The Challenge

Bill Moore was a drug king-pin with a long criminal history. His activities were putting the community at risk, and his drug abuse and trafficking was endangering his life as well as the lives of others. "I had to break a lot of laws to get the big money," Bill has said. Breaking those laws would cost him a total of 21 years in Federal prison terms.

The Solution

From his window, Bill watched The Men's Residential Center (MRC), the rehabilitation program at Volunteers of America Oregon, undergoing building construction. Then he noticed the men out on the streets with brooms, cleaning up the neighborhood and planting trees. Impressed with what he saw and suffering from bad health, Bill decided to check out MRC. When entering the program, Bill says he "wasn't about to change my life for anybody. I just thought a little rehab might do my body good and put me back at the top of my game." Instead, Bill was transformed by MRC's highly structured treatment program, which stresses healthy accountability and a re-framing of perspectives. Men who previously had never known lives without crime and drug addiction complete the program and begin to live clean and sober lives, contributing in positive ways back to the community.

The Outcome

Bill completed the program, turned his life around and now is a mentor and counselor to other men, many of whom he had known during his former life of crime and later encouraged to join the MRC program. Bill is also a Sunday school teacher and a deacon in his church and helps bring a higher level of care and safety to the community.

The Organization

Volunteers of America Oregon is a leader in creating vibrant, compassionate communities where every member is valued and every home is safe. The 12 social program we offer empower individuals to make positive choices, build stronger families and live healthier, more fulfilling lives.
more about the organization

www.voaor.org