Elevate Cedar County: A victory worth celebrating

Editor,

We spend plenty of time talking about the challenges facing our community. Just as important is recognizing progress when we see it and acknowledging people who are willing to get involved. Addiction is one of those challenges, and its effects don’t stop with the individual. Families, employers, law enforcement, our courts, and ultimately the entire community feel the consequences.

Nearly a year ago, while I was serving on the board of Elevate Cedar County, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Frank Lambrecht introduced an individual to our board who was struggling with addiction. Frank is a Detective with the El Dorado Springs Police Department and serves as President of the organization.

That individual sat down with us and personally told us his story. He was open about where he had been, what he was facing, and the struggles he was trying to overcome. There wasn’t an instant solution after that meeting, and over the months that followed, there were both victories and setbacks.

Today, I regularly encounter that same man working at a local business here in El Dorado Springs. He’s employed, supporting himself, and living independently. Almost every time I see him, he has a smile on his face and a great attitude. He’s genuinely one of the most pleasant people you could meet. That’s not a statistic in an annual report. That’s a man in our community building a life.

Seeing where he is today compared with the story he personally shared with us nearly a year ago is something worth recognizing. It’s also a reminder of why giving someone an opportunity matters. We may not be able to fix everything in someone’s life, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be willing to help with the next step.

My faith shapes the way I look at that. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor, show mercy, and put that love into action. Those aren’t principles that should remain inside the walls of a church. They ought to affect how we treat the people God places in front of us.

That doesn’t eliminate accountability. Addiction brings real consequences, and compassion doesn’t require us to excuse destructive choices. We can tell the truth about someone’s decisions while still extending a hand when that person is ready to take a different path. None of us should become so consumed with another person’s failures that we forget our own dependence upon God’s grace. That ought to give us some humility when dealing with people whose struggles may simply be more visible than our own.

There are no guarantees when we invest in another person. There may be setbacks, and someone may take three steps forward and two steps backward. Sometimes our efforts won’t produce the outcome we hoped for. But that doesn’t mean we become so hardened by disappointment that we stop trying to help people altogether.

The man I met nearly a year ago is a good reminder of why. I don’t know what every chapter of his future will hold, but I know what I see today: a man working, supporting himself, living independently, smiling, and contributing positively to the community around him. El Dorado Springs needs more stories like that.

We should continue looking for practical ways to help people who are ready to change direction while maintaining the accountability our community needs. Government can’t do all of that. Neither can law enforcement, churches, nonprofits, employers, or families. Each can play a part, and communities are stronger when people are willing to work together instead of assuming someone else will solve the problem.

We spend plenty of time talking about what’s wrong in our community, and sometimes we need to. We should be just as willing to recognize what’s going right. The progress I’ve personally witnessed in this man’s life is one of those things worth recognizing.

That’s a victory worth celebrating, and it should make all of us wonder how many more stories like his might be possible if we’re willing to see the person behind the problem and put compassion into action.

Sincerely,

Ryan Snow