24 Thursday, September 12, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
VIEWPOINT
GUEST
By Daniel Jones
Executive Director,
The Haven of Rest MinistriesGuest Column
with Daniel Jones
The Haven of Rest Ministries
Executive DirectorGuest Column
with
Daniel
Jones
The
Haven of
Rest
Ministries
Executive
DirectorGuest Column
with Daniel Jones
The Haven of Rest Ministries
Executive DirectorHaven of Rest receives
$150,000 grant from
Calhoun County
On
Saturday,
Sept. 7,
2024,
Cindy Jo
Dowell
Whitworth,
loving wife,
mother and
grandmoth-
er, passed
away at the age of 63.
Cindy was born in Battle Creek,
Mich., on Dec. 18, 1960. She was
the daughter of Dennis David
Dowell and Freida Hutchings.
She attended Delton Kellogg High
School and graduated with honors
in 1979. Cindy was employed as
a dental assistant for many years.
In more recent years, she was a
homemaker while working part time
as a Doordasher, which enabled
her to spend winter months in
Arizona with her siblings.
Cindy had a passion for many
things. She was a wonderful cook,
much to her family’s delight. She
loved photography and documented
her life and memories with photos.
However, her greatest passion was
her grandchildren. She loved plan-
ning outings with the grandchildren
and celebrating their birthdays and
holidays. She was benevolent to all
who knew her.
Cindy will be lovingly remem-
bered by her husband, Alan
Whitworth; daughter, Faith Hancock
(Jamie); son, Steve Smith (Paige);
grandchildren Christian, Carleigh,
Leeland, Brynleigh, Mitchell and
Skylar; siblings, Kristina Schlieter,
Phyllis Dowell, Diane Dowell and
Michael Dowell (Barb).
Cindy was predeceased by her
parents, and nephews Benjamin
Burns and Kyle Whitener.
A memorial service will be held
Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Farley
Estes Dowdle Funeral Home, 105
Capital Ave. NE, Battle Creek, MI at
11 a.m. Visitation will precede the
service at 10 a.m.
Memorial donations in memory
of Cindy may be made to St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital, P.O.
Box 1999, Memphis, TN 38101.Ruby N.
Lovelace,
93, of Battle
Creek
passed
away August
2, 2024.
Ruby
was born
September
23, 1930,
in West Frankfort, IL to Russel Carl
and Ruby Esther (Aken) Stewart.
She was very active with her hus-
band, Roy Lovelace, in Pennfield
Little League Football. She also
enjoyed quilting. Ruby especially
loved her grandchildren and spend-
ing time with her family.
Ruby is survived by her children,
Al (Tammy) Lovelace, Ray (Sandy)Henley, Donna Deemer, Patti Quick,
Mary (Dave) Dingledine and Rex
(Nancy) Lovelace; as well as 15
grandchildren; 14 great-grandchil-
dren; and two great-great-greanchil-
dren.
She was preceded in death by her
parents; a brother; a sister; a step-
son, Jeff Lovelace; son-in-law Terry
Deemer; and her husband, Roy.
A celebration of Ruby’s life will be
held Tuesday, September 24, 2024,
at Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral
Home & Cremation Care at 11 a.m.,
with family receiving friends at 10
a.m. Following the service, Ruby
and Roy will be interred at Fort
Custer National Cemetery.
Personal messages for her family
may be shared at http://www.farleyestes-
dowdle.com.Haven of Rest Ministries is
humbled to announce the receipt
of a $150,000 grant from the
Calhoun County Opioid Settlement
Funds, which are administered and
overseen by the Calhoun County
Commissioners.
This significant grant will be
used to upgrade and enhance the
Men’s and Women’s Life Recovery
Programs at Haven of Rest, aiming
to achieve credentialed status for
both programs, which will enable the
organization to bill providers such as
Medicaid and private insurance for
the services provided.
The Men’s Life Recovery Program
is a 12, three-stage in-residence
initiative that helps formerly home-
less men overcome substance abuse,
identify self-defeating behaviors, and
work towards becoming self-suffi-
cient community members.
Similarly, the Women’s Life
Recovery Program (WLRP) offers
a unique recovery experience that
allows women to go through the
recovery process along-
side their accompanying
children, ensuring that
families can heal together.
This holistic approach
addresses the complex
needs of the program
participants, including
substance abuse counsel-
ing, life skills training,
and spiritual support, all
within a loving, faith-
based environment.This funding is a critical step
toward enhancing our services and
ensuring sustainable recovery for
those we serve.
Our focus is on making these pro-
grams into models for the rest of the
State to follow in providing services
to our community’s most vulnerable
residents who are struggling with
addiction.
Also, the ability to bill Medicaid
and private insurance for some of
the services provided, will not only
improve the Haven’s financial sus-
tainability but will also expand access
to our life-changing programs for
more individuals in need.
While we are incredibly grateful
for this support, it’s important to
note that these funds are designated
specifically for Men’s and Women’s
Life Recovery program enhance-
ments and cannot be used for our
general operating expenses.
Unfortunately, Haven of Rest is
likely to face an operating shortfall
this coming Fall of between $100,000
and $150,000.
This is due in part to a decline in
the number of veterans participating
in our Veterans in Progress (VIP)
Program – which we are compen-
sated for – and an overall decrease ingrants and contract income.
Compounding these challenges, we
have seen an increase in demand for
our services, which are provided free
of charge to the community’s home-
less population, especially following
the closure of the other shelter in
town.
This shortfall may create a very dif-
ficult operating environment for us in
the coming months, particularly dur-
ing the September through November
2024 timeframe.For more information about Haven
of Rest and its programs, please
visit http://www.thehavenbc.org or contact
Daniel Jones at (269) 965-1148 or
[email protected].$
200-$
10,000I BUY ALL CARS
& TRUCKS!
Call me first... I pay more!
269-223-3588
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