CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Support Warriors Center Efforts

March 8, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, MS --- While the Mississippi RiverKings will battle the Texas Brahmas on the ice March 18th at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, The Warriors Center will battle drug addiction, homelessness and hopelessness through an awareness campaign during the game.

Warriors Center will be featured as the RiverKings M.V.P. Nonprofit Organization during that night's contest. Supporters of the Center will attend the game as part of a fundraiser, from which the RiverKings and nonprofit grantor Maddox Foundation will donate up to $10 per ticket back to the organization.

Warriors Center began in Southaven as an outreach to the homeless in 1999. In October of 2000, the outreach ministry was converted to a residential faith-based program reaching out to men and women battling substance abuse, homelessness or other life-controlling problems.

"We noticed in our outreach work that many people who wanted help did not have many options," Executive Director David Vincent said.

"My role at the beginning began as just a guy who had overcome addictions and a rough life himself, who had a heart to help people who struggled with many of the things I had struggled with since my childhood. I became involved in homeless outreach and began taking people into my home, and because of the great need it exploded, and we started the Warriors Center program."

Vincent, whose duties now involve leading a staff of 8 and supervising the operations of the Warriors Center 70-bed facility, says the organization is necessary because of the epidemic of homelessness and addiction.

"There are not many options locally when someone needs long-term help especially when it ‚¬â„¢s needed in a residential setting," Vincent said. "Our program is valuable because we offer a holistic program that deals with both the clinical and spiritual issues. We have seen many people whose lives were completely broken be restored to their families."

Vincent said Warriors Center has been very successful in helping many men and women turn their lives around and become productive members of society. "Warriors Center brings hope and healing to the individuals and families dealing with addictions through counseling, group therapy, spiritual support, and service work," Vincent said. "The service work side of our program is a valuable tool because it helps men and women get their self-worth back and they come to the realization that their life can still count for something."

Vincent said the most rewarding aspect of his job is watching lives that are being changed.

"Many times we work with people who everyone had given up on," he said. "It is amazing what can happen when you love a person and believe in them. My most memorable moment has been being able to take a group of men on a mission trip to Honduras and having them build water wells and a dental clinic in the jungle and seeing the life change happen in them as they were a part of this great work."

Public participation and support is wide-ranging, from attending fundraising banquets such as The Warriors Center Banquet hosted at Bellevue Baptist Church on Feb. 24, to making a tax-deductible gift of goods, such as clothing, furniture, vehicles or office equipment. Monetary donations help cover the cost of housing, feeding, clothing, counseling, medical expenses, and more for program participants, as well as various Warriors Center outreach programs, such as the "Under the Bridge Homeless Outreach" and mission trips.

Warriors Center accepts referrals from Churches, Mental Health Organizations, Primary Care Professionals, Missions, Community Based Organizations and the Criminal Justice System.

Warriors Center offers its faith-based treatment and recovery support services through three programs: an 8-week intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment, a residential 28-day spiritual boot camp, and a 1-year, long-term residential discipleship program.

"The Warriors Center Residential Program is paid for through the generous support of our partners and fundraising efforts, allowing indigent men and women who cannot afford help to be able to take that step toward freedom," Vincent said. "Through that, we can provide transitional housing, substance abuse treatment, spiritual support, case management, individual and group counseling, job training, job placement, and aftercare."

To purchase RiverKings tickets for the Warriors Center fundraiser or for more information on Warriors Center, call (901) 405-1298 or visit www.warriorscenter.com.

The RiverKings ‚¬â„¢ M.V.P. (Money-Volunteers-Publicity) designation includes an emphasis on helping organizations raise money, encourage volunteerism, and generate publicity about the organization ‚¬â„¢s mission in the community.

The Mississippi RiverKings are supported by their community partners, season ticket holders, fans, and by program-related investments of the Maddox Foundation, an independent private foundation based in Hernando, Miss. To find out more about the RiverKings, call 662.342.1755 or visit www.riverkings.com.



Central Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2011


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