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FEDERALSBURG – The dream of two sisters came true this month as they celebrated the grand opening Oct. 4 of Mid-Shore Restoring Hope in Women’s recovery house.
The shelter is a first for Caroline County, and a much-needed haven for women continuing their journey towards a new life, free from the chains of addiction.
Sisters Cathy Bowrey and Sherry Collier are at the heart of the cozy home on a quiet residential street in Federalsburg.
“I love it,” Collier said. “I mean, it's been my dream.”
They want to keep the location of the shelter private for the safety of the residents; it blends in with the neighborhood, with an inviting front porch and a fall wreath on the front door.
Built in 1912, the cozy home has been deep-cleaned and improved with a renovated second-floor bathroom. The walls of the large country kitchen and one of the sitting rooms are adorned with vintage early American wallpaper, reminiscent of a “Mom Mom’s house,” one visitor said.
The non-profit organization believes that every woman should have a fighting chance at battling her addiction. We're here to help alleviate some of the stress as they transition through recovery,” according to the organization’s website, restoringhopeinwomen.org.
In 2013, Bowrey and Collier began searching for resources for their sons who were battling addiction. As they tried to find help for their sons’ girlfriends, they soon discovered that there were few resources for women.
They volunteer their time to run MSRHW. Bowrey is a medical billing auditor and Collier is a human resource manager.
The sisters began fund-raising and planning to open a shelter almost nine years ago. They paid $230,000 for the home, which is mortgaged.
The home can accommodate up to seven women who are required “to be clean,” Bowrey said. Rent is only $800 and allows the women to get on their feet following their release from facilities or programs.
“So, we're hoping for sponsors, hopefully monthly sponsors to help us with the girls that can't pay,” Collier said.
Women are referred by rehab facilities, drug court, the health department and Social Services.
Attending the grand opening was Kirby Kimball, a certified peer recovery specialist with the Queen Anne’s County Department of Health. She said she’d like to see local women in recovery stay on the Eastern Shore, but many are forced to find a place to stay on the western shore.
Kayla, a native of Caroline County, had to go across the Bay Bridge when she finished her jail sentence. She said Collier supported her every step of her journey. “My hugest reason to get clean is to be a good mom and find myself again,” she said.
“If you don't have anything, you go back to what you already know,” Kayla said. “So, I think the opportunity that this house is going to bring to the women – you know, moms who want to get their kids back have to show stability – this is going to give them that foundation for those who want it.”
As for the shelter, she said, “I love it.”
“When I was using, I made a lot of bad choices that pushed my family away,” she said. “They cut me off with good reason, but Sherry was able to see beyond the beast of addiction, and see me for who I was and continue to believe in me and was there with me throughout the incarceration. She was there when I got out.”
“Programs like these give people the opportunity to actually make a new life,” Dale said, speaking from experience. “When you're released from a jail or a prison or from another program, you feel left on your own. You don't have that little bit of support that every individual needs to continue going in the right direction.”
Going back to the same environment after rehab can be self-defeating for many, Dale said. “It's like you're set up for failure.”
“And this right here gives people the opportunity not to go back into that vicious cycle,” he said.
“This all was inspired because of Kayla” a decade ago, Collier said. “She was dating my son at the time, and I could find him all kinds of help. But I tried so hard to find her place, and I just couldn't. I could not find any place for her to go.”
Transportation is a hurdle recovering women face, Kimball said, and there are not convenient options in a rural area for getting to and from work.
While the women aren’t required to have a job, they need to be looking while attending required meetings, like Celebrate Recovery and Narcotics Anonymous.
“They can stay here as long as they feel comfortable,” Collier said. “We figured most of them, just by experience, are six months to a year, and they get their feet on the ground and get (themselves) stable, to go on out on their own.”
“I just want the girls to be successful,” Collier said. “I just want to take care of them while they're here and support them when they leave and just pray for their success.”
