Salvation Army Begins Fund Drive

The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center on Van Nuys Boulevard helps 80 men battle drug and alcohol addiction every day through its 12-step program, but officials there think they can do more.

High atop their wish list is construction of a 10-bed transitional house for program graduates and another 15-bed facility for women addicted to alcohol and drugs--projects that could cost as much as $400,000 each, said Capt. Hendrik Aalders, an administrator at the center.

Last week, the center formed an advisory council to conduct fund-raising activities to make the two facilities a reality.

“This is the next logical step for us,” spokeswoman Leslie-Ann Quinn said. “There are so many people out there who need our help.”

In its fund-raising effort, Quinn said, the program will hold a Community Day to familiarize people with the facilities and the center’s work.

“We want to let them see some of the amazing things that happen here every day,” Quinn said. “We save lives here.”

The rehabilitation center, which receives no government funding, operates on money raised through the Salvation Army’s six area thrift stores and two boutiques, Quinn said.

Inside the center, workers, most of them program graduates, assemble furniture, sell clothes and unload trucks full of items donated from across Los Angeles.

They sell computers, stereos, motorcycles and dinette sets--with all proceeds going to help the 80 men enrolled at the center kick an addiction and straighten out their lives.

“This program is about making miracles happen,” said Ron Boyd, a recent graduate of the center.

For more information on the programs, call the center at (818) 778-1177.