This year, Teen Challenge celebrated its 60th anniversary helping teens and adults overcome addiction to drugs, alcohol, and life-controlling issues.

What began in February 1958 as a personal mission by late Pastor David Wilkerson to help addicts on the streets of New York City, Teen Challenge (TC) has grown into the largest network of faith-based treatment and recovery programs in the world, with over 200 locations in the U.S. and 1,400 affiliates worldwide. The Teen Challenge vision is to put hope within reach of every teen and adult struggling with life controlling addictions —locally, regionally, and globally.

Both the Teen Challenge Southeast Regional office, which serves 20 centers in 6 states, and Global Teen Challenge, which supports 125 nations around the world, are headquartered in Columbus’ historic downtown district. Here the two organizations come together as the “Epicenter of Hope”, says local businessman James Blanchard, retired Chairman and CEO of Columbus-based Synovus, “Teen Challenge truly gives hope to the hopeless and there is nothing more noble or more important than that,” says Blanchard.

Locally, the Columbus Women's Center and the Columbus Girls Academy, which are year-long residential centers, help women and adolescent girls overcome drug and alcohol dependency, codependency, and other life-controlling issues.  TC Southeast CEO Brice Maddock comments, “we are planning new local projects and facilities throughout the southeast, including a new 90-day licensed treatment program in Columbus, a north Georgia Wilderness Camp for adolescent boys, and increased capacity for the Teen Challenge Boy’s Academy near Griffin, Georgia.”  TC Southeast also provides community outreach which includes prevention programs in area schools, counseling and family reconciliation services, and job skills training to name a few.

As the Opiod crisis continues to be breaking news in the network news, Global Teen Challenge was invited to Washington, D.C., to attend the President’s recent signing of a bill to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic. “Hundreds-of-thousands of men, women, boys, and girls have graduated from our programs with transformed lives,” says Dr. Jerry Nance, President/CEO of Global Teen Challenge. “Countless families have been restored and have had hope return.”

Teen Challenge leaders are committed to spreading hope in 2019 with on-going community events to raise awareness, promote engagement, and garner local financial support. Planned events include partnering with the Muscogee County Sheriff’s department in the National Prescription Drug “Take-Back” event in April, a “BE HOPE” 5K Run, a “Zip-the-Hooch Challenge” across the Chattahoochee River, a “BE HOPE” Celebrity Concert (TBA) and a number of local prevention and education seminars throughout the year. Teen Challenge encourages you to “BE HOPE” for someone in the Columbus area and join us in the mission to put HOPE within reach of every addict.