News: 2008 Archive

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Project Rehab Celebrates 40 Years of Improving Lives this Friday

(Grand Rapids, MI) --- Project Rehab, the first treatment facility of its kind in West Michigan, will mark its 40th anniversary with a special publication and a series of events on Friday, Oct. 17, 2008, including an open house, campus dedication and concert. 

Project Rehab’s open house and tours of the facility, located at 200 Eastern SE, will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. The Recovery Campus will be dedicated in memory of William H. Kooistra, co-founder of Project Rehab, during a 6 p.m. ceremony. The celebration will also feature Project Rehab’s release of 40 Stories of Courage and Hope, a collection of profiles on the courageous clients who prove that recovery is possible and the treatment pioneers who helped strengthen our communities.

Immediately following the open house at 7 p.m., Project Rehab will present Tribute to Motown, a live concert at Wealthy Theater, 1300 Wealthy SE. The concert will feature songs made famous by Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and The Temptations. Its performers are comprised of three bands that were assembled specifically for the special occasion, including Ray Townsend, Mona Sallie and the Sounds of the Motor City and The Crunch Bunch Band. Tickets are $19.68 and are available through Wealthy Theater at www.wealthytheater.org/boxoffice or by calling (616) 459-4788 x 131.

“Our anniversary celebration isn’t only for our clients. It’s for the entire community because that’s where we really see Project Rehab’s impact,” said Project Rehab Executive Director Tommy House. “We know our mission is being fulfilled when we see people putting their lives back together, working, going to school, spending time with family and contributing to society.” 

Project Rehab was established in 1968 by doctors Bill Kooistra and Chet Maternowski. “Bill and Chet were courageous trailblazers who worked together to provide hope for the addicted for the first time in West Michigan,” said House. “Since then, Project Rehab has provided thousands of clients with the opportunity to improve their lives.”

According to Michael Reagan, president of Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance, Project Rehab’s parent organization, the impact of treatment provided by Project Rehab goes far beyond the individual client.  “Our communities save $7 for each dollar invested in treatment,” Reagan said.  Research by CASA, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, indicates that untreated substance abuse costs the criminal justice system $1.1 billion in areas of corrections, judiciary, and juvenile justice.  In addition, the research shows that untreated substance abuse disorders costs our education system about $1 billion in expenses related to services for “at-risk” children.

More information about Project Rehab's anniversary activities are available at www.projectrehab.org/40.