Project Rescue: History
Ronnie Crocker, the director of Project Rescue has been ministering
to those struggling with addiction since 1986 (23 years). Ronnie and
his wife Jeanie have ministered in mental hospitals, jails, prisons,
and other institutions.
Project Rescue’s history is as follows:
Established in 1989 in Florida.
Established in Waycross, Georgia in February of 2005.
Ronnie & Jeanie used their retirement savings to purchase an
apartment building and a duplex in Waycross, Georgia (in July of
2007).
We accepted our first program member into our Waycross, Georgia
facility on October 12, 2007.
We became a tax exempt corporation in May of 2008.
Project
Rescue 2009 Success Summary
39 souls enrolled in
our addiction recovery program in 2009.
2 of these were women.
Of the 23 who left the
program without graduating, 8 men stayed with us over two-hundred
days before exiting and 6 men remained with us over one-hundred
days.
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from
heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it
bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to
the eater,
so shall My word be that goes forth from My
mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what
I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:10.11
In 2009, we, the
church, led 10 program members to be baptized into Christ and 3
program members to return to faithfulness to the Lord.
In
2009, Project Rescue graduated Billy Youmans (Georgia), Mickey
Morgan (Alabama), and Randy McBride (Indiana).
They are continuing in the faith!
At the
end of 2009, we had 11 men in the program, Van (Texas), Bryan
(Louisiana), Landon (Georgia), Beau (Florida), Todd (Georgia), James
(Georgia), Lance (Florida), Clay (Georgia), Brandon (Alabama),
Michael (California), and Paul (Georgia).
We
have three Gospel preachers on staff (Bill Nicks, Frank Parker and
Ronnie Crocker).
Jeanie
Crocker serves as our accountant, baker, etc.
Kim Johnson serves as our nurse.
Betty
Parker serves as counselor, baker, encourager, and helper of wives
and children.
Chris Walden & David
Wallace serve as our program managers
(hound-dogs to make
sure the men are drug-free).
The
members of the City Boulevard church of Christ play a crucial role
encouraging the men.
In 2009 we deposited $309,485.16 and spent
$308,812.33.
The $309,485.16 includes
the contributions by individuals and churches, the paychecks of
program members, and funds sent by family members.
The $308,812.33 was spent
on insurance, telephones, furnishings, vehicle payments, gas,
apartment utilities, maintenance, repairs, and the personal needs
(housing supplies, food, clothing, medicine, doctor visits, drivers
license reinstatements, child support, etc.) of the program members,
and the duplex mortgage.
As of
December 31, 2009:
We have a checking
balance of $672.83
We are holding a total of
$4,200.26 for several of the men whose accounts are in the black.
We are owed a total of
$3,605.95 from several of the men whose accounts are in the
red.
We own four vehicles
which will eventually be transferred to the men who are driving
them.
In addition to our
(owned) Forrest Ave. & Oxford St. facilities, we are renting three
apartments for 4 men.
We have three Project
Rescue vehicles: 2 vans and 1 jeep.
In the last two years (2007 thru 2009):
We enrolled 44 program members.
We baptized 17 men and 1 woman into Christ (we do not push baptism
on them).
We restored 14 men who came to us as erring members of the church
(James 5:19, 20).
26 men chose to exit the program before finishing (they were with us
an average of 3-months).
We graduated 5 men (Chris, David and Randy graduated our 1-year
program. Billy & Mickey graduated our 6-month program. All of these
are continuing in the faith).
Our finances from 2007 thru 2009 were as follows:
Since Project Rescue’s establishment in October of 2007 (over
2-years ago) $602,576.76 has been deposited (this figure includes
funds Ronnie & Jeanie contributed for the purchase and remodeling of
our apartment building and duplex, financial support Frank & Betty
Parker raised for themselves, funds that have been contributed by
Christians and congregations of the Lord’s church, funds contributed
to support (housing, food, etc.) program members, and the paychecks
of program members who work in the community). $598,625.92 of the
$602,576.76 was spent over this 2-year period. The
$598,625.92 was spent on insurance, telephones, furnishings, vehicle
payments, gas, apartment utilities, maintenance, repairs, and the
personal needs (housing supplies, food, clothing, medicine, doctor
visits, drivers license reinstatements, child support, etc.) of the
program members, and the duplex mortgage.
The City Boulevard church of Christ and especially
Bill & Gerry, Frank & Betty, Kim & Marlee, Chris & Krystal, and
David are doing a great job. Jeanie and I count ourselves privileged
to serve the Lord and the souls in our care.
Please pray for us. We could not take on such an enormous task
without God’s help and your prayers & support.
In His service,
Ronnie Crocker, minister
ronniecrocker1@gmail .com