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Since Walking Free Clubhouse opened in Middleburg six months ago, Tina Leighow has a place to go daily to work on her sobriety.

 

“It’s my lifeline,” she said of the facility at 8183 Route 522 that is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. offering meetings, fellowship and resources for people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

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It’s the brainchild of Lorie Kurrell, of Kratzerville, a recovering addict who while working as a substance abuse counselor realized the scarcity of services in Snyder County. “I started it on a wing and a prayer,” she said of leasing the building for $750 a month before she began applying for grants and donations to support the nonprofit organization a year ago.

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With a board of directors and backing from residents and businesses, Kurrell, a licensed clinical social worker, opened the clubhouse in January where AA, NA, NAR-Anon and other recovery-focused groups meet.

 

The facility also has a kitchen that serves free breakfast from 9-11 a.m. the first Saturday of every month; a lounge area with couches, flat-screen televisions, pool tables and board games; meditation room and clothing closet offering children’s, casual and professional attire. There are also computers for GED courses, open to all; a shower and care packages for the homeless and soon a reentry program for former inmates will be offered.

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“We want to meet the needs in our community,” Kurrell said. “When people are getting sober they lose a lot of connections. This is a place they can feel safe and learn to have fun and live a life of sobriety.”

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Being able to attend meetings near home is especially helpful to Devin Leach, of Middleburg, who stops by regularly to play pool and watch television. “It’s definitely a good resource,” said Marlin Kantz, of Selinsgrove, who stopped in for the first time Monday afternoon. “I’ll come back.”

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Providing visitors a sense of community in a safe environment is the goal, Garrett Crouse said. “We’re from all different walks of life, but our stories are the same,” he said. Crouse will receive training to be a part-time certified recovery specialist, a position supported by the recent $18,720 in Opioid Abatement Trust funds from Snyder County given to the nonprofit organization. As he spoke with Kurrell inside the clubhouse, Crouse’s partner, Dawn Kitchens, excitedly entered the room and announced she had just received a raise at work. “We’re proof that couples can get sober together,” she said, recalling how their lives “spiraled out of control” due to substance abuse that left them homeless before each began working separately on their sobriety.

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Rich Gilson stops in at the clubhouse every day on his way to work. “It’s like family,” the 28-year-old said. “We all want to see each other succeed.” Gilson especially enjoys the club’s monthly fundraisers held to raise $20,000 a year for rent and utilities.

 

“I didn’t think it was possible to have so much fun sober,” he said of the cornhole and kickball tournaments.

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An open house event at Walking Free Clubhouse is slated for Aug. 16 and a Recovery Walk fundraiser, with speakers and live music, will be held Sept. 6 at the Middleburg carnival grounds. For more information, visit the Walking Free Clubhouse Facebook page.

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