Latest News
6th Annual Heart of Hope Benefit Luncheon
Posted on January 26, 2012
The Women’s Auxiliary of The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center will host its sixth annual Hearts of Hope Benefit Luncheon Wednesday, May 2, at The Cahaba Grand Conference Center on Hwy. 280 in Birmingham.
Hearts of Hope raises funds to support our programs for addicted and homeless women seeking shelter, Christian recovery, education and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. More than 600 women will attend this luncheon event to help reach our goal of raising $110,000 for our Christ-centered Recovery Program, which empowers 62 moms, daughters, sisters and friends to build stable, healthy, drug-free lives.
This elegant event begins at 10:30 a.m. with a silent auction filled with incredible art and once-in-a-lifetime trips and experiences, followed by the luncheon at noon. During the program, attendees will be moved by the testimonies and talents of women whose lives have been reshaped through The Foundry and the inspiring story of our keynote speaker, Ashley Smith Robinson.
Ashley Smith Robinson persuaded Brian Nichols, “Atlanta’s courthouse killer,” to surrender. Nichols called Ashley “an angel sent from God,” but ironically, it was Ashley’s less-than-angelic past that allowed her to convince him to face justice. Her addiction to methamphetamines had pulled her away from her dreams. God kept calling, but Ashley always put Him on hold while she flirted with temptation. All of that changed March 11, 2005, when Brian Nichols forced his way into her apartment following his deadly rampage at Atlanta’s Fulton County Courthouse. Among Ashley’s few possessions was Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life.” She was on Chapter 32—“Using What God Gave You.” During her seven hours as Nichols’ hostage, she read from this chapter and encouraged him to consider how he could serve God if he surrendered, which he did the following morning. Ashley believes God led her through her dark hours with Nichols and has called her to use the experience to help unlikely angels everywhere find hope.
Ashley Smith Robinson persuaded Brian Nichols, “Atlanta’s courthouse killer,” to surrender. Nichols called Ashley “an angel sent from God,” but ironically, it was Ashley’s less-than-angelic past that allowed her to convince him to face justice. Her addiction to methamphetamines had pulled her away from her dreams. God kept calling, but Ashley always put Him on hold while she flirted with temptation. All of that changed March 11, 2005, when Brian Nichols forced his way into her apartment following his deadly rampage at Atlanta’s Fulton County Courthouse. Among Ashley’s few possessions was Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life.” She was on Chapter 32—“Using What God Gave You.” During her seven hours as Nichols’ hostage, she read from this chapter and encouraged him to consider how he could serve God if he surrendered, which he did the following morning. Ashley believes God led her through her dark hours with Nichols and has called her to use the experience to help unlikely angels everywhere find hope.
The success of this annual event is possible through our hostesses inviting their friends and associates to join with us in raising awareness about addiction and homelessness and funding our lifesaving Christ-centered services. We hope you’ll take this opportunity to introduce your circle of influence to our work and to partner in it financially … to make a tangible difference in the life of a woman in addiction recovery.
If you are interested in learning more about our Women’s Auxiliary or our Hearts of Hope Luncheon, please call Jessica Miller at 425-7737 ext. 19 or email her at jmiller@thefoundryonline.org
Fire at the SuperThrift Outlet Warehouse
Posted on January 19, 2012
Statement Concerning Fire in The Foundry SuperThrift Outlet Warehouse
Early this morning, The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center experienced a fire in the warehouse where we process the merchandise for our SuperThrift Outlet. No one was in the building at the time and the working sprinkler system was activated. The extent of the damage to the building and inventory-mainly due to water and smoke-is unknown at this time. We hope to open to the public later today. Follow us on FB, Twitter or our visit our website for updates or call 425-7737 for more information.
“We are thankful that the fire was contained to our warehouse and that our sprinkler system worked as it should have. No one was hurt and damage doesn’t appear to be widespread. It could have been much worse as the SuperThrift Outlet generates half of the revenue needed to support the mission,” said Executive Director Bill Heintz.
Annual Drug-Abuse Prevention Campaign
Posted on October 21, 2011
The Foundry Residents to Visit Area Students During Annual Drug-Abuse Prevention Campaign
“If we can educate children about the dangers of experimentation and how it can lead to addiction, we’ll be taking a giant step in preventing a lifetime of heartbreak and tragedy.”
—The Foundry Executive Director Bill Heintz
BESSEMER, Ala.—Beginning October 24, residents of The Foundry’s Recovery Program will speak with students at the Alabaster Day Program in Alabaster, Ala. and New Horizon Alternative School in Bessemer, Ala., about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Their visit comes in conjunction with national Red Ribbon Week, the oldest and largest drug-abuse prevention campaign in the country, this year running October 22 through 30.
The annual event, sponsored by the National Family Partnership, serves as a vehicle for communities and individuals to take a stand for the hopes and dreams of their children through a commitment to drug prevention and education and a personal commitment to living drug-free lives. It also honors the memory of Enrique Camarena—a Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was killed in the line of duty in 1985—and his battle against illegal drugs.
“It’s essential we take part in this campaign because every day we witness firsthand how drug and alcohol abuse destroys lives and families,” said Rev. Bill Heintz, executive director of The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center. “If we can educate children about the dangers of experimentation and how it can lead to addiction, we’ll be taking a giant step in preventing a lifetime of heartbreak and tragedy.”
At The Foundry’s two campuses, more than 700men and women each year are given the care and guidance they need to overcome alcohol and drug addictions and rebuild stable, self-sufficient lives. The Foundry’s long-term residential curriculum consists of counseling to identify destructive behaviors that lead to addiction and replace them with healthy lifestyles. Christian guidance, Bible study and prayer restore hope and self-esteem and help students achieve permanent and lasting change. Adult education, life- and job-skills training and work
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therapy give residents the tools they need to find employment and transition successfully into the community.
The Foundry holds a waiting list of men and women who are battling substance abuse and desire to enter the agency’s Christian-based Recovery Program.
For photos, interviews and other information, contact Jessica Miller, (334) 429-0211
BB&T Spirit Award and Ceremony
Posted on September 26, 2011
The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center to Receive BB&T Spirit Award at Garden Dedication Ceremony
“We’re so grateful for the helping hands and giving hearts of BB&T employees, which made our garden possible. And we’re pleased they’ve chosen The Foundry to receive the Spirit Award.” — The Foundry Executive Director Bill Heintz
BESSEMER, Ala.—The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center will dedicate the garden and landscaping completed on their grounds this past summer as part of BB&T’s annual Lighthouse Project. The event will be held Sept. 26 and begins at 2 p.m. at The Foundry Outreach Center in the garden at 608 Eighteenth Street Bessemer, AL 35020.
This past June, 15 Foundry residents partnered with volunteers from BB&T to enhance an empty lot where families and residents of The Foundry’s Recovery and Re-Entry programs gather during visitation. The lot also has picnic tables where area homeless often eat meals. BB&T Lighthouse Project provided funding and helped install the new landscaping, which includes fragrant plants, flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. They also planted herbs The Foundry kitchen staff can use to enhance meals they prepare and serve through the ministry’s Recovery, Re-entry and Community Outreach programs. And, the BB&T volunteers provided lawnmowers and other yard and garden equipment to assist the staff with upkeep.
The Lighthouse Project at The Foundry was selected by BB&T as one of five national Spirit Award winners because of the positive impact the garden will have on the lives of The Foundry residents and guests. A prize of $5,000 will be presented to The Foundry during the ceremony.
The BB&T Lighthouse Project encourages the company’s employees to go outside their offices and cubicles and lend a hand to those in need. Since the program began in 2009, employees have donated nearly 150,000 hours of service, touching the lives of more than five million people in 25 states.
“I am so proud of all the work the BB&T employees did to make our community a better place to be by partnering with The Foundry in carrying out its mission of helping men and women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction enjoy more beautiful and brighter days,” said Dontá Wilson, BB&T’s Alabama state president.
“It’s been heartwarming to see our residents and guests enjoying the beauty of our new garden,” said The Foundry Executive Director Bill Heintz. “Not only does it offer a special place for fellowship with one another, family members and friends, it also provides spiritual renewal as they feel closer to God in this relaxing and peaceful environment. We’re so grateful for the helping hands and giving hearts of BB&T employees. And we’re pleased they’ve chosen The Foundry to receive the Spirit Award!”
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The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center is currently celebrating 40 years of restoring hope and rebuilding the lives of the addicted, homeless and destitute. In addition to its Recovery Program with locations on the main campus in Bessemer and Foundry Farm near Cullman, The Foundry also offers a Re-Entry Program for ex-inmates transitioning into society and provides a number of outreach services to struggling families and individuals within the Bessemer community, including the new Dental Center and The Foundry Medical Center.
For photos, interviews and other information, contact Jessica Miller,(334) 429-0211
Hot Strings 2011!
Posted on August 11, 2011
At the Preserve in Hoover, AL, from 12 Noon to 8PM
Click here for more information.
40 Years of Changing Lives
Posted on February 02, 2011
On February 2, The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center celebrates four decades of programs and services to the addicted and ex-inmate, and outreach to impoverished families and individuals struggling to maintain their independence. According to Executive Director Bill Heintz, the Foundry’s 40-year history is marked by tremendous growth, faithful partnerships, and lives reshaped by the hands of God.
“As many people will remember, The Foundry originally started as Bessemer Rescue Mission in 1971, as a shelter for transient and homeless men. In 1992 it began providing beds for displaced women. When my wife Michele and I arrived in 1996, our vision was to expand the ministry to include alcohol- and drug-addiction recovery programs for both men and women,” Heintz said. The organization’s name was changed to The Foundry in 2004, and the following year it acquired Re-Entry Ministries to provide men leaving the prison system with practical guidance and a safe place to stay as they transitioned back into society. With these program expansions came growth in The Foundry’s staff, facilities and support, as well.
“God has blessed The Foundry with a dedicated and compassionate staff that now numbers over 60; more than 15 buildings that house our chapel, enterprises, community outreach services, education services, our comfortable lodging facilities here in Bessemer and our beautiful 80 acre Foundry Farm near Cullman; and hundreds of dedicated friends, volunteers and financial partners who have enabled this ministry to extend God’s hands to the addict, ex-inmate and destitute,” Heintz said.
Heintz credits The Foundry’s supporters and its work-therapy enterprises for the organization’s ability to continually enhance its programs to meet the growing and changing face of substance abuse, and most recently to embrace the special needs of families who share their loved one’s battle to overcome addiction. “Our curriculum has evolved to include family and marriage encouragement, more opportunities for residents to worship and spend quality time with their loved ones, and post-graduation follow-up support.” Heintz explained.
Hundreds of lives are touched annually through The Foundry’s Recovery, Re-entry and Rescue programs, and anniversary events are planned throughout the year to honor those men and women whose futures have been restored, as well as The Foundry partners who’ve made those life changes possible.
“As we celebrate this milestone in our history, it’s important to celebrate our friends and supporters whose faithful giving allows The Foundry to realize God’s purpose for this ministry,” Heintz said. He invites donors and volunteers to visit www.thefoundryonline.org periodically for testimonies, updates and invitations to anniversary events
The Foundry Residents to Wear Red Ribbons in Sup
Posted on November 08, 2010
BESSEMER, Ala.—Residents of The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center will proudly wear red ribbons printed with the pledge “I am drug free” all day on Thursday, October 28 in support of Red Ribbon Week, the cornerstone of the National Red Ribbon Campaign, the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation.
The annual event, which runs October 23-30, is sponsored by the National Family Partnership and honors the memory of Enrique Camarena—a Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was killed in the line of duty in 1985—and his battle against illegal drugs.
“It’s essential we take part in this campaign because every day we witness firsthand how drug and alcohol abuse can destroy lives and families,” said Micah Andrews, senior director of programs of The Foundry. At The Foundry’s main facility in Bessemer and at Foundry Farm in Cullman, more than 600 men and women each year are given the care and guidance they need to overcome alcohol and drug addictions and rebuild stable, self-sufficient lives.
Willie, a former addict and resident of The Foundry’s Recovery Program, will wear a red ribbon as a testimony to the life transformation he experienced at The Foundry. “I started using drugs at 14, and soon after, I began selling drugs to support my addiction. I had given up on life at only 18. Then I came to The Foundry and the weight of my addiction was lifted. I thought I couldn’t live without drugs, but truthfully, I couldn’t live without Christ. God radically changed my life at The Foundry.”
The Foundry’s long-term residential curriculum consists of counseling to identify destructive behaviors that lead to addiction and replace them with healthy lifestyles. Christian guidance, Bible study and prayer restore hope and self-esteem and help residents achieve permanent and lasting change. Adult education, life- and job-skills training and work therapy give men and women the tools they need to find employment and transition successfully into the community.
The Foundry holds a waiting list of more than 500 men and women who are battling substance abuse and desire to enter the agency’s Christian-based recovery program. Heintz attributes that alarming number to statistics like these:
• Substance abuse causes more than 93% of the dropout rate among high-school students.
• 57% of women contracting the AIDS virus have been linked to IV drug use.
• 60% of teen suicides are linked to substance abuse.
• Every 2.5 minutes a teen is arrested for involvement in a drug- or alcohol-related crime.
• Over 90% of the murders in our community stem from drugs.
• 25% of divorcees cite substance misuse as the reason for their divorce.
“The communities of Bessemer and Cullman have become true partners in our work and we invite our good neighbors to stand alongside us by wearing red ribbons of any kind on October 28,” Andrews said. The Foundry will also recognize the campaign and honor all the lives who have been transformed by the hands of God at their worship service that evening.
Created for More
Posted on May 17, 2010
Created for More was the theme of The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center’s fourth annual Hearts of Hope Benefit Luncheon, attended by over 450 women Wednesday, May 5, at The Club in Birmingham. Proceeds from the event, totaling over $90,000 so far, will benefit the organization’s Recovery Program for women battling addiction.
“We chose this theme because it truly describes every one of the women here at The Foundry,” said Michele Heintz, director of women’s ministries and wife of The Foundry’s executive director, the Rev. Bill Heintz. “They may be at the end of their ropes right now—they may have done things they regret with all their hearts—but God has a purpose and plan for each one of them. He created them for more and we’re here to help them achieve it.”
The Foundry’s yearlong residential Recovery Program provides women with a safe and home-like environment where their physical needs are met while they take part in counseling and education to overcome their addictions and develop stable and productive lives.
Development Director Leslie Freeman announced the fundraising goal for this year’s luncheon was $85,000. “We continue to be pleased by how Hearts of Hope is received by the community, and interest and attendance has grown each year. The Foundry staff, and especially the women in our Recovery Program, are so grateful for this outpouring of love and generosity, which helped us to exceed this year’s goal” Freeman said.
Every $2,500 raised per table at this year’s luncheon will provide food and shelter for one woman in the program for one year. And $5,000 will provide a year of food, shelter and counseling for a Foundry resident. Event participants had an opportunity to meet many of the women their generosity benefits, as the residents in the women’s Recovery Program took the stage during the program to showcase their many talents.
“Having this opportunity to share their ability to sing, recite poetry or participate in a drama—gifts many of our residents never had a chance to develop or even knew they had until they came to The Foundry—gives them a feeling of self-worth. It’s important to them, and they were so excited about it!” Heintz said.
As an added attraction, this year’s silent auction featured among other items furniture handmade by the residents of Foundry Farm, an extension of The Foundry’s Recovery Program for men in Cullman. Many of the pieces—including chairs, footstools and matching side tables, as well as picnic tables, swings and Adirondack furniture—can be viewed and ordered online at www.foundryfarm.org. To learn more about the vital services offered by The Foundry or how you can support and become a part of this life-changing ministry, visit www.thefoundryonline.org or call 424-HOPE(4673).
Womens Dorm Open House
Posted on April 01, 2010
Beds and dressers. Chairs, lamps and mirrors. If you’ve seen one dorm room, you might think you’ve seen ‘em all. But there’s a good chance you’ve never seen accommodations quite like the ones you’ll find at the open house celebration at The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center’s four-story women’s dormitory on Sunday, March 28.
What sets these rooms apart from the norm is the collaboration of hearts, hands and love that transformed them from simple bricks and mortar to spaces residents could truly call “home.” Each of the dorm’s four floors at The Foundry’s newly renovated facility at 1801 5th Avenue North in Bessemer was “adopted” by teams of local renowned decorators and artists who collaborated to create peaceful, inspirational and comfortable surroundings for 52 women in The Foundry’s long-term residential Recovery Program.
These compassionate partners designed each of the three 12 to 14-person rooms (and four individual quarters for dorm leaders) on each floor according to a theme suggested by The Foundry. The decorator chose colors, fabrics and accessories—including bedspreads, pillow coverings, lamps, mirrors and rugs—and the artists created original paintings on canvas to bring the themes to life.
The project was the passion of Michele Heintz, director of women’s ministries and wife of Executive Director Bill Heintz, who says her inspiration came from prayer. “I asked God what we could do to create a loving and nurturing environment—one that wouldn’t feel like an institution, but like a home. The Lord shared His vision for each floor to have a theme and for others to get involved by using their talents to minister to the spirit, soul and body.”
Decorator Pandy Agnew, co-owner of The Good Life off of Rocky Ridge Road, coordinated the “angel” theme on the dorm’s second floor with artist Betty K. Freeman and said the project opened her eyes to the positive impact a pleasing decor could truly have on someone’s life. “I’ve realized that no matter who we are or where we are in life, everyone deserves to have the best home they can have—a place that truly feels like home. It made me happy to see people (the dorm residents) who are so appreciative. To know that I’ve made any bit of difference; it makes me feel so good to know something I did made them smile.”
Ellen Mayer Interiors and artists Lisa Opielinski and Peggy Green Tilly adopted the dorm’s first floor and designed it to the theme of “Arts.” Decorator Cassie Clayton partnered with artist Lila Graves on the third floor for “Nature.” And “Sheep” was the theme depicted on the fourth floor by Sally May Interiors, with Gina Hurry, Lee Wilson and Betty K. Freeman as artists. All decorators and artists are from the Birmingham area.
Heintz said she couldn’t be more pleased with the warm and welcoming environment that has been created for the hurting women who need a place to heal and feel God’s presence. “These women left the security of their homes, their families, their familiar belongings and need to know they’re loved. The designers and artists embraced this project, and when they saw the joy on the residents’ faces, their hearts were filled with joy, too.” Heintz is also grateful to the financial supporters who contributed funds to furnish and decorate the space at $5,000 per floor.
The public is invited to attend the open house on March 28, from 2 until 4pm. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the dorms—led by Recovery Program residents, themselves—and meet the artists and decorators who have made the dorm “home” for these women who are working so diligently to build stable and independent lives. The Foundry staff will also be on hand to welcome guests and answer questions.
“Our community has backed this project so enthusiastically—as always—and we want this celebration to be a thank you for their prayers and support, as well. We’ll welcome all who attend with open arms,” Heintz said.