KANNAPOLIS — The Adult and Teen Challenge program has been around in some format since at least the 1960s, providing those with substance abuse issues an alternative to incarceration, and a strong chance at turning their lives around.

David Wilkerson decided in the 1960s to shift his ministry from pastoral care to recovery, and he opened the Brooklyn Teen Challenge in New York initially.

Now, the program is a worldwide operation, with 1,200 facilities across the globe, including 220 in the United States. And the one based out of Moore County in North Carolina has a segment in Kannapolis that is an essential part of the full nine-month process.

According to Andrew Fitzgibbon, who is the director of the Kannapolis facility, the Sandhills Adult and Teen Challenge program is a faith-based, long-term program that not only addresses the addiction, but all of the pieces a person coming out of addiction needs to be successful in the community. Students who do not have a high school diploma or GED will also complete that by graduation from the program, and there are internships as part of the process as well as counseling.

The first step is a 30-day crisis program that is at the Moore County facility. Fitzgibbon said the majority of students are dealing with some form of opioid addiction, but substances like methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol are also included. Once students have completed that initial crisis phase, they transfer to Kannapolis for the induction phase, which goes from day 30 to 120.

“The induction phase is very heavy on the recovery process,” Fitzgibbon explained. “There is a lot of counseling, peer support group therapy, personal study. We also offer life skills training that includes volunteer work, because we want to teach people to give back to the community selflessly.”

There is Ready Now recovery group therapy along with individual counseling, and this period is when students have to be willing to look inward at the cause of the addiction and the possible temptations. It is the time for learning themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, and what they want from life.

The Kannapolis facility opened in 2017 on property that belonged to the Multiply Church, because the church had a vision of a recovery program for Cabarrus County and the surrounding area.

The last five months of the program students return to Carthage for training. They spend one week in classes and one week working with participating employers.

And in the last two to three months, students and staff begin planning the students’ exit strategies and lining up support systems in the communities they will be going into or back to.

In a 2019 nationwide study, Fitzgibbon said looking out five years, more than 74 percent of graduates are still successful, and of the 2023-24 graduates, 95 percent are now employed full time.

He said the court system is “wonderful to work with,” and he estimates about half of those in the program are court referrals. The program is one of several options in the legal system, but the challenge is specifically designed for those who have substance abuse at the core.

Fitzgibbon himself is one of the program’s success stories.

“If you looked at the first 18 years of my lift, you would see a success story in the making,” he said. “But then I made one compromise, and it took me on another path for several years.” He was one of the court referrals, presented with the option of the Adult and Teen Challenge or incarceration. “And it turned my life around,” he said. He is now working for the program, married with a family, and it’s all just five years from when he started the program in 2022.

He said one of the best success stories is about a man who, when he came in, had lost his children, and the children’s mother had died from drug issues, and he had spent time in prison. Today, he is a staff member with a college education and custody of his children.

“It sounds simple, I know, but there are a lot of steps in there that make this more of an accomplishment than it sounds. But he has done tremendous work and his commitment is unbelievable.”

For those who want to invest in the program by working, or who perhaps are not quite ready to re-enter everyday life after nine months, there is an additional six-month internship available as well.

The program has built connections with churches throughout both Cabarrus and Rowan counties, including Royal Oaks Baptist in Landis, a small church with big commitments.

“They have truly been a big help, with fundraisers but also with spending a lot of time with our students,” said Fitzgibbon.

Pastor Andy Downs praised the program as “a phenomenal alternative for so many, with ongoing support that is very much what they need.” He said the church community is willing to invest in the future for these young folks, although Fitzgibbon said the program is open to men 18 and older, and they have had students in their 70s.

In addition, they are opening the first women’s program in the near future, and there is a program just for military veterans.

Referrals don’t just have to come from courts, either. Family, friends, lawyers, anyone can recommend the program and applications are available on the website at sandhillstc.org. He said once an application is submitted, someone should receive a call within three days.

The program will hold its largest event of the year mid-December, when it holds banquets three nights in a row for sponsors, supporters and others to hear the reports of the last year, get updates on programs and plans and needs, and share in the success stories.

Asked what he wanted people to remember most about the program, Fitzgibbon had a simple answer: “We’re not a rehabilitation program, we are a transformation program.”