Georgia's Friends ~ Hope Heals 2020

Read our stories of hope & healing!

Georgia’s House is often a woman’s only alternative to homelessness or an environment rife with drug use or domestic abuse. Many women arrive with nothing, burdened by debt, damaged family relationships, full of guilt and shame. At Georgia’s House, women follow a structured recovery plan while living in a supportive, sober community. Over time, the women build confidence and self-esteem as they become rooted in recovery. Your philanthropic support makes all this possible.

Women may live at Georgia’s House for two years at little cost, giving them time to heal and rebuild. The residents find a community where all are held up by the power of love and hope. 

Please take a moment to meet two of our women who are living productive, sober lives thanks to our wonderful donors. 

Lydia turned to drugs in high school to reduce the pain of bad relationships, depression and anxiety and most importantly the devastating loss of her father to early onset Alzheimer’s.  After spending time in jail and getting sober, Lydia pledged to rebuild her life, resume her education, reconnect with her family and free herself from substance abuse. At Georgia’s House, Lydia followed the structured program, entered counseling, found part-time employment, and worked to address the demons of addiction. She brought joy and laughter to Georgia’s House and loving support to other residents.  After completing an automotive course at the local technical college, Lydia is now a student at Piedmont Virginia Community College where she is working on her associate degree.  Lydia is now happy and healthy with renewed family relationships and new friends.  Lydia’s effervescent smile, positive attitude and joyful presence is showing others a new path forward in their recovery journeys.

# # # 

Gilie a native of Charlottesville and attended a local private school. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a BS in Psychology, she became a Registered Nurse in 1996. Despite those achievements, Gilie was very introverted and felt awkward in social situation, and then turned to alcohol to alleviate feelings of loneliness and self-impose isolation.  

Gilie married in 1996, had a child in 1997 and the following year her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. While working as a nurse supervisor, she started diverting narcotics to  cope with the stress. That is when the disease of addiction truly began. Her use of opioids eventually led to intervention by the Board of Health Professions and subsequently to five inpatient rehabs. 

Gilie struggled with addiction to opioids, cocaine and crack for 15 years. She lost her nursing license, her marriage failed and she was incarcerated 18 separate times. In 2015, She came to Georgia’s House and stayed for 18 years. Gilie has been clean for five years. She works the steps of Narcotics Anonymous, serves as sponsor to several others and is currently the Chairperson for the Piedmont area of Narcotics Anonymous. Gilie’s nursing license was reinstated in 2018, and she is currently a charge nurse at Culpeper Health and Rehab. As she said, “The life I have now has everything to do with my stay at Georgia House. It is the foundation upon which my recovery was laid.” 

# # # 

We hope you will join us in sustaining this life-giving program. Every donation makes a difference!