WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TEVIN STINSON 

THE CHRONICLE 

Last weekend, more than 1,100 people helped the men of Malachi House II and their families celebrate recovery during the seventh annual Silent Auction Fundraising Banquet.

Since opening its doors in 2010 Malachi House II has helped men from all walks of life regardless of race, creed, religion or social economic background recover from life changing issues such as incarceration, drug and alcohol addiction, and homelessness.

The annual banquet is the program’s biggest fundraiser of the year. It also serves as the graduation ceremony for men who finish the nine-month program that focuses on sustained recovery, character building, vocational training and job readiness.

Malachi House II, based in Greensboro, is a nonprofit nine-month residential faith-based recovery program.  Officials say they are driven with a mission “to restore lives of men and their families to strengthen our communities,” as well as, provide the tools needed to overcome substance abuse and become successful in every area of their lives. The primary goal is to assist men in overcoming the problems that lead to addiction and bridge the gap between recovery as they transition back into mainstream society, with a focus on sustained recovery, character building, skill development and vocational training.

While the event has drawn big crowds in the past, this years’ event was bigger than ever, thanks to the men in the program who make up the Malachi House II advertising and marketing team. Six hundred people attended the first night of the fundraiser on Friday, March 31, and more than 500 attended the second night of the celebration on Saturday, April 1.

Founder and executive director of Malachi House II, James Speight, who found solace at the original Malachi House in 1997, said he was excited to see the class of 2017 move on and become productive members of the community.

“Recovery is not an easy process, so I’m excited to be here today celebrating these men who have stuck with it and remained diligent to get the recovery tools they need to move forward in life,” he said. “The support we have for this event really blesses my heart. If it wasn’t for The Malachi House, I wouldn’t be here today, so now to be used as a vessel to help other men” is a blessing.