Over the past year, Guiding Light has had to enact strict health protocols in order to ensure everyone living and working at our facility was able to stay healthy. We are proud to report today that none of our clients since the advent of the COVID-19 virus over a year ago has contracted it. However, the measures we have taken have significantly curtailed the ability of clients and staff to move in and out of the building. As a result, men living at Guiding Light and enrolled in our programs have been “locked down” for a while now, and opportunities to be able to get outside of Grand Rapids have been few and far between.
Recently, two Guiding Light donors approached us with an offer for us to use their cabins in Hessel, Michigan on the Upper Peninsula, and we jumped at the opportunity. Over the past two weeks, men from Guiding Light have been able to come up and have a chance to get away from the noise and cluttered atmosphere of downtown Grand Rapids. The men have been able to enjoy nature walks, a day-trip to Mackinaw Island, kayaking, fishing, and find all manner of solitude.
It is so important, for men recovering from the chaos of active addiction, to have time to heal. Finding peace and serenity in nature, such as how the men were able to do over the past week, is incredibly beneficial. We are so very, very grateful for our two donors, Becky and Perry, who own the Sunset Cabins in Hessel and so graciously allowed us to stay there. We could not have asked for a more hospitable and spiritually invigorating experience. Thank you so much, from all of the men here, for making this possible. We absolutely loved our time up there.
