Crater of Hope celebrated its 10-year anniversary last week during their monthly meeting at the Community Room of the Middlesboro Bell County Public Library.

The group was started by Jeannie (Allen) Redmond in 2015 as an anti drug coalition focused on trying to stop drug use in the Middlesboro area. Over the years that mission morphed to show a greater emphasis on recovery and aftercare services as well as prevention.

“I retired from corporate America and had opened a business in downtown Middlesboro,” Redmond said. “After living out of town for about 20 years and moving back I noticed that the town I had left was not the town I came back to. I started finding needles and drug paraphernalia all around my store — it was really heartbreaking.”

She said it made her really mad at the time.

“Instead of seeing the need I saw the desire to throw everyone in jail. I wanted to take my town back and just put a stop to it,” she said.

Redmond started holding regular meetings on how to take the town back and she said the people who showed up to those meetings and shared their stories changed her mindset.

“I believe with all my heart that God sent them to me to show me that I was approaching things the wrong way,” she said. “I learned from people who were trying to get help that there was no support in this area for them. After hearing these women share their stories, I had a change of heart.”

That led Crater of Hope to start working to help people battling drug addiction to find the help they needed.

“We may not be able to open a rehab facility, but we could direct them to people who could help them,” Redmond said.

In 2016 Crater of Hope started Naloxone training and did a Youth and Risky Behavior survey through Berea College. Later that year they started offering free drawing classes with Larry.

The next year they added free painting classes with Barbra and started sharing educational materials on Hep C and HIV.

2017 was also the first year for the Walk Away from Drugs. That annual event coming up on May 17 is now known as the Recovery Walk.

In 2019 Crater of Hope painted their downtown mural and there are plans to refresh that mural this summer with the help of students who pledge not to do drugs.

2019 was also the first year of the group’s Christmas Toy Drive which continues to this day. The toys collected are used to provide a Christmas for children whose mothers are incarcerated in the Bell County Detention Center.

Also in 2019 Crater of Hope partnered with Toyota Tshusho and became a 501c3. They started an after school program and rented their first building. In 2020 they started to partner with Save the Children.

In 2021 they started the ready to work program in partnership with Southeast Community College.

Friday members of the board of directors: Jessie Mobert, Michael Slusher and Redmond, and members of the Crater of Hope Board: Pam Sulfridge, Becky Akers, Merlie Lane, Sherri Clark and Kayla Grubb were all recognized along with past board members in attendance like David King.

“For the past decade at Crater of Hope we have been a guiding light of support and hope in our community. We offer prevention, recovery and after care services that pave the way to a brighter future for Bell County,” Sulfridge said. “Each year has presented its challenges, but its also presented remarkable growth, resilience and success — made possible by the unwavering dedication and passion of everyone that is here today.”

Ready to Work student Alycia Rhymer shared her recovery story and Tom Vicini from Operation Unite spoke about working with the Crater of Hope.

The group’s next meeting will be on April 28.