Testimonials

Executive Director, The Teen Project

Dear Gratitude Retreat Foundation,

I want to express by deepest gratitude for your incredible support of The Teen Project through your donations. Your contributions are very important to us.

They help the continuity of our commitment to serving young women who have experienced extreme trauma and allows us to guide them in the process of healing and further expand our reach in giving them the chance to live fulfilling lives.

We are in the process of remodeling a building in Van Nuys that was formerly used to house trafficked victims in the 1980s. Our hope is to begin utilizing the building by the fourth quarter of this year. We are also awaiting the remodel of a sober living facility in Cherry Valley, CA that we have been asked to run. We will be tried-county by the end of the year! I can’t reiterate enough. I am grateful beyond words for your generosity and partnership.

Development Director, Beacon House

Thank you for your generosity, support, and participation in our Annual Beacon House Golf Tournament. You have honored us by being a sponsor at this event and we sincerely appreciate your decision to make a difference.

You can only imagine what your involvement means to a man who at one point had given up all hope. I have seen what caring like yours does. Because you care, a man will get another chance at life.

You will help give a man the time he needs to recover from addiction and alcoholism, but more importantly, the tools to stay sober and move past the cycle of his disease. Thank you again. Your gift is saving lives, reuniting families, and giving men purpose.

Director of Operations, Dominion Homes Inc.

I would like to thank “The Gratitude Retreat Foundation” for the tremendous support you have made available to Dominion House Sober Living and our clients through your generous contributions.

As a result of your generosity we have been able to grant scholarship funds for our residents, to assist them in their accommodations, food, clothing, personal hygiene, transportation costs, and job search resources.

Your organization has helped to lessen the burden on our facility and the population we serve. The support you lend has been especially appreciated over the last couple of years with the pandemic and the difficult times it has produced.

The Gratitude Retreat Foundation has contributed to our success in helping to change lives and provide a pathway back into the mainstream of society. Please keep up the good work!

Donor Management Coordinator, Beacon House

Dear Gratitude Retreat Foundation,

You took a man from the jaws of Fentanyl addiction, and got him to the finish line of the LA Marathon!

Tim, a recent graduate and now in his 2nd phase at Beacon House, finished his first marathon last month at a time of 4 hours and 36 minutes (a time he says he wants to improve on)!

Tim arrived at Beacon House in October of 2020, and he will be the first to tell you that he was in no condition to run at all. In fact, as he said in his own words, “the only running I was doing was from myself, my responsibilities, and reality.”

Tim served in the armed forces until being honorably discharged in 2015. After a divorce he had fallen into a deep addiction to opiates and subsequently, Fentanyl. By the time he decided to call Beacon House for help, he had seen a year in jail and overdosed four times. At 30 years old, Tim had no direction, and no place to call home.

You, and your generosity allowed Tim to find that direction at Beacon House.

Consistent peer-driven counseling, and a challenging service schedule kept him engaged, and made Tim challenge his old thinking and behaviors. It took awhile, but he eventually flourished in his recovery because he had the time and resources to do so. He has since shifted his priorities, and now enjoys helping others do the same.

Thanks to you, Tim is a leader amongst the residents at Beacon House. He currently sponsors two new men, and is taking the first steps toward fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter.

You helped Tim embrace change rather than run from it, and for that we applaud you. Thank you for helping us continue to make more comebacks like Tim possible!

Executive Director, Awakening Recovery House

On behalf of our Board of Directors, staff, and residents, thank you for supporting our vital mission to help our residents achieve long-term recovery that works!

Resident – Steven, House of Promise

I would like to thank you for the scholarship you provided to the House of Promise. They were able to provide me shelter in one of their lovely homes. They welcomed me with open arms and for that I am eternally grateful. God be with you and may the Lord keep you safe.

Co-Founder, Ashland Sober Living Home

Thank you so much fo the generosity that the Gratitude Retreat Foundation has shown Ashland. These are challenging times so we really appreciate your support of the women.

Treasurer, First Step House of Orange County, Inc.

On behalf of The First Step House of Orange County, I would like to thank you for your generous donation to our organization. Because of kind gifts such as yours, we are able to continue our mission that we started back in 1952, which is to help the sick alcoholic and carry a message of recovery and hope. We are able to do this at absolutely no cost to those who are seeking help. Our volunteers as well as our board of directors do not collect a salary for the work we do. You may be able to imagine how important donations such as yours are crucial to allow us to continue our mission. We wholeheartedly thank you for your generosity.

Resident – Jesse, Puente House

I really do appreciate the scholarship you have provided for me. I just started a new job about 1 week ago and I’ve been struggling to make ends meet. I am extremely grateful to Puente House for financing me because I have children that I am trying to get better for. Recovery is a must for me now because I have no desire to go back to the life I was living. I am current with my sponsor and I’m working towards my 9th step at the moment. This is the longest time I’ve ever had sober and the furthest I’ve got on my steps. Thank you for your help.

Executive Director, Grandview Foundation, Inc.

Thank you for your donation. We appreciate you thoughtfulness and please know that 100% of this donation will be used to help our patients in treatment. We’ve had to be very creative during this pandemic in order to keep our patients engaged and safe. Due to social distancing and orders from SAPC, we’re only recently allowed to hold groups and these are limited to five people. We’ve had to purchase additional PPP supplies and materials for special programming.

One fo the new creative programs we’re hosting, believe it or not, is building car models. See grown men focused and reflect on their childhoods or simply imagining having the vehicle of their dreams has been quite rewarding.

The Grandview Foundation, Inc., was founded in 1969, by a small group of men in recovery. Their mission was to provide top tier addiction recovery treatment to those most lacking the resources to pay for treatment. We have stayed true to that mission. Located in the same place in Pasadena since our inception, at any given time we provide addiction treatment to 33 men needing residential treatment, outpatient services for men and women, and sober/transitional living for 12 male clients.

Our participants often come with extensive histories of abuse, homelessness and sometimes following long incarcerations for drug related offenses. Most have mental health issues that have not been treated, which has resulted in them turning to drugs and alcohol to medicate themselves. Our philosophy is to treat the whole person, not just their addiction, with the ultimate goal to enable each person to return to their families as productive members. Most of these men have never felt safe or respected. It is magic to see how they are transformed when given the chance.

Resident – Trini, Puente House

Ahe’hee (Thank you in Navajo language) for the generous scholarship. I am very pleased and appreciative to learn I was a selected recipient of the scholarship award.

My name is Trini, I am 36 years old from the Navajo Indian Reservation of Shiprock, New Mexico. Last year, I suddenly lost a close family member and my alcohol consumption increased. I decided to get help by admitting myself to a rehabilitation center in Altadena, CA. After my 30 days, I decided to continue my path in sobriety by seeking an affordable sober living home. My counselor found the Puente House and explained my situation to the office staff and Karl agreed to finance my stay as long I was working the program and seeking employment.

Since then I’ve been over 100 days sober, continued working the program and seeking employment. With your financial assistance, I can continue living in sobriety at the Puente House. Your foundation reduced my financial burden, allowing me to focus on sobriety, and continue to seek employment. I look forward to one day helping another individual struggling to reach sobriety, the same way your foundation assisted me. Thank you very much for your generosity.

Resident – Kim, Puente House

I feel blessed the Puente House was able to carry me financially in early sobriety. I now feel better prepared to move forward with employment. I appreciate your kind gift. It will allow me to continue to live here and build upon my foundation in recovery. Thank you so much for your generosity.

Resident – Rachel, Puente House

Thank you so much for your scholarship. Puente House has been paying for me ever since I came here. I have been here for 5 months. Without your donation I could not manage to stay. I am currently 153 days sober. I am a single mother who is fighting for her two kids, which are under the age of three. Due to your donation, I am able to build a bigger and better structure for my sobriety which allows me to be a better mother. Now that I have found work, I will be starting to pay off the rest of my back pay to Puente House. Again, thank you so much. Words can not describe how grateful I am for your support on my road of recovery. Your support helps to provide hope and light in my days of my life. God bless you! xoxoxo

Resident – Telani, Puente House

I am new in recovery and to the programs. I have been living in the Puente House which has provided a sober structured environment. The Puente House has been financing my stay at the house until I am able to pay off my debts. I recently found a job and will be working hard to do so. The funds that have been given to me by this foundation will be helping me with this debt. By receiving these funds I will be able to establish a strong and healthy foundation and I will be forever grateful considering I get to stay in this sober living I call home. Thank you for what has been provided to me and I will remember the Gratitude Retreat Foundation as a complete supporter of my recovery.

Resident – Christina, Puente House

Thank you so much for your scholarship. It can open a lot of opportunities for me. Knowing I can stay here also brings me peace of mind. Puente House has been financing me while I’ve been looking for work. I can now establish a strong foundation in my recovery. I also can now focus on my goals ahead of me, and use every day to recover and grow in my program.