RAYS OF SONSHINE

Rebuilding Lives and Restoring Hope One Step at a Time

ARTICLE BY KAY STOTHART RECTOR | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW BAILEY AND PRAJAL PRASAI

Near downtown Monroe, inside buildings scattered across several city blocks, radical changes are taking place every day. Through the ministry of Rays of Sonshine, a nonprofit agency led by Executive Director Lynn Daniel, lives are being transformed. Following a rigorous treatment program designed to free them from the bonds of addiction, women struggling with drug and alcohol abuse are being healed. Encouraged by Rays of Sonshine’s staff, women are making difficult choices and dedicating themselves to long-term recovery. Supported and assisted with housing, education and job training, they are finding strength, acceptance and, most importantly, hope for the future.

While their stories may end well, the women whose lives are changed by Rays of Sonshine do not always come here voluntarily. In fact, most come reluctantly, and in many cases by mandate. They typically show up discouraged, hopeless, angry and bitter. Besides being addicted, these women are often plagued with low self-esteem, broken relationships, financial problems and even legal troubles. Some are homeless, with children they are unable to care for properly. But gradually, at Rays of Sonshine they began to recover and to overcome these hardships. They learn to replace doubt and fear with optimism and courage. They learn to be self-sufficient and to give back to their community, improving themselves and the lives of others.

Rays of Sonshine began more than 20 years ago as an idea and a yearning to serve. An ordained minister, wife and mother of four children, Lynn Daniel had what she describes as a “strong desire to establish a local mission.” In 1998, she and other community activists and volunteers started collaborating, searching for ways to provide essential services for those in need.

“Our goal was to figure out what the greatest need was in our community, and to focus on meeting that need,” Daniel says. Her group drafted a survey and distributed it to local nonprofit organizations, civic leaders and community volunteers. They received over 300 responses to their survey. At the top of the list was the problem of drug and alcohol addiction. “It was from that framework that Rays of Sonshine developed,” says Daniel.

They started small, opening a residential facility which housed a few men seeking treatment for substance abuse. “Initially, we only housed men because they were the ones who came to us first,” explains Daniel. During this formative period, Rays of Sonshine purchased its first building, on the corner of North 3rd Street and Arkansas Avenue in Monroe. Just a couple of years into their operation, Daniel was approached by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals about providing substance abuse treatment for women.

“We found out through the Department of Health and Hospitals that there was a huge need for an all-women’s facility,” says Daniel. “In order to work with the Department of Health and Hospitals, we had to become a licensed clinic, and that was quite a jump for us.” Additional certifications were required, as well as a larger facility. Daniel and other staff members obtained the necessary licenses and found a building they could remodel to suit the agency’s evolving needs. After graduating all of the men from the program, Rays of Sonshine eventually became a treatment program exclusively for women.

Not long after converting Rays of Sonshine to a female-only facility, Daniel read about a study by the federal court system, correlating community volunteer work with positive outcomes for participants who had been convicted of crimes. Finding this concept interesting, Daniel began to look for ways to include community volunteer work in their addiction recovery program.

Toward this end, Rays of Sonshine became a local food bank agent. Women in the program help by packing grocery bags and distributing them once a week to needy people in the area. This ongoing community project allows participants in the treatment program to help others in the community.

This project was a success from the outset and grew very quickly. By 2005, Rays of Sonshine participants were packing and distributing 150 to 180 bags of food each week. Realizing the need for more space, the agency’s Board of Directors decided to purchase another building. In August of 2005, Rays of Sonshine bought a warehouse on South 1st Street. Two weeks later, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana.

“It turned out to be really a blessing,” recalls Daniel. “We had a lot of space, and we were able to work very well with the Civic Center in helping distribute clothes and food. A lot of the 18 wheelers coming from Ohio and other areas in the North would come to our warehouse and unload, and then people from New Orleans and Baton Rouge would come up and get the items they needed. We were sort of like a middle person for a lot of the work that went on down there.” Daniel says that using its warehouse, Rays of Sonshine continued to service 18 wheelers hauling items to South Louisiana for over a year following Hurricane Katrina.

All the while, Rays of Sonshine continued in earnest its primary mission of helping women recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Daniel and her Board of Directors were persuaded by DHH to expand their services to include a residential facility for mothers and their children. “One of the disadvantages women often have is that there is no one to tend to their kids while they come into treatment,” explains Daniel. They were eager to start allowing children, but serving this need required additional housing.

Fortuitously, Ameripride Linen and Uniform Services on Louisville Avenue had two houses they needed moved and were willing to donate. Rays of Sonshine owned vacant land that could accommodate the donated houses. “We were able to have the houses moved to our lot, put together and reconfigured to suit our purposes,” recalls Daniel. “The house is large and has enough rooms for 5 mothers to live with their children while they’re undergoing entry level clinical treatment.”

A child development center provides activities for the children whose mothers are in treatment. The center is based on the “Boys Town” model which originated in Omaha, Nebraska, designed to help at-risk children. Working together with the Children’s Coalition of Northeast Louisiana, the center assists children with homework and conducts testing each month to insure that each child is developing academically and able to succeed in school. Reading is especially important. Mothers at Rays of Sonshine read to their children every evening at 7 o’clock, even the newborns. “Our dream is to expand the child development center,” Daniel says. “We are expanding, and therefore we’re having more and more children come to us.”

Over time, Rays of Sonshine has been able to acquire more property as the organization’s needs have grown. In addition to the residence for women with children, a large residential group home houses up to 12 women as they undergo the first three months of treatment. Individual apartments are available to women who are still in treatment but have completed the initial phase of the program.

Housing is a critical issue for many clients in treatment. “We began to recognize that 75% of the people that we serve are homeless, some of them chronically homeless,” says Daniel. “When they finish treatment, they have nowhere to go.” To address the housing crisis, Rays of Sonshine contracted with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide permanent supportive housing. Daniel describes permanent supportive housing as an “exceptionally perfect answer to this type of problem.” Permanent supportive housing allows independence as the women work on their long-term recovery goals. Eligibility is based on need and rent is determined by the person’s income. Rays of Sonshine now has a growing number of permanent supportive housing options for women who have completed their treatment program. A beautiful older home in downtown Monroe was restored and converted into 8 apartments. More apartments are located near the treatment clinic on North 3rd Street. With funds from the Louisiana Housing Authority, Rays of Sonshine purchased adjudicated properties and built a group of free-standing houses, creating a neighborhood known as the Community of Hope. Rays of Sonshine recently partnered with Northeast Delta Human Services Authority to create what is called the “Phoenix House.” The Phoenix House will serve as recovery housing for people who are still in the early stages of their sobriety but are ready to live independently.

Daniel emphasizes how important housing and other factors can be for successful long-term recovery from addiction. “Addiction is a brain disease, and it’s a chronic disease,” says Daniel. “It takes time for people to really gather themselves and begin to live a normal life. Housing is a main feature in helping people with this level of illness.” Daniel explains that even with excellent in-patient treatment, long-term recovery takes several years. During the months and years following in-patient treatment, permanent supportive housing is critical to success.

Also critical to successful recovery, Daniel insists, is attention to overall health and wellness. “Women present to treatment very, very sick,” Daniel says. “Not just because of their disease of addiction, but because of their physical condition. They are dehydrated. They are malnourished. It is typically a very sad situation.”

Daniel points out that it is necessary, when treating addiction, to treat the whole person. “Rays of Sonshine is a unique type of recovery treatment program,” Daniel says. “We are a recovery community, and we take a holistic approach.” The treatment program stresses the importance of proper nutrition. Not only is the campus smoke free and tobacco free, but participants are also expected to give up sugar and caffeine. There are no soda or coffee machines. Instead, the women are encouraged to drink lots of high quality filtered water. Whole, unprocessed foods are served at every meal.

“We want to make sure they understand the relationship between good nutrition and a quality recovery,” explains Daniel. “Research that has been out about eight years now shows that if you can teach someone to change what they eat, their chance of recovery goes from below 30% to over 80%.”

Rays of Sonshine has a masters level fitness instructor on staff and three workout areas with exercise equipment for the women to use. A goal of 200 minutes of exercise per week is suggested while in treatment. The program also incorporates yoga and meditation. Donna Ponder, owner of Blue Sky Yoga, invites the women at Rays of Sonshine to come to her studio once a week for yoga classes.

Adult education is offered in many forms during treatment. Participants have access to a computer lab with 24 work stations. Here they can prepare for and take the high school equivalency exam, learn skills and earn certificates. “Adult education is a primary feature of what we do,” insists Daniel. “Our goal is for them to leave here with whatever the next level of schooling or training is for them.” Staff members also assist participants with job searches and job training.

In keeping with Rays of Sonshine’s commitment to give back to the community, all participants in the addiction treatment program spend time working at the warehouse on South 1st Street. Now called “The Zone,” the warehouse is a hub of activity every Thursday and Friday. On Thursday mornings, participants help pack between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds of groceries which are given out the following day. Every Friday at The Zone, approximately 400 grocery bags filled with food are distributed to pre-qualified families in need.

In addition to food, The Zone distributes all sorts of other items to those who need them. “We are a warehouse system,” explains Daniel. “We have furniture, appliances, clothes, hygiene products. Whenever there is a community crisis, we get referrals from churches or businesses or individuals. We give away anything we have if we have it.”

Since its founding over two decades ago, Rays of Sonshine has helped more than a thousand individuals recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Through its food bank and related outreach programs, it has provided countless families with the life-sustaining essentials of food, clothing and shelter. With the support and dedication of its staff, volunteers and donors, Rays of Sonshine will continue its mission, offering people in this community hope, healing and the opportunity for a better life.

HOW TO HELP:
As a nonprofit organization, Rays of Sonshine relies heavily on community support. Volunteers are always welcome at The Zone on South 1st Street to help sort and distribute groceries and other donations. Donations from the community are accepted and can be dropped off at the Rays of Sonshine administrative offices located at 200 Breard Street in Monroe.

Monetary gifts to Rays of Sonshine allow the organization to continue its effective addiction recovery program. Even a small donation can help participants stay in treatment longer, enhancing their chances for successful long-term recovery. Monetary donations can be made through the organization’s website: www.raysofsonshine.com or by mailing to 200 Breard Street, Monroe, LA 71201.

Danielle’s Story

Danielle describes her childhood as lonely, marked by emotional depravation and neglect. Her mother and stepfather provided shelter and material things, but she says she was rarely shown love, kindness or nurturing in the way that other children were. Her mother was verbally abusive towards her. Her biological father left when she was very small, leaving her with feelings of abandonment. “I was alone a lot as a child,” Danielle says. “I just remember always being alone.”

Danielle moved a lot as a young child. “I went to a different school every year until the sixth grade,” she recalls. It was not until middle school that she learned to make friends or felt a sense of belonging. She attended high school in Calhoun with the same group of kids from middle school. Like many teenagers, she experimented with drugs and alcohol, but overall, Danielle exceled in high school. She made good grades, was a cheerleader and played sports. On the outside, she appeared to be fine. “I had a lot of stuff festering inside of me,” Danielle says. I was very sick, but I hid it really well, and no one around me had the insight to see it.”

A couple of years after she graduated from high school, she became pregnant. She married her son’s father, her high school boyfriend, but the marriage did not last. “It was just one more instance of someone not loving me enough,” says Danielle.

After a divorce, Danielle joined the US Army. She enlisted for four years, but was injured while on active duty and was discharged after only two years. “I was trained as an EMT, but I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she recalls. After coming home, she worked various jobs to support herself and her son. She used money she earned bartending to attend nursing classes, with the goal of becoming a registered nurse.

Danielle married again, this time to a man more emotionally unavailable than her first husband. Although her marriage was not a healthy one, she was working and going to school and seemed to have her life together. “I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school,” she notes. “I became the second person in my family to graduate from college.”

Danielle was pregnant with her second son when she realized that her husband was using methamphetamine. While he went to treatment, she held their household together, taking care of two children and holding down a job as a home health nurse. Her husband’s sobriety was short-lived, and soon after he returned, Danielle’s life started to spiral out of control.

In a bizarre turn of events that resulted from her husband’s drug-induced behavior, Danielle lost the nursing license that she had worked so hard to earn. Devastated, she began actively using methamphetamine. Destitute, she began selling the drug to support herself, her kids and her habit. “I knew I needed help, but I lacked the ability to ask for help, which played a big part in my demise,” she says.

Danielle was arrested several times and was in and out of jail for various drug-related offenses. “In retrospect, it was divine intervention,” says Danielle. “God was constantly trying to set me down, but I was bullheaded. I thought I had it under control.” She eventually found herself facing 13 felony drug charges in two different parishes. She was also charged with a federal firearm violation, which potentially carried a fifteen year sentence.

According to Danielle, it was her conviction on a relatively minor possession charge that ultimately saved her life. For that charge, District Judge Terry Doughty sentenced her to serve 3 years in prison, but suspended that sentence and placed her on supervised probation for 2 years and ordered her to participate in Drug Court.

Within two weeks of that sentencing, Danielle failed two drug screens and was back in front of Judge Doughty. Instead of revoking her probation, Doughty ordered her to jail for thirty days, and to substance abuse treatment for eight months. “I was mad as a hornet,” Danielle remembers. She railed against the judge and the criminal justice system, blaming everyone but herself.

When she finally arrived at Rays of Sonshine, she was still angry and resentful. She remembers that Director Lynn Daniel likened her to a “loaded machine gun” and was tough on her during her first few days there. “I love her,” Danielle says of Daniel. “She ‘tough loved’ me like no one else could have.’”

“I was always stoic, because I thought I had to be,” Danielle says. She tried to remain that way as she started the recovery program mandated for her. “I didn’t like it, but I did what they told me to do,” she says, recalling her first few weeks at Rays of Sonshine. Gradually, though, she began doing in earnest the emotional work required for recovery. “I started ‘taking out the trash,’” Danielle says tearfully. “I had to expose some really difficult things that I had not been able to face my entire life.”

Danielle finished the treatment program at Rays of Sonshine and graduated early from Drug Court. She was offered a job at Rays of Sonshine as a residential staff member which she accepted. In the past three years, she has been promoted several times. She now serves as the Case Manager for one of the program’s recovery houses. She also helps her stepfather operate her family’s produce farm. She has finally made peace with her past and renewed her relationship with her family.

“God has worked astronomically in my life,” says Danielle. “I am so happy and thankful for the state of my life today.”

Fairendo’s Story

When Fairendo came to Rays of Sonshine in 2014, she had just given birth to her son, a beautiful baby boy who tested positive for crack cocaine. Addicted, Fairendo had been using drugs during her pregnancy. It took the presence of crack cocaine in her child’s bloodstream and the fear of losing him to motivate her to seek recovery from addiction.

Hospital staff reported the test results to the state Child Protective Services agency and the child was removed from her care. Rather than place the child in a foster home, CPS allowed him to live with Fairendo’s older sister. “That was a blessing,” Fairendo says, recognizing that her son could have ended up in foster care and her parental rights terminated.

Fairendo says she always had family support growing up, especially from her mother. Her parents provided well for her and her brothers and sisters. They were strict, and good grades were expected. After high school, she attended a vocational program and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. She got a job as a CNA at a nursing home and worked part time while taking nursing classes at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

During her first year at ULM, Fairendo lived at home with her parents. But she was partying a lot with her friends, drinking and hanging out with what she describes as the “wrong crowd.” Her grades dropped and she eventually quit school, disappointing her parents who expected her to get a college degree.

Although Fairendo was exposed to drugs at an early age and even sold marijuana as a teenager, she didn’t begin using crack cocaine until she was almost 27 years old. During the time she was at ULM, drugs were constantly a part of her life. Her boyfriend and some of her friends were using, and after she quit school she became actively involved in selling crack cocaine. “I learned how to sell it, how to cook it and process it and cut it up,” Fairendo recalls. For years she sold but didn’t use the drug. Eventually, though, she tried it and quickly became addicted.

Fairendo was arrested several times, for offenses ranging from misdemeanor theft to drug possession. She spent time in jail and even a brief time in a treatment facility, but had no desire to quit using. It took her mother’s death and the realization that she had passed her toxic drug use on to her newborn son to make her change course.

Her son was less than a month old when Fairendo came to Rays of Sonshine. She spent 9 months in the treatment program. Every week, she wrote postcards to her son that he could read someday and know that she was thinking of him. After completing the initial phase of the program, she was allowed to have overnight visits with her son in her sister’s home.

She made good use of her time at Rays of Sonshine, working her recovery program and also training for jobs so that she could support herself and her son when she got out. “I had two jobs waiting when I got out of here,” Fairendo recalls. “At Rays, I trained to be a behaviorial instructor with COA, working with children of addicts while their mothers were in class.” She kept that job for a year, leaving when she was pregnant with her second child, a daughter who is now three years old.

In the three years since her daughter was born, Fairendo has continued working and gone back to school. She attended Louisiana Delta Community College where she was on the Dean’s List her first semester and the Chancellor’s List every semester after that. She recently graduated with a degree in Business and Technology. Today, she is employed as the Permanent Housing Manager at Rays of Sonshine, and runs Sincerely Mo Cleaning, her own residential and commercial cleaning service.

Fairendo marks her years of sobriety by her son’s birthdays. He is five years old, and she is five years sober. Thanks to Rays of Sonshine, she is a loving mom whose life is fulfilling, productive and drug free.

Linda’s Story

Like so many young people in their teens and early twenties, Linda experimented with drugs and alcohol in her younger years. As she got older, she used drugs recreationally from time to time, but she always held a job, took care of her family and led a productive life. She says her struggle with addiction began with pain medication prescribed for her after surgery.

In the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle, Linda’s abuse of opioid pain medication escalated as she tried to cope with increasing stress. She became involved in an unhealthy relationship with someone who was a drug user, and soon she was abusing other substances in addition to pain pills.

Eventually, Linda’s family stepped in. Her mother actually collaborated with her ex-husband, and together they took action through the court to force Linda to get help for the sake of her child. Rather than risk losing her son, Linda agreed to enter the treatment program at Rays of Sonshine. “I realize now that it was a ploy to make me get help,” she says.

“I moved quickly through the program, more quickly than most do.” Linda says. After her entry level treatment was complete, she moved into transitional housing, where she had more independence. Her son, who had been staying with her mother, came to live at the apartment with her. She had successfully completed six months of treatment when Lynn Daniel offered her a full time job at Rays of Sonshine. Linda had worked as a secretary before coming to treatment. This job offer, which she looked upon as a huge vote of confidence by Daniel, afforded her a new career complete with a salary and benefits.

Linda worked and stayed with her recovery plan, eventually completing an entire eighteen month program, and for three years, she and her son continued to reside at Rays of Sonshine in independent housing. She bought a car and moved into a home away from the Rays of Sonshine property. Even though she lives offsite now, she continues to be a vital part of the recovery community there through her job as staff member.

Linda has been drug free for six years, with the exception of what she calls a “slip” three years into her sobriety. This time, with the support of her colleagues and mentors at Rays of Sonshine, she voluntarily re-entered clinical treatment and got the help she needed to get back on track. “Recovery is a way of life,” she explains. Adopting this way of life allows her to remain free from the nightmare of opioid abuse.

She notes that the treatment program and general atmosphere at Rays of Sonshine has changed somewhat since her first time in treatment. There is more focus on a holistic approach to recovery, using practices such as yoga, meditation and better nutrition. Linda tries to incorporate these new principles into her day-to-day life, along with the other wisdom and tools that she has gained during her time here. Her life is better because of Rays of Sonshine, and for that she is grateful.

Jacqueline’s Story

Jacqueline started using drugs relatively late in life. For the first 30 years, her life could be described as normal. She grew up in Port Arthur, Texas, where she graduated from high school. She went to college, got married and had two children. She worked full time with the school district in Port Arthur.

In her mid-30s, Jacqueline started “dabbling” with cocaine. “We were freebasing back then,” she recalls. Popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, “freebasing” involves smoking cocaine converted from its powdered form, usually with ammonia. It was how Jaqueline became addicted. “People would come over on the weekends and turn me on to it,” she says. “I wasn’t spending any money on it, but it was like a set up to get me reeled in.” Before long, she was buying and using crack cocaine, and it took over her life. She lost her home and contact with her family.

Jacqueline moved to Shreveport where she met her second husband. Together, they drank and smoked crack cocaine. They eventually separated, and Jacqueline became homeless. Still using drugs, she spent her time walking the streets, living from house to house. She got involved with prostitution as a way to get the money she needed to get high. “In the beginning I was real green,” Jacqueline recalls. “I knew nothing about street life, but I learned real quick.” After living on the streets, Jacqueline ended up in the psychiatric unit at LSU Medical Center. Doctors there suggested long term treatment, and referred her to Rays of Sonshine.

Before coming to Rays of Sonshine, Jacqueline had been admitted into dozens of different treatment programs, but never stayed longer than a couple of months. When she learned that the treatment program at Rays of Sonshine required a minimum of six months, she thought that was way too long. For her, it was not long enough.

After six months at Rays of Sonshine, Jacqueline went back to Shreveport and was reunited with her husband. He assured her he was sober, but together they started using again. She says this happened multiple times. “It just gets worse and worse every time. The conditions, the consequences, all of it gets worse,” Jacqueline says, recalling the cycle of temporary sobriety and relapse.

Although crack cocaine was her drug of choice, Jacqueline acknowledges that she is also an alcoholic, describing herself as a “full-fledged drunk.” Until her recovery, she never thought of alcohol as a problem. “The first time I went to treatment in 1988, I did not tell people I was an alcoholic, because I drank zinfandel and chardonnay, and in the right glasses,” she laughs. “But then, I ended up on a street corner with a 40 ounce malt liquor in a brown paper bag, passing the bottle. So yes, I am now convinced that I am an alcoholic.”

It took two more relapses before Jacqueline finally hit rock bottom. “It’s not over until you hit bottom,” she insists. For her, that day came 5 years ago when, at age 56, she was referred to a nursing home due to mini-strokes and overall poor health. “My family was okay with that, because that way I wasn’t running the streets and using,” she says.

Instead of going into the nursing home, Jacqueline decided to return to Rays of Sonshine and try one more time to turn her life around. This time, she found lasting sobriety and long-term recovery. Five years later, she is still here. She works as the treatment clinic’s Intake Coordinator and sponsors others who are recovering. With money she earned, she purchased a car and has become self-sufficient.

Jaqueline is continuing her college education, working toward becoming a licensed substance abuse counselor. She completed an internship at Rays of Sonshine under the supervision of Assistant Director and Clinical Supervisor Claire White. In 2017, she graduated from an addiction counselor training program sponsored by the Louisiana Association of Substance Abuse Counselors and Trainers.

“Being able to attend the LASACT conference was a blessing,” Jacqueline says. “It was like God’s divine plan was just mapped out for me.” Inspired by Dr. Daisy Daniels, a retired ULM professor and counselor at Rays of Sonshine, Jacqueline hopes to earn a masters as well as a doctorate degree. “I can have a PhD by the time I’m 70,” Jacqueline insists. “That’s doable. That’s my goal.”