Like many events over the last few weeks, due to COVID-19, David’s Courage’s Inspire Courage Day open house celebration was not able to take place earlier this month. In 2019, Mayor Mark Senter declared the first Sunday in May as “Inspire Courage Day” for Plymouth Indiana.
Gregg Erickson, Board President of David’s Courage states “while we had hoped to invite the community to our home to celebrate the opening of our doors and to share inspiration, we instead had to celebrate quietly amongst ourselves.” David’s Courage officially opened earlier this year and currently has four men living in their home.
Statistics are showing a rise in psychological trauma of COVID-19. Experts are predicting a historic wave of mental-health related issues like depression, substance abuse, and suicide. David’s Courage will likely see a direct impact of those statistics with members in our community hurt by mental-health related issues, specifically those who are turning to substance abuse to manage. “The mistake in letting the Inspire Courage Day pass without some type of celebration is missing the opportunity to promote acts of inspiring courage” states Erickson. “People are hurting in our community and it is important we all reach out to encourage our friends, family, and neighbors to not turn towards drugs or alcohol to cope with the giant before them.”
David’s Courage has been out in Marshall, Starke and St. Joseph County helping distribute food and loading and unloading boxes for local food pantries. They have also helped a local church with an additional weather shelter to their building. In addition to serving the community with labor, David’s Courage is starting a virtual campaign to inspire courage. Erickson states “if we are able to help even one family avoid substance abuse because their mom or dad followed us online and felt encouraged to handle the day’s stresses without turning to drugs or alcohol it will be worth our time.”
As reported in February, until certifications are received early 2021, David’s Courage is a private pay facility. If you would like more information on the application process or how you can sponsor someone, please visit their website at www.DavidsCourage.com.
David’s Courage is a residential recovery program and transitional residency facility for men, and in the future for women, recovering from drug and alcohol addiction in Plymouth, Indiana. Learn more at www.Facebook.com/DavidsCourage or www.DavidsCourage.com.
