There are many areas in the lives of the recovering alcoholic, addict, and family members affected by these diseases. One of these is finding healthy alternativies to meet the social needs of people in recovery. A change in lifestyle often brings on feelings of isolation from the world, especially on a social level. Many times leisure times are long and lonely. The though of a good card game, shooting pool, or just a good old fashion rap session may bring back euphoric thinking. The Unity Club offers this kind of
alternative to the recovering alcoholic, addict, and their family members.
HISTORY
The Unity Club was established in October of 1974 by a group of Washington County residents who were active in AA and Al-Anon programs, and saw a need for the services of a club in Washington County. The club is totally separate from AA, NA, Alateen, and Al-Anon and should not be confused with these groups. AA, NA, Alateen, and Al-Anon will always exist with or without the club, but the club cannot exist without these organizations supporting it.
The club is a non-profit organization whose ultimate goal is to be fully self-supporting through membership dues, fund raising activities, rental of room by recovery meetings and other services provided by the club. The original club opened in March of 1975 in a small building on East Washington Street. The following year, more space was needed and a large home was rented at 226 S. 5th Ave. During the summer of 1979, the Board of Directors was notified that the Immanuel Church of Christ was planning to dispose of the building which was rented out to the club as part of their proposed expansion program. The Unity Club would be forced to move by the end of the year.
A building committe began to search for a building to lease or to buy, but the latter seemed an impossibility with the small amount of savings in our account. Nothing could be found that suited our needs or our budget. A fund drive was started staying as close to AA guidelines as possible.
The miracle began as our hard working committe came up with a low priced lot and plans for a new building. The funds started coming in and an unbelievable mortgage was made available through a local bank. A builder was selected who could promise delivery and erection of the steel type building before winter weather would halt construction. God provided a mild winter and countless long hours were put in by volunteers in getting the building ready for accupancy. The official move took place on January 13th, 1980. The interior work took about another 3 months.
