Dear Community Member,

Twenty-nine. This is Vickie's new lucky number.

Twenty-nine is the number of her liberation.

Twenty-eight is the number of times Vickie fought for a life of sobriety in treatment programs across Minnesota before she came to African American Family Services. In her battle for a life of sobriety, she lost her job, then her home, then her children. Vicki and her three babies were imprisoned in the vicious cycles of chemical dependency, the same cycles that took her husband one year earlier.

The 29th time, Vicki was invited to participate in the African American Family Services' Women's Recovery Enhancement program. Vicki credits the program with helping her to catch hold of her lifesaver - sobriety. The 29th time saw a scared, scarred chemically dependent woman transform into an empowered, sober mother, employee and community member.

The 29th time saw Vickie secure liveable wage employment for the first time in her twenty-seven years.

The 29th time saw Vickie regain custody of her three children.

The 29th time preserved Vickie's family.

Your donation works to help more than 1,500 African Americans and their families transform their lives every year.

The mission of African American Family Services is to help the African-American individual, family and community to reach a greater state of well-being through the delivery of community-based, culturally specific chemical health, mental health and family preservation services.

From the first time to the twenty-ninth. African American Family Services.

On behalf of Vickie, Shaniah, Robert and Camille... thank you, twenty-nine times.

With gratitude and in thanksgiving this season,

Lissa L. Jones
Executive Director