Almost There Ministry betters lives in community

Almost There got its start through weekly visits to the Union and Towns County jails. Malinda Grey and Elaine McEver ministered there, and McEver took the organization’s first steps by inviting some of the newly released female inmates to her house and helping them get clean.

June 2017 saw Almost There’s official beginning. As described by President Danny Meeks, the name was chosen because the offenders “are getting out of prison, they’ve got just a little bit more to go, but they’ve got a lot that they need to learn from the mistakes that they made.”

The effort serves as a transition between incarceration and a return to society. A five-bedroom doublewide mobile home serves as a stable environment for those in need, namely, for four women eligible to participate in the Enotah Judicial Circuit’s Accountability Courts.

This includes residents from the Enotah Circuit’s range of Union, Towns, White and Lumpkin Counties.

“Some of them really have not had a good family life – don’t know much about what a family really is,” said Meeks, adding that the fifth room is for Vice President and Director McEver to live with “her girls” and more readily be there for them.

“The goal really is to provide a Christian environment so that they can live and learn quite a bit (as) a family, sit around the table together, communicate and help each other out,” Meeks added.

Along with the domestic and spiritual support they find in the program, some women are also eligible to receive aid for their smiles.

“They have bad teeth a lot of times, so they’re insecure because they don’t want to present themselves to the public,” explained Janie McConnell, a member of Almost There Ministry and the head of the dental program.

Women who have been there for three months and who have no further infractions are eligible to be evaluated by Dr. Ketron Moss in Young Harris. The Ministry covers 75% of the cost, with the rest covered by the patient – who is usually working after that initial three-month period.

Still, McConnell said it’s possible for the remaining 25% to be covered by a number of local churches as charity. Almost There works with many churches, as a matter of fact – when she could still drive, McEver took many women to their preferred places of worship.

As body and spirit heal, so too does Almost There seek to cleanse the mind. Mothers who have lost custody of their children often go through counseling to get them back, and Meeks said Almost There residents are encouraged to attend. Children may not be allowed to stay in “Ms. Elaine’s House,” but they can visit.

It’s worth noting that the ministry has an 80% success rate, as calculated by McEver, and some of their success stories were put on display that morning with two women who are currently part of the program.

Sheila Larson freely admits she was at rock bottom after her arrest. Her case manager suggested she try Almost There, and it was then that she met McEver, whom Larson said brought change to her life.

“Over the next couple of weeks, this woman would pray with me … and it was thanks to her that I have gotten back in my life and started healing,” Larson said. “I love the program at Almost There, but it’s the House Mom’s heart and love that really brings us out.”

When she moved in, Larson had only fear, doubt and a pillowcase filled with her meager belongings, but she was welcomed so warmly that by the end of her first night, she had a closet full of clothes and the strength to better herself.

Tracy Teague – today one of the managers of Sundance Grill – has come far in her own recovery. Sharing a bit of her backstory, Teague is the self-described “product of two hippies” and was no stranger to drug abuse from a young age.

Teague said she eventually became a functional addict with three children, a mortgage, and a relationship spanning almost two decades. When the man she loved admitted to robbery and murder and went on the run, Teague’s life fell apart.

She lost both of her parents shortly thereafter – along with her house and children – and tried to soothe the pain with heroin and meth.

“The best thing that ever happened to me was that I was arrested, and that’s what landed me into the Drug Court program,” Teague said. “I came in to Ms. Elaine’s House reluctantly, (but) I’ve been clean and Saved now for 18 months.”

“When I found out God loved me, that’s when my life turned around,” shared McEver, who has faced similar hardships. McEver said after the presentation that she struggled with alcohol for years, but finding faith was what she needed to make drastic change to then pay forward.

The Movers and Shakers were so moved by the ministry and the women it helps that they “passed the hat around” and donated an impressive $490 that morning.

Meeks said the main way the public can help is to pray, but the organization is in desperate need of another house manager/program director. McEver was adamant she would remain in the lives of her girls somehow, but aging has rendered it difficult for her to do everything she used to.

Someone who can help take over things like house and yard work would be appreciated, but Meeks and McEver agree that the ideal candidate is another woman with a true servant’s heart who can live with those staying at the ministry and provide support right alongside them.

“God has really blessed this ministry in the past eight years,” Meeks said, adding that in a perfect world, Almost There could grow to include more than one director so they could take turns living in the house and managing duties.

Interested parties may contact Meeks at 478-719-5207 or dannylmeeks@gmail.com. To anyone who wishes to make a monetary donation, find out more or believes Almost There could benefit their loved one, the line to call is 706-970-3661.