March 29, 2024

A Second Chance

Discover Hope 517 , Van Maanen Electric team up to help businesses, employees with substance abuse

For more than two years, Discover Hope 517 has been providing support for dozens of Jasper County residents struggling with addiction. The Newton-based ministry is now announcing a partnership with Van Maanen Electric Inc. to extend its services to employers.

The newly structured Second Chance program has not officially kicked off yet, but Discover Hope and Van Maanen have committed to move forward with the initiative. Second Chance will aim to help businesses retain employees that struggle with substance abuse.

The voluntary program will require an eight-week commitment from the employee, said Discover Hope’s Aaron Groves. The employee will be required to attend multiple addiction support-related meetings per week and maintain contact with a recovery coach.

“We believe if we can help them overcome their addiction, they’re going to be living life in a more positive way,” Groves said. “They’re going to be able to contribute more positively to the community. They’re going to be a more reliable employee.”

Second Chance is starting as a partnership exclusively between Discover Hope and Van Maanen to provide a free resource for addition-struggling employees. However, Groves sees potential for a bigger impact.

“This is a pilot program, but we feel like it’s going to be successful and maybe open some doors down the road for us to make connections with other employers throughout the community,” Groves said. “Ultimately, I think it’s going to help the employee, the employer and the community in general.”

Discover Hope Director Robbie Robinson said Second Chance sparked from the already-running Fresh Start 12-week program. He said the first 90 days of dealing with any addiction are the hardest. A person in recovery must face changing their mindset, their environment and the people surrounding them, Robinson said.

Discover Hope’s motto is to make a difference one life at a time. Robinson said he wants to change any stigmas that Newton is a drug town. He wants people to see that Newton is coming alive because lives are being changed.

“From a community standpoint it’s important that people, in their addiction, have a recovery community center to be a part of that will help them transition back into the community,” Robinson said. “Essentially, we get to be the bridge from addiction to the community.”

Both Robinson and Groves said Second Chance will benefit businesses because employers invest time and money into employees for training. If the employer decides to fire an employee because of addiction problems, it loses those investments. Second Chance can help all parties involved.

Van Maanen Human Resource Manager Dillon Wright said he’s excited to get started with the partnership.

“I think any company could use a program like this,” Wright said. “We jumped right on it. It’s another tool we can provide our employees if they are struggling with addiction. We can point them in that direction instead of just getting rid of them.”

Wright used the company’s four-year apprenticeship program as an example. If someone is three years through the apprenticeship, and they are dealing with addiction, firing an employee in that position would be difficult to replace.

“If we’re able to help them out in any way to get their life back on track – it saves them, and it also saves money, it saves time.”

Contact Justin Jagler at 641-792-3121 ext 6532 or jjagler@newtondailynews.com