Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 22, 1994 TAG: 9407220083
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BECKY HEPLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PILOT LENGTH: Medium
``I majored in drinking at Hampden-Sydney [College], did post-graduate work in the Air Force,'' said David Francis, a large, hearty man with the smile of a perfect party person. "I drank for 40 years."
He finally became sober, but only after struggling through a multitude of programs. Armed with that knowledge and a beautiful piece of Montgomery County mountain farmland, he started his own program, called Serenity House. This weekend, it celebrates its 20th anniversary with a party for the community as well as for past and present clients.
The festivities start Saturday morning at 11 and go until, as Francis said, ``they go home.'' There will be a barbecue, and entertainment by country-rockers Fescue 911 and The Living Waters gospel group.
Several speakers will be on hand to honor Serenity House's success, including Ray Garland, a political columnist; the Rev. Bob Alderman, pastor of Shenandoah Baptist Church in Roanoke; and Donald Huffman, former state Republican Party chairman. Francis said there also will be a dedication for the new flagpole, and June Zimmerman will sing ``The Star Spangled Banner.''
Serenity House depends on word of mouth for its clients. It accepts no state or federal funds and does no advertising.
The approach is simple: The men must pay their own way, through the work they do on the property or in the community. ``We employ the work ethic here,'' Francis said. ``Each man is expected to make a contribution to his own well-being.''
To that end, the men work the farm, tending the animals, gardens and fences. Francis finds them work throughout the community, working on neighbors' farms or in some of the local workplaces. In 1981, Francis started a woodworking shop on the grounds where the clients made and sold church furniture. Although he sold the factory last year to CCS of Christiansburg, the workshop remains on the property, and the company continues to use the help of the men at Serenity House.
There is no time limit for the men who come there to deal with their alcoholism. They stay until they are ready to go out on their own. ``We just take them and love them, encourage them, stimulate them to improve the fragility of their existence,'' Francis said. ``If they get drunk, we don't kick them out. They stay for the length of time it's necessary for them to change their life.''
Serenity House has had as many as 60 and as few as 20 clients. Right now, 28 men live on the campus. Francis said their success is heavily dependent upon their environment. ``You're setting out here on top of this mountain, surrounded by beauty, and if you can't get your soul together now, it's probably not going to happen,'' he said.
In a time when many communities reject the establishment of such social-service facilities, Francis is proud of the close rapport between his operation and his neighbors just down the road from Pilot. That is part of his therapy. ``You have to give something back to your community,'' he said.
So the men who come here help their neighbors put up fences, cut wood, work on the farms and do home maintenance. During the big winter storms, they help dig out driveways and deliver supplies to shut-ins.
In return, the community helps them. In January 1987, a fire that started in one of the dorm rooms did $500,000 worth of damage. The community pitched in, donating clothes, bedding, food and places to sleep until the facilities could be replaced. ``It was such an outpouring of love and support,'' Francis said. ``We couldn't have done it without the community.''
by CNB