Located in Foley, Alabama, Coastal Rehabilitation Women’s Center (CRWC) is one of the Christ-centered 7 Springs Ministries’ long-term residential women’s programs. The home-like environment of this 12-18 month recovery program for women wrestling with addiction or other self-defeating lifestyles is designed to support women on their journey to healing while helping them become Kingdom-advancing, productive members of society.
Vicki Thompson serves as Program Director at CRWC. We hope you enjoy this Q&A style glimpse into what brought her to the 7 Springs family with a deeper look inside the women’s program.
How did you get connected with CRWC?
“I went through the program myself from 2019 to 2020. About five months in, I started working at the house part-time. I would drive people back and forth to court and help the director in whatever ways were needed. Right before I graduated, some changes were happening in the house and I was asked by 7 Springs founders, Daniel and Colonie Hughes, to stay and take on the role of director.
I already knew a lot of what went on in the office, so it was an easy transition for me. Before my drug addiction, I spent 21 years working for hospital systems where I worked my way up to an administration position. I did cost analysis, filed reports and handled other tasks within the business office, so stepping in as director at CRWC seemed like a natural fit.”
The program is flexible enough to comply with court orders. Is that how many of the residents find their way to CRWC?
“Yes, at least 95% of the women are court-ordered, furloughed or doing a reverse prison sentence. The majority are from Mobile County or Baldwin County, and others are sent here by the federal court system. We also have some women who have come out of abusive situations.”
What does a typical day in the life of a resident look like?
“Every day starts with chores, breakfast and their first class. We offer three classes a day, about 75% of which are faith-based. Others include meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. We have a noon class, lunch and then some quiet time in the afternoon when the ladies can work on Celebrate Recovery homework, Bible study or just take time to rest. For dinner, we have a rotating schedule so everyone gets a turn to cook. Then we have an evening class which may be on- or off-site. This includes programs like GRO, GriefShare and Crossing 2 Freedom. Some girls work toward earning their GED. Then we have evening chores before lights out.”
You get to witness some amazing transformations in the lives of CRWC residents. Are there any stories in particular that stand out?
“There are three that come to mind:
- One woman graduated from the program, became a manager at her workplace and is now getting certified through the state to do drug counseling, parenting courses and anger management courses. She will actually be coming back here to teach on anger management soon.
- Another lady came here with about 20 different court cases. She is currently living in our graduate house, and she has worked through every one of those cases with our help. She is also working two jobs to pay off all her fines. I remember a judge looking her in the face and telling her she was a menace to society. Now she has turned everything around and come back up on the other side.
- The court was trying to issue one of our residents a life sentence because she was a habitual offender. After all the progress she made here, God intervened and they took the life sentence off the table. She only had to do an additional six months of outpatient treatment followed by six months of probation, and then she was free and clear.
For the women who submit their lives to the Lord, so many miracles come out of this place.”
What is your favorite thing about your role as program director?
“Watching the transformation — you can literally see it. When the women first come in, they are so broken. Around the 3-month mark, things start to click and they want something different. By six months there is usually a visible transformation. Everyone here is so kind and supportive, and they want to see each other succeed. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Learn more about Coastal Rehabilitation Women’s Center.
