to hire these guys," executive director James Bolin told the Southeast Missourian prior to the event. "So there's a great need here. Employers need workers, and I have graduates here that need jobs. The only thing we're missing is the dorm to house them."

This certainly sounds like a good idea. While graduates can do well in the program, it's important to have a game plan for life after Adult and Teen Challenge. And that includes work and living arrangements. Certainly many employers are still looking for workers. This could be a good path to help many graduates transition.

We applaud Adult and Teen Challenge for the work they do in helping men overcome addiction and pointing them to Christ. Thank you to all those who have rallied behind the organization to help it succeed.