LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Every day is a good day to help someone on their road to recovery. “It changes clients’ lives,” said Chris Maguire.
What You Need To Know
- Ladies of Promise is an addiction treatment center in Louisville’s West End
- It provides addiction education, counseling and transitional living
- Chris Maguire is one of hundreds of the center’s successful recovery stories
- The center is expanding to add affordable housing, education programs, day care services and more
Maguire is a peer support specialist at Ladies of Promise Addiction Treatment Center.
He guides clients on their sobriety journey.
“It’s something I can’t explain — to see somebody change their life and change the trajectory of their life — it does something for me. It really fulfills something that I’ve never had in my entire life,” Maguire said.
When he walked into the center for the first time in 2019, it wasn’t for work.
“Where would I be if it wasn’t for this program? I hate to say, I really would, I don’t think I’d be here. I was headed for death,” said Maguire.
While he was working toward sobriety, his grey-eyed baby girl was born.
“This is my daughter, Kalena. She was born to addiction, and she was colicky and she was detoxing off of methadone,” Maguire shared.
When Child Protective Services threatened to place her in foster care, Aileen Wales, the center’s founder, made the on-the-spot decision to take custody of Kalena without even knowing her name.
“I remember she didn’t even have teeth. She’s every bit of this small. She’s a teeny little something, but she is amazing. That’s our baby,” said Wales.
Wales and other Ladies of Promise staff welcomed the child into their homes while Maguire finished the program and got back on his feet.
“I wouldn’t have traded that for the world to see her right now with her dad talking. See, she is adorable, and she loves her father and if I can just do that for one person — if all I get is Chris — I’ve done enough,” Wales said.
Maguire has been sober for three years. He’s gained full custody of Kalena and is enjoying taking care of his family.
“This program changed my life. It gave me my daughter back, and it gave me a life. It means the world to me. I’ve dedicated my life since I’ve gotten sober to helping other people to abstain.”
Maguire’s testimony is his greatest tool to inspire others who are in the shoes he once wore.
Ladies of Promise is hoping to expand its impact by building a new facility behind the center. They are planning to add affordable housing and education programs along with 24-hour day care to its list of services. Construction on the new building behind the center is projected to be complete next fall.