Kaleb Ritter - June 2024

Our Center for Virtue and Work on 15th Street in Joplin houses our Forge residential recovery program. The classes, physical conditioning, counseling, and work-readiness are designed to advance character and employment among men who have struggled with addiction, been repetitively incarcerated, or have been chronically homeless. For Kaleb, it was addiction to opioids. Literally, he had spent half of his life addicted when he entered our Forge program almost two years ago. He feared submitting to authority as much as he feared giving up drugs. 

Last month, after a year and a half, he graduated. Here’s what he told us: 

“I hated having authority over me and fought it from the time I was 13. In Forge, I finally submitted, but felt free. That was a surprise. The two things I’d been most afraid of—withdrawals and feeling like a prisoner—never really happened. Instead of being controlled, I found people who really cared about me and wanted to help. Through humility, discipline, and community, I found freedom.”

Humility, discipline, and community. Along with his faith in Christ, those ingredients not only gave him freedom, but have put him on a track for long-term success. He enrolls in college this fall to study biology with plans to be a Forest Ranger. Thank you for your support. Our programs are giving new hope to people in our community and for those who take hold of it, a new life. 

James Whitford 
Co-Founder and Executive Director