WORTHINGTON, M.N. (KELO) — Tom Giese is a board member for the New Life Treatment Center.
It’s a non-profit that provides addiction treatment services in Woodstock and Worthington, MN.
But there was a time when the Giese was a client.
He struggled with substance use for years, including alcohol.
“2011 on May 2nd I walked into New Life Treatment Center, and everything changed after that,” Giese said.
Executive Director Heather Hedger says New Life has seen a growing need for its services.
“We saw quite a big uptick during COVID, and since fentanyl has been introduced into the communities we are seeing more and more of that,” Hedger said.
But offering treatment comes with a price tag.
“What we get from insurance companies, state insurance it is a fraction of what it costs for someone to go to treatment, and a lot of times people don’t have the funds available to be able to put themselves independently through treatment, and so that’s where the community comes in. They provide the funds that are needed to provide room and board, medical, counseling, therapy,” Hedger said.
New Life Treatment Center will be raising money for its mission this weekend at the Harvest of Hope Festival.
One of the activities will be a dunk tank.
The Worthington Police Chief is one of the people preparing to make a splash.
“We’re willing to do everything we can to help the program for New Life keep rolling, and I would think that there’s probably a person or two out there who would be happy to see me dunked underwater,” Worthington Police Chief Troy Appel said.
The money raised could help change more lives.
“There’s a lot of people out there that are in the same situation I was in,” Giese said.
The festival is on Saturday, September 28th, at Centennial Park in Worthington.
It will feature live music and food trucks.
It runs from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM.
