There is no single path to recovery. In Calloway County, recovery support extends beyond treatment. Local organizations are working not only to help people get sober, but to help them rebuild their lives.
September is National Recovery Month, a monthlong observance created in 1989 to increase awareness and understanding of substance use disorders while also celebrating those who are in recovery.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an estimated 48.4 million people ages 12 and older – about one in six – had a substance use disorder in 2024. Among those classified as needing substance use treatment, only about one in five received it.
Holly Cherry understands recovery firsthand. As the executive director of Serenity Recovery in Murray – and a person in long-term recovery herself – Cherry has seen the need for recovery options in western Kentucky.
“Serenity Recovery was born with a simple but urgent need in our community: people were dying; families were breaking apart; and there were not enough recovery options in western Kentucky,” explained Cherry.
Originally called Serenity Fellowship, Serenity Recovery started in 2017 with a small group of people in a living room, looking to make a difference. It has since grown into a structured 12-month, nonresidential recovery program built on accountability, connection and, according to Cherry, the transformative power of God’s love.
Serenity is an outpatient program, which means that individuals live at home while attending structured programming, classes and counseling. As Cherry explained, these types of programs allow individuals to continue working, meet family responsibilities and maintain community connections while still receiving strong support.
Neartown Recovery offers a different level of care through inpatient treatment at its Kirksey facility, where participants live on-site while receiving structured treatment and support. The organization was started by Kenny Bogard and Jereme Rose to provide support for people rebuilding their lives in recovery.
The residential treatment facility is state-licensed, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accredited and American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) certified. It has 28 beds. Neartown also operates two separate recovery residences with a total of 14 beds, where people can live in a sober, supportive environment outside the residential treatment facility.
Neartown has a staff of 28 full-time employees, including an MD as the medical director, a registered nurse, master's-level clinicians, certified drug and alcohol counselors and registered peer support specialists.
“Our goal is to create a loving family-like environment for people with addictions,” explained Jereme Rose, who is now the executive director of Neartown. “We want people to experience high-quality care coupled with a sense of community.”
Rose said certified or licensed counselors use several assessments to help determine the appropriate level of care. A person’s preference also plays a part in determining what level of treatment is needed.
“The rule of thumb is the least intrusive level of care that will treat the acuity of the person in the most effective way,” said Rose.
Cherry explained that figuring out the best treatment and support for an individual requires honesty about the level of care needed. The level of addiction severity, safety concerns, medical needs, home environment and readiness for change are all things that have to be considered when looking into treatment.
“The most important thing is honesty, with yourself, your family and your provider, about the level of structure you truly need,” she said.
Treatment is only one part of recovery. Both Cherry and Rose said community support can play an important role as people rebuild their lives.
“A community can make an enormous difference by reducing stigma, supporting recovery programs, offering second-chance employment and showing compassion instead of judgment,” Cherry stated.
Second Chance Workforce focuses on helping individuals in recovery, justice-involved individuals and veterans gain meaningful employment through technical training and supportive relationships. Cherry has worked with the program and said workforce development is an important part of long-term recovery.
“Workforce development is a critical piece of long-term recovery, and having programs like this in Calloway County shows that our community understands recovery is not just about getting sober – it’s about rebuilding a life,” Cherry said.
In 2024, Rose led a local task force through the Recovery Ready Community certification process, which provided a framework for assessing the strengths and gaps in local recovery support. Cherry was also a member of the task force.
The process identified the lack of a recovery community center as one of Calloway County’s greatest needs.
“Murray's largest gap was that we didn't have a recovery community center,” Rose said. “After the gap was exposed, we put together a trip for the city council and some of the fiscal court to visit Paducah's Turning Point Recovery Community Center. Turning Point is an impressive operation. Once our officials witnessed what they had going on, they wanted to see it in our community.”
That effort eventually led to the Volunteers of America Recovery Community Center, housed on Poplar Street, in the former Murray Police Department building.
“Murray and Calloway have made meaningful strides, and the creation of the Recovery Community Center, along with workforce initiatives like Second Chance Workforce, are powerful examples of what collaboration can accomplish,” Cherry said.
Support for recovery can also come through creative outlets.
One recent community project, “Feels Like Home,” gave 40 participants from Neartown and Serenity an opportunity to explore the topic of “home” through creative writing and visual art. The hands-on workshops culminated in a public art exhibit.
The Murray Sentinel was one of the project partners, along with Murray Art Guild, Neartown and Serenity.
“Creative projects are powerful in recovery because they help people express emotions that are often too heavy or complicated for words alone,” Cherry explained. “These activities build confidence, connections and identity – all essential pieces of long-term sobriety.”
Cherry said she would like to see more creative opportunities for people in recovery, including music, photography, gardening, storytelling and service projects that allow participants to give back.
“Recovery thrives where people feel seen, valued and supported,” she said.
Both Rose and Cherry said reducing the stigma surrounding addiction is an important part of supporting recovery.
“The addiction epidemic has made us all have to take a look at biases,” Rose said. “There are very few people out there who have not been personally touched by addiction.”
“Silence keeps people sick,” Cherry stated. “When we talk openly about addiction, we break shame and stigma, making it possible for others to ask for help.”
Rose said listening to people’s stories can also help change perceptions about addiction.
“Another way the community can support those in recovery is to listen to people’s stories,” he said. “All too often we look at people’s mistakes and never look at what led them there. This helps to stomp out the stigma around substance use. It shows people how similar we all actually are.”
Cherry pointed to families as one of the strongest anchors to recovery, emphasizing the need for both healthy boundaries and consistent encouragement. She explained that it is important to understand that a person struggling with addiction is fighting a battle others may not see.
“Offer support without enabling, love without rescuing and boundaries without anger,” Cherry said.
Cherry said she knows firsthand that recovery is happening in western Kentucky because she sees it every day through her work as people rebuild their lives and reconnect with their families.
(Editor’s note: With permission, Cherry provided The Sentinel contact information for three former Serenity participants. All communications were conducted by email. Some participants elected not to disclose their last names.)
“I am forever grateful for my experience at Serenity and have full faith that this program is changing lives in Calloway County because it changed mine,” Daisy wrote. “Once you get a taste of the freedom recovery can give you, you won't ever want to look back on your old ways of living.”
Adam is another graduate of Serenity who credits the program with saving his life.
“I walked into Serenity with nothing but desperation and a desire to live differently,” he said. “They didn’t just give me a program, they gave me structure, accountability and a community that believed in me long before I believed in myself.”
Another Serenity graduate, Kyle Warren, started Redemption Remodeling, a construction company that hires people in recovery, giving them opportunities to work, learn and rebuild their lives.
“I still take part in Serenity Recovery by leading classes and doing service work throughout Western Kentucky,” Warren wrote. “I speak and share my story at local treatment programs, many of the places I once sat as a client.”
Warren said he also sponsors people in recovery and brings his family to recovery-related events and meetings.
“They get to see the life I once thought I could never have,” he added. “And I get to wake up every day and live it. I don’t take any of it for granted.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here