A Campaign for Recovery

HOW COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO BREAK CYCLE OF ADDICTION

JUNE 2026

WE ALL KNOW SOMEONE

WHETHER IT’S A NEIGHBOR, A COWORKER,

A SPOUSE, OR A SIBLING, WE ALL KNOW

SOMEONE WHO HAS STRUGGLED WITH ADDICTION. ADDICTION KNOWS NO RACE, NO CLASS, NO RELIGION, NO GENDER.

SURPASSING EXPECTATIONS

GENEROUS COMMUNITY PUTS US OVER GOAL!

Throughout Scripture, a period of seven years is often associated with renewal, spiritual completeness, and the fulfillment of God’s work. As I reflect on the last seven years at Lifeline, I see those themes woven throughout our story. What began as a season filled with uncertainty has become a testimony of restoration, growth, and God’s faithfulness.

When I transitioned into the executive director role in 2020, I knew we faced enormous challenges. We were operating with limited resources, aging facilities, financial uncertainty, and a community that, in many ways, still did not fully understand who we were or the life-changing work happening through our recovery programs.

What I could not fully see then was God’s vision to guide, strengthen, and provide in such miraculous ways.

Today, our team has grown to 50 employees, many of whom have walked their own recovery journey and returned to serve others. We have strengthened our systems, achieved accreditation, expanded our services, and continued raising the standard of care for every individual who comes through our doors. These changes were not simply about organizational growth. They evolved thanks to key leadership, planning, faith, and philanthropy which helped systematically build a new foundation strong enough to serve more clients and many generations to come.

God brought the right people alongside Lifeline at the right time. Families, churches, businesses, foundations, volunteers, board members, and individual supporters chose to believe in what Lifeline can do. They saw the ripple effect that occurs when one life is restored – children regain parents, families find healing, workplaces regain employees, and communities become stronger. They gave their time, expertise, and philanthropic resources.

Because of that generosity, we are honored to share that A Campaign for Recovery has officially exceeded its historic $14.5 million fundraising goal. This milestone is far more than a number. It represents people who said “yes” to hope. It represents a community that chose to invest in helping Lifeline clients heal. And in many ways, it feels like the completion of one important chapter as God prepares Lifeline for the next.

Campaign success has positioned Lifeline not only as a trusted recovery organization in our region, but as a model of Christ-centered recovery care that can influence communities across the state.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Ashley Miller

2014 Graduate of Lifeline

As we look toward the future, our commitment remains the same: to continue raising the standard of care, to continue meeting people in their darkest moments with compassion and truth, and to continue creating spaces where transformation is possible.

Thank you for believing in recovery. Thank you for believing in Lifeline. And thank you for helping make this season of transformation possible.

GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT

STRIVING TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF RICH BLESSINGS

In business, in our organizations, and in our own lives, I’ve long been a believer in the adage, “To whom much is given, much is required.”

At Lifeline, we feel this calling to stewardship deep in our hearts. Financial sustainability is one of Lifeline’s five strategic plan focus areas. Every gift entrusted to Lifeline is used to help those battling addiction, with the goal that no one is turned away from the opportunity to experience restoration and new life.

Time and again, we have been blessed to grow our mission of addiction recovery, from our most humble beginnings to the current season of celebration.

Through prayer, perseverance, and the generosity of our supporters, Lifeline is celebrating the completion of a $14.5 million comprehensive campaign, overjoyed and grateful for the response that resulted in donations that exceeded our goal, coming in at $15 million.

This remarkable milestone has made possible two new campuses, expanding our capacity to welcome those seeking freedom from addiction and a new life. For both the men’s and women’s campuses, we have added staff and invested heavily in their professional skills, credentialing, and expertise to create an accredited program.

In addition, the campaign established a $3 million operating endowment, creating a lasting foundation to sustain this work for years to come. The endowment strengthens our ability to serve with consistency and excellence, equipping our staff, strengthening our programs, and allowing us to respond to the needs set before us. It enables Lifeline to remain a beacon of

hope – grounded in truth, guided by faith, and sustained by what has been provided.

We are deeply grateful for each donor, partner, and advocate who has answered the call to support this mission. Your generosity brings light into places of darkness and hope into lives that need it most.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for walking in faith with us. We believe that “He who began a good work” in Lifeline will carry it to completion, and we look forward with confidence to all that God will continue to do through Lifeline.

FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

Steve Powless Former Chair & CEO of CSI

Board of Directors

The following Board of Directors donate considerable time and expertise to Lifeline.

• David Bailey

• Rev. Dr. Bernice Belt

• Dr. Casey Brantley

• Carla Berry

• Tony Copeland

• Missy Eckenberg

• Terry Haas

• Robert L. Hill

• Ken Hunt

• Ashley Miller

• Steve Powless

• Bonnie Schrock

• Matt Snow

• Dr. Jeffrey Taylor

• Todd Trimble

Campaign Committee Members

The following community members served on a campaign committee during A Campaign for Recovery. Their time and talents were extraordinarily valuable to raising awareness, enhancing donor relationships, and soliciting campaign donations.

• Missy Eckenberg, Campaign Co-Chair

• Steve Powless, Campaign Co-Chair

• Doreen Hahn, Honorary Campaign Co-Chair

• John A. Williams Sr., Honorary Member

• Carla Berry

• Jamey Brown

• Terry Haas

• Jeff Holland

• Kenny Hunt

• Bill Jones

• Marty Nichols

• Terrye Peeler

• Todd Trimble

A CAMPAIGN FOR RECOVERY

2023-2026

TWO DECADES IN THE MAKING

LIFELINE VISION FOR GROWTH COMING TRUE

Ashley Miller, Lifeline executive director since 2020, knows the value of the organization inside and out. The daughter of addicts, she took her first pills at 12 and suffered her first overdose at 14. Her addiction worsened, even after her marriage and the birth of her daughter. After multiple felony charges and jail time, she ended up in 2013 on the women’s campus of what is now named Lifeline Recovery Center. It had opened 10 years earlier, following the start of the men’s program in 2004.

After she and her husband Eric completed the longterm residential treatment, each became involved here to help others, like many other graduates before and since. Research shows those who have been in addiction themselves make effective counselors for others in the same battle; and the graduates feel compelled to pay forward the love and grace they received here.

And, like many other successful graduates who have become productive members of our community, Eric has since opened his own contracting business, and Ashley became Lifeline’s leader.

“As one who came to this place in my darkest hour, it is my greatest honor and privilege to serve it now,” she said.

“By the grace of God, Lifeline has grown from that vision that started nearly 20 years ago,” she said, “and we are committed to continuing that growth until we reach our ultimate goal – that no one who wants to get sober will be turned away because of a lack of resources.”

“My vision has always been that we could help more people than we’re helping now and not turn anyone away.”

- Ashley Miller

CAMPAIGN BUDGET

2023-2026

$14.5M CAMPAIGN GOAL

REVENUE

$15M TOTAL RAISED:

FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING

LIFELINE’S FAITHFUL MARVEL AT TRANSFORMATION

Lifeline Recovery Center began almost a quarter century ago with the lofty goal to be a lifeline for those battling addiction, but often needed a lifeline itself to overcome growing pains and meet its community’s needs.

In the early 2000s, Kentucky was in the nation’s top 10 for drug addiction and overdoses, and addiction had ravaged Paducah. The local community knew a solution was needed, but the efforts were fragmented and struggling.

“Those beginning days were tough, and there were times I wanted to give up,” said Terrye Peeler, Lifeline’s first executive director. “Only by the grace of God were we able to keep going. Financial needs were met 100 percent by donations.”

Lifeline began in 2004 as Paducah Lifeline Ministries for men and Ladies Living Free (2006) for women. They joined forces in 2006 to offer residential substance abuse treatment at separate campuses for men and women, and the need was substantial – only one in five applicants could be accepted due to space and resource limitations. Leaders were determined to make a difference and decided on a unique approach:

• Compared to a standard 30-day residential substance treatment program, Lifeline offered a nine-month, three-phase program with at least six months of residential treatment followed by three months of outpatient after care.

• It was more affordable. While a standard 30-day program typically charged $14,000-$27,000, Lifeline charged $1,800, broken into two $900 payments, with the rest of the cost covered by donations.

• Curriculum included the 12-step Celebrate Recovery program, structured lifestyle changes, Bible study, counseling, volunteer service at community organizations, and job skills training and employment. “Clients received the comprehensive treatment they needed not just to face their addictions,” Peeler said, “but also to truly transform their lives.”

EARLY STRUGGLES

However, Lifeline’s facilities and capacity were severely lacking.

Billie Preston, Lifeline’s director of operations, remembers her early days as a new Lifeline employee: “We lived off of nickels and dimes for so long,” she said. “We were very, very frugal in everything we did and in every decision we made.”

Frugality helped keep the program afloat, but staff and clients faced many challenges.

Half a dozen clients shared a bathroom during their six-month residential treatment, and limited, rotating spaces for classes and offices frequently complicated the process. Maintenance problems were common on both campuses.

“We’d fix one issue,” Preston said, “and 10 more problems would spring up.”

The staff was small – one per 21 women, and one per 45 men – and salaries were low and benefits were few for long hours. Volunteers outnumbered staff, and clients had little one-on-one time with either.

“You really had to have a passion for what was being done at Lifeline,” Preston said. “Despite all the financial stress and everything else, we were seeing clients set free from addiction and families being restored.”

For many years, that was enough.

“We lived off of nickels and dimes for so long. We were very, very frugal in everything we did and in every decision we made.”

- Billie Preston

A NEW VISION, A NEW NAME

Then in the late 2010s, as more graduates made it through the program and their healing began to make an impact on their families and communities, the team realized they needed a new vision for the future.

Ashley Miller, Lifeline’s current executive director, recalls this time well. “I always envisioned that if more people knew what this program does and could do,” she said, “more people would want to help.”

By 2019 the success attracted new board members like Steve Powless, current board chair. “Lifeline was already doing incredibly meaningful work in our community,” he said. “It felt like an organization with incredible potential in a community with incredible need, but it needed resources to execute a bigger vision and fully step into what it could become.”

Before rebranding as Lifeline Recovery Center, the men’s and women’s programs used this combined logo.

With an empowered board, Lifeline’s leadership set a long-range plan in 2020 for:

• Expanded facilities and services to accommodate the region’s growing demand.

• Accreditation to meet the highest quality standards of the industry.

• Sustainability to ensure that, as this new vision came into being, Lifeline would have the resources, capacity, and community support to keep it going.

An early part of the transformation was a new name, Lifeline Recovery Center, merging the legacy of Paducah Lifeline Ministries and Ladies Living Free, while adding “recovery” to capture the transformation and success Lifeline’s target audience sought in treatment.

Armed with a new name and new direction, Powless said the team started asking, “What could Lifeline look like if we had the resources to do more? If you took away the financial constraints, what was really possible?”

Those questions led to the Lifeline today – a thriving place for recovery that few involved at the beginning could have imagined: new campuses, accredited programming, growing staff and hundreds of lives being changed through recovery.

Peeler marvels at what she has witnessed. “The stories I could share, the miracles I have witnessed, the tears I have cried over the years,” she said. “Those beginning days were tough, and there were times I wanted to give up; but then we would witness miracle after miracle of how God worked things out for us, and our faith and our trust in Him strengthened.”

“What could Lifeline look like if we had the resources to do more? If you took away the financial constraints, what was really possible?”

- Steve Powless

‘CAN WE REALLY PULL THIS OFF?’

THE CAMPAIGN VISION: FROM FEASIBILITY TO FUNDRAISING

By the 2020s, even with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifeline Recovery Center was making a major impact, graduating an average of 50 clients each year from its threephase recovery program. Still, there was a strong feeling within Lifeline that the community needed more.

At the time, six people a day were dying in Kentucky of drug overdoses, yet Lifeline could only accept half of the clients who applied each year. Lifeline’s leadership, including new Board Chair Steve Powless and new Executive Director Ashley Miller, had a vision to expand Lifeline’s life-saving work, but it would be no small task.

BUILDING THE BRAND

First, they had to build the new brand of Lifeline Recovery Center.

Enter Anthony Rupard, a nonprofit consultant who was recommended to Lifeline by a local nonprofit leader. He was curious how well the nonprofit brand was positioned in the community. Rupard met with eight community leaders in November 2019 to learn about the perception of Lifeline. Based on what he learned from these conversations and an initial assessment of Lifeline’s fundraising, the team committed to working the plan outlined by Rupard.

Over the next two years, the goal for Lifeline was to get ready for a future capital campaign which included an urgent need to build more community awareness of the organization’s mission and services and create a culture of major-gift philanthropy.

Then, Dona Rains, a communications consultant with media, public relations and marketing experience in the Paducah market, joined the team, immediately working on content for its new website, launching a regular publication of its LifeLINE

LIFE LINE

LifeLINE magazine, published twice yearly since 2020, is developed to increase community awareness.

magazine, and sharing regular press releases and social media posts.

Having heard Lifeline’s earlier funding pitches in her previous jobs, she knew they had a long way to go. “There had been confusion with the two names and two campuses, a poorly articulated purpose and no coordinated media plan,” she said. “We had to show we had professional leadership united with one mission. Our communications became intentional and transparent on Lifeline’s methods and results, so word spread among community influencers of the good work going on at Lifeline.”

This work was essential for Lifeline’s goal of engaging more people in the mission. As engagement increased, more people battling addiction found Lifeline, more volunteers stepped up to help and more people gave generously to keep Lifeline affordable and accessible.

THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN

Simultaneously, Lifeline’s leadership team was pursuing plans to expand the program’s capacity by building two new dormitories on the Morgan Lane campus (then the men’s campus). Peeler Hall and Hunt Hall provided efficient, modern housing for 50 men in different phases of their treatment.

With a combined cost of around $800,000, this undertaking was a serious challenge that helped take Lifeline to the next level. It required the leadership team to ask Lifeline supporters to consider much larger gifts to the organization than they were accustomed to giving, all the while building awareness of Lifeline’s brand.

“There had been confusion with the two names and two campuses, a poorly articulated purpose and no coordinated media plan.”

- Dona Rains

Ultimately, more than 126 individuals, businesses, and churches donated to the two projects, helping Lifeline celebrate its best fundraising year in its history. The excitement of new buildings and the organizational courage to solicit greater levels of philanthropic support began to build tangible momentum.

THINKING BIGGER

Success begets success. Lifeline’s board and staff realized they could raise more money by reaching more people who were eager to help Lifeline grow and reach more clients.

Missy Eckenberg, a Lifeline board member, remembers this time well. After joining the board in 2020, she had worked with the team on a campaign to fund their vision for Lifeline’s future. Even with the recent success of Peeler and Hunt Halls in mind, her background in

1. PEOPLE & PROGRAMS

Paying staff appropriate wages and providing essential benefits supported talent attraction and retention. By properly caring for the people who directly fulfilled the mission, Lifeline would ensure clients always received the very best care.

3. ENDOWMENT/LONG-TERM FUNDS

To provide for future Lifeline clients, their families, and the community and to steward the investments of Lifeline supporters far into the future, a long-term, endowed fund of $3 million would create roughly $150,000 annually for facility maintenance.

fundraising told her they first needed an understanding of what was possible.

Lifeline conducted a campaign feasibility study to bring more clarity and structure to the proposed campaign vision and to see what level of philanthropy might be available to support it.

Lifeline’s dedicated board of directors and tireless staff had built a solid and ambitious strategic plan to help them achieve the growth necessary to expand their impact, which led to four key investments totaling $9 million:

2. A NEW MEN’S CAMPUS

Lifeline found a dream property in Kevil listed for $1.5 million, with the buildings and space needed for a new men’s campus. “It really seemed almost like a divine gift,” Eckenberg said.

4. A NEW WOMEN’S CAMPUS

With needs growing at the Women’s Campus, Lifeline envisioned a new campus with adequate classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, counseling offices, housing, dining and spaces for holistic program support.

Success in those four areas would allow Lifeline not only to grow, but also to expand its impact by:

• Increasing the number of clients annually by 50 or more.

• Expanding counselors and support staff to reduce staff-to client ratios and provide better one-on-one support to clients.

• Building new facilities to expand housing capacity to include transitional housing and provide additional client programs.

• Establishing an operating endowment fund to cover annual maintenance and utilities expenses, allowing Lifeline to weather changing economic conditions.

GETTING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

With the board’s blessing, Rupard took this plan into the community for feedback. “The feasibility study first tested a $9 million campaign fundraising goal,” he said, “and the reaction was positive.”

In fact, through 15 stakeholder interviews and a board of directors survey, the feasibility study identified roughly $8 million in potential campaign gifts. “We were blown away and humbled by this great news,” he said, “but it was also a bit surprising, as Lifeline had never received a million-dollar gift.”

Eckenberg remembers her reaction: “Really, we could raise all that?’”

Powless agreed, noting the biggest challenge was getting people to believe in what didn’t yet exist. “You’re asking people to invest in a vision, before the buildings are there and before the results are visible,” he said. “There were moments where we wondered, ‘Can we really pull this off?’ But over time, as people began to lean in, that belief started to grow – and momentum followed.”

LIFELINE ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO PURSUE A $13 MILLION CAMPAIGN GOAL – LATER ADJUSTING IT TO $14.5 MILLION IN 2025 DUE TO RISING CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR THE WOMEN’S CAMPUS – AND CALLED IT A CAMPAIGN FOR RECOVERY: BREAKING THE CYCLE OF ADDICTION, ONE LIFE AT A TIME.

The campaign began quietly in 2023 and went public in June 2024 at Lifeline’s Annual Banquet, aiming to finish construction and celebrate the completion of the campaign by 2026.

The plan was set and everyone involved was excited, but now the real work would begin.

“The feasibility study first tested a $9 million campaign fundraising goal and the reaction was positive.”

- Anthony Rupard

TURNING A VISION INTO REALITY

GOING FROM A DREAM TO GENERATIONAL IMPACT

For years, Lifeline Recovery Center leaders had a dream –more space, more professional staff and more of an impact to change lives and transform the community.

The evolving plan, A Campaign for Recovery: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction, One Life at a Time, provided a roadmap to turn that vision into reality.

The campaign would require millions of dollars in fundraising – much more than Lifeline had ever raised before – and that meant having the right leadership and campaign team in place.

BUILDING A VOLUNTEER BOARD OF PROFESSIONALS

A major piece of that leadership was Lifeline’s new board of directors. In the years leading up to the campaign, the board underwent a major transformation, with a new board chair and many new board members joining to lend their expertise. And incredibly, it all goes back to a simple breakfast.

Ashley Miller, executive director, remembers: “One board member invited some friends to breakfast to learn more about Lifeline. One of those friends then became a board member, and that board member recruited another. Soon, those new board members were reaching out to other community leaders, creating the expert panel of 15 individuals we’ve now assembled.”

Campaign Timeline

These 15 community volunteers bring a variety of professional expertise as executives, ministers, financial wizards, builders and communicators. They represent Lifeline in many different sectors of the community, from churches to golf courses, from businesses to professional offices, all of them reaching different circles of friends through their contacts to help tell Lifeline’s story.

Some of them have personal ties to addiction, having seen firsthand the struggles of loved ones or associates. Knowing the toll addiction takes on families and the community, they are committed to Lifeline’s mission to help people recover from addiction.

Miller said the board’s leadership has helped Lifeline supercharge its efforts to:

• Expand to serve more people.

• Develop a staff of professional counselors.

• Earn accreditation.

• Get insurance reimbursements for clients.

• Find donors to offset costs.

• Change the lives of graduates.

NEXT: A CAMPAIGN TEAM

With backing from the board, Lifeline assembled a campaign team of several board members and community leaders. Board Chair

Campus Construction and Campaign Public Phase Continues 2023 Additional Staff Hiring, Employee Benefits Program Begins, Campaign Quiet Phase

Begin Campus Construction Projects, Campaign Public Phase

Campus Construction Projects Completed, Campaign Celebration

Steve Powless headed the team and recruited fellow board member Missy Eckenberg as co-chair.

Eckenberg was unsure at first but knew she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help more people through Lifeline’s mission. “It’s the children reunited with their parents and the people that really need that second chance,” she said, “that really drew me to it.”

Kenny Hunt, another Lifeline board and campaign team member, had similar uncertainty early on but was quickly convinced he couldn’t turn it down.

“THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO BE INVOLVED IN NON-

PROFITS,” HE SAID, “BUT

WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO LIFELINE WAS

ITS

STORY AND THE PEOPLE. THERE WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT THESE FOLKS, SOMETHING THAT MADE YOU WANT TO HELP. I COULD SEE THEIR PASSION AND THEIR DRIVE TO MOVE LIFELINE FORWARD. THEY DRAGGED ME IN KICKING, BUT I’M SO GLAD THEY DID!”

Carla K. Berry, another Lifeline board member, felt called to the campaign from her family’s personal experience. She and her husband, John, lost their son, Rob, from a fentanyl overdose in 2019. “Honestly, it took me several weeks before I could give an answer when I was asked to join the board,” she says. “But once I visited the campus and met several of the teammates, I knew that it was the right decision. The visit brought me to my knees and I knew that it was meant to be.”

INSPIRATION FROM THE DIRECTOR

Co-chair Eckenberg said the campaign team drew inspiration from Miller. “What fascinates me about Ashley is she doesn’t have the same kind of background that many of us have in past leadership positions,” she said, “and, in a way, I think that benefits Lifeline.”

With an undertaking as big as the campaign, Eckenberg said some people might have thought it was too big a burden to bear. “But not Ashley. She’d just say, ‘Okay, that’s what we need to do, let’s do it.’ And she’d just move forward.”

Miller became adept at taking the Lifeline story to individuals, groups, businesses and churches. Her approach was critical to Lifeline’s evolution, including everything from expanding the campuses to receiving accreditation. “I saw really strong leadership in Ashley,” Eckenberg said.

EARLY GIFTS SET THE COURSE

Fundraising was under way, and the generous response was nothing short of overwhelming. Among those leading the way were two foundations whose generosity has long reflected a commitment to faith and community.

The Carson-Myre Foundation was established by Jane Carson Myre and her husband Dr. Louis Myre in memory of her father, philanthropist Luther F. Carson, who started bottling Coca-Cola in Western Kentucky in 1903. The foundation primarily supports Christian ministry, education, and outreach. Lifeline has been blessed by years of support from the Foundation.

Lifeline is deeply grateful to the Ray & Kay Charitable Trust for supporting our mission of providing a Christ-centered path to recovery. Ray and Kay established their family foundation in 2005 to strengthen families, assist those in need, and support Catholic and Christian initiatives.

In addition, several families stepped forward with seven-figure campaign pledges.

committee members Bill

Powless said the early gifts were instrumental in the campaign’s success. “Those gifts did more than provide funding – they created confidence,” he said. “They told the rest of the community, this is real. This is worth investing in. From there, you could feel the shift. It went from ‘if’ to ‘when.’”

Some gifts came from donors already familiar with Lifeline’s work, while others were entirely new to the mission. But in every case, Lifeline’s impact made the difference.

Joe Framptom, CEO at Paducah Bank for more than 50 years, had seen many local fundraising campaigns, some successful and some not. He admits he was skeptical about Lifeline’s campaign initially because he had limited knowledge about the organization.

“That changed when I visited the campuses,” he said. “When you see and hear the stories of recovery, it’s amazing.”

MEANWHILE, THE WORK GOES ON

Parallel to this enormous campaign, Lifeline was hard at work scaling up its staff size and expertise.

“In three years, we increased our staff from 13 to 42, including more licensed and credentialed professionals than ever before,” Miller said.

That included bringing on more counselors, a staff nurse, targeted case managers, and building a C-Suite team that could continue to help Lifeline grow its impact.

With more staff came more training. “We set out to make them the best-trained staff in recovery,” Miller said.

That meant offering more hours in continuing education and looking for ways to grow leaders among the staff, many of whom are former clients who decided to stay at Lifeline and help others fighting the same battles they once fought.

With more staff, Lifeline was able to change staff schedules from multi-day 12-hour shifts to more traditional 8-hour shifts. “This was an enormously positive change for staff members,” Miller said, “allowing them to be home with their families every day, reduce their stress, and improve their productivity, all adding up to better experiences for Lifeline’s clients.”

REFLECTIONS ON A SPECIAL TIME

Looking back at this time of growth, Powless said he was humbled by the way the community came together to help Lifeline make its vision come true. “This wasn’t carried by a few people,” he said. “It was carried by many – individuals, families, churches, foundations – all stepping in to be part of something meaningful. That’s what makes it special.”

As Lifeline got closer to its ultimate goal of $14.5 million, the campaign team met and expected it would take several more months to secure the final gifts needed. Eckenberg recalls the urgency she felt at the time. “There was something that really clicked in me and went, ‘No, it can’t be that long,’” she said. Over the next month, several generous Paducah families came together to make campaign closeout gifts.

Lifeline had set out with a goal that many might have considered impossible, but completing it showed everyone involved what this effort meant to the entire community.

“As it has always been with Lifeline,” Powless said, “this campaign was not just about raising funds; it was about building a community of support, united in the belief that every life is worth saving. It was about faith that inspires us to dream bigger, reach higher and strive harder in our quest to save lives and restore hope for those struggling with addiction and seeking a new life in sobriety.”

Powless remains in awe of the number of people who brought this campaign to fruition. “There are so many people who said yes when it would have been easy to wait, or to watch from a distance,” he said. “Because of that, lives are going to be changed for years to come. We’re incredibly grateful.”

And Miller, the executive director who started long ago as a client at Lifeline, marvels at the outcome. “What happens in these buildings will be around for generations to come. Families are going to be changed for generations to come, and lives are going to be changed for generations to come.”

NEW WOMEN’S CAMPUS

CONSTRUCTION WILL BE COMPLETED FOR A FALL 2026 DEDICATION

WHAT’S NEXT?

CAMPAIGN SUCCESS LAYS FOUNDATION FOR LIFELINE’S FUTURE

Goal met, case closed, right? Not exactly.

Exceeding our campaign goal of $14.5 million – the joyful announcement of our 2026 annual banquet – is cause for celebration! Your gifts have set our mission on course to meet many of the area’s needs for addiction recovery.

It feels like a miracle! Yet, it’s not the end.

“This milestone isn’t the finish line,” said Steve Powless, Lifeline board chair and co-chair of the campaign. “It’s really the foundation for what’s ahead.”

The campaign success puts Lifeline in a strong position with:

• PROGRAMS, more structured and intentional than ever before.

• STAFF, stronger and better trained to support our clients.

• FACILITIES, fit to offer the dignity and care our community deserves, with the recent expansion of the men’s campus and the opening of our women’s campus this fall.

With this strong foundation and the need for recovery services ever growing, Lifeline will not stop innovating to meet new needs..

TRANSITIONAL HOUSING ON MORGAN LANE

Many Lifeline graduates lack close friends or family members who can help them when they need a safe place to live, while they get back on their feet. That’s why our next major focus is to develop our original campus on Morgan Lane into transitional housing for men.

Once complete, this project will offer a safe place to live for as long as needed, an essential step in successful integration back into the community.

Ashley Miller, Lifeline’s executive director and 2014 graduate of the program, remembers how it felt to have no one to lean on. “This will create an environment,” she said, “where our clients know that we’re here for them at the end of the day.”

OUTPATIENT FAMILY COUNSELING

Lifeline also is exploring how we can open our doors to the community, which has given so much to us, by offering outpatient services, such as family counseling.

Such services will allow Lifeline to reach more people with new opportunities for treatment, Miller said. “There are many outpatient needs in recovery,” she said, “for people who have completed residential treatment, or for families of those in treatment.”

Just as history has shown us, expansion won’t be easy, fraught with unexpected challenges, no doubt. Also, just as history has shown us, we believe our community will come together to meet the challenge.

We have witnessed one miracle after another and believe we can again, when we face the impossible together.

“This milestone isn’t the finish line. It’s really the foundation for what’s ahead.”

- Steve Powless

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

JANUARY 1, 2023 - MAY 15, 2026

We would like to thank the following donors who made gifts to Lifeline Recovery Center during A Campaign for Recovery, January 1, 2023 - May 15, 2026. Your generosity was part of a triumphant effort to raise $14.5 million to transform Lifeline and we are so very thankful for your support.

Households

Jean Abanatha

Elizabeth Adams

Danny and Renee Allen

James and Barbara Allen

William and Beth Allen

Amanda Anderson

Anonymous (4)

Rick and Tonya Archer

Brenda S. Ardebili

Phillip and Sandra Bagwell

Cindy Bailey

David and Janice Bailey

Leigh Ann Ballegeer

Timothy and Cheryle Barenie

John and Ashley Barret

Forrest and Cheryl Baugus

Jeff and Gayle Bean

Ron and Teresa Beavers

Kent and Dianne Beckman

Debra Bell and Walter D Malis

Jason and Becky Bell

Robert & Carol Bell

Rev. Dr. Bernice Belt

Wayne and Jo Ann Belt

John and Paula Benton

John and Carla Berry

Scott and Carol Berryman

Larry and Carol Beyer

Carl and Elaine Bivin

Christopher and Nancy Black

Ben and Natalie Blackmon

Mark and Lisa Bladon

Joseph Blagg

Lars and Molly Blythe

David and Katherine Boswell

James Boswell

Jennifer Bouldin

Heath Bowling

Jennie S Boyarski

Charlie Brantley

Dr. Casey and Erin Brantley, MD

Sid and Cathy Brantley

Mayor George and Angela Bray

John and Mary Jo Brazzell, MD

Ed and Susan Bredniak

Winford and Mary Brewer

Rep, Randy and Carla Bridges

Dr. James and Jen Brien, MD

William and Julie Brigance, MD

Steven and Anita Bright

James and Brenda Brown

Brian and Rebecca Brown

Jefferson Brown

Mark and Sue Bryant

Gregory and Paula Bugg

Linda and Thomas Bush

Rodney and Debbie Bushong

Harlan and Bobbie Calhoun

Mike and Caroline Cappock

Cynthia Carden

Candy Cardin

Gary and Brenda Cardin

Jeffrey and Patricia Case

Greg and Charissa Cates

Keith and Marilyn Chapman

Carrie Childers

Nancy Chilton

Will Ed and Sheila Clark

Joseph (J.W.) Cleary

John Mark and Mary Demetra Coohon

Gene and Marilyn Cole

Andrew and Haley Collins

Sharon Comb

Christina Combs

James and Jackie Conn

Larry and Carol Conway

Bill Conyer

Randle and Sherry Cope

Tony and Angela Copeland

Jess and Angela Correll

Jennifer Coursey

Lisa Courtney

Chris Crawford

Judi Crider

John and Teresa Crowder

David and Peggy Culbertson

Constantine Curris

Stephen Dannenmueller

Marshall and Alberta Davis

Naomi Dawson

Mason DeJarnett

Hunter DeMumbree

Kevin and Jennifer DeMumbree

David and Ann Denton

Stephen and Debbie Dew

Chris Dick

Trenton Dierkes

Carrie Dillard

Dan and Vicki Donaldson

Barry and Lisa Driver

Edward and Linda Duff

Marinel Dunigan

Steve Duperrieu

Lawrence R. and Geraldine Durbin

Gary and Kathy Eckelkamp

Stan and Missy Eckenberg

Janette Edwards

Mark and Karen Edwards

Nicole Edwards

Nancy Effinger

Patrick and Sheri Englert

Debbie Etheridge

Chris Evans

Robert and Lauri Ezell

Janice Fairhurst

Rick and Crystal Farlee

Justin C. Farris

Jean Fenwick

Risa Flamm

Pilar Fondaw

Cade and Callie Foster

John and Janet Foster

Joseph and Jeane Framptom

Glenda Freeman

Ashley French

James & Amy Garrett

Chris and Emily Garrison

Kevin and Jennifer Gaunce

Deborah Ann Gilbert

William and Susan Gilland

Sara Gipson

David and Laurie Glass

Angie and Charley Glisson

Jeffrey Golightly

Wayne and Sherry Golightly

Rickie and J.D. Goode

Ronald Goode

Jeffrey and Vicki Gough

Mike Gourley

Kim Grafel

John and Andrea Grant Charitable Fund

Don and Patti Gregory

Lt. Col. Herb and Doris Gregory

Tina Griggs

Eric and Morgan Grogan

Barry and Dettye Ann Grooms

Brenda Grooms

Paul and Librette Grumley

Terry and Laura Haas

Bruce and Doreen Hahn

Millie Hahn

Brandon Hall

Chuck and Cindy Hall

Reva Harper

Oscar and Zulema Harrell

Rodger and Cheryl Harrison

Cindy Hart

Virginia Hawthorne

Robert Healey

Debbie Heater

Leslie Heath

Raynarldo Henderson

Erin Hendley

Deanna W Henschel

Cory Hicks

Andrea Higdon

Bob Hill

Nathan and McKell Hillebrand

Kenneth and Joyce Hines

Mrs. R Jeffrey Hines

Robert and Carla Hobgood

Jeff and Terri Holland

James (J.B.) and Priscilla Hollowell

Lynda and Troy Holshouser

Daniel & Keisha Hopkins

Bill and Judy Hopwood

Mike and Frances Hovekamp

J. William Howerton

Dann T Hughes

James and Denise Humphreys

Kenny and Beth Hunt

James and Claire Hunt

Hilary Hunt

Brent and Pamela Hurst

Ines Rivas-Hutchins

Jan and James Hylko

Heather Jackson

Sue James

Martin and Gail Jameson

Darren and Lisa Jarvis

Larry and Roxie Jarvis

Ken and Jamie Jerrell

Charles and Suzanne Johnson

Michael and Ashley Johnson

William and Kelly Johnson

Allen Wayne and Cynthia Jones

Eddie Jones

Bill and Teresa Jones

Jeanette Jones

Keith and Kim Jones

Tyler and Olivia Jones

Judge Deanna W Henschel

Travis Kahre

Austin Kennady

Ronald Kent and Sheila Koster

Dr. Thomas R. and Lynda P Kerley

Steve and Michelle Kersey

Franklin and Daythel Kilgore

Bruce and Jeanna Kimbell

Shell Kindred

Jessy King

Jonathan King

Greg Kingston, MD

Julie A Kleet

Mark and Sloan Knecht

Penny Knott

Tim Kopischke

Caroline Korte

Rene M Kreps

Glenda K. Lafferty

Dawn Lamb

Jeff and Tracy Lambert

Mark and Kathryn Lankton

Gerren and Crystal Lawson

Randy Lee

Tucker Lee

Robert and Gina Leeper, MD

Jim and Susan Lewis

Mark and Patricia Link

Jesse Lipson

William Litchfield

Sarah Litton

Mike and Barbara Livingston

Kenneth Long

Rick and Lynn Loyd

Kerry and Melinda Lynn

Michael Marberry Family Fund

Steve Marberry

Jeffrey and Krista Marcotte

Sherry Martin

Frank and Marisa Martire

Larry and Mitzi Mason

David and Sandra Massey

Jimmy Massey

Ronald Mays

Kristina McDowell

Bradley and Brenda McElroy, MD

Barbara W McGinty

Larry and Mary Ann McIntosh

Mary Ann McIntosh

Al and Mary McKeown

Natalie McLaughlin

Thomas and Pam McLelland

Lupe McMillan

Beverly Meeks

Drs. Landen & Van Meeks

Michael and Lori Meredith

Mark and Brenda Metzger

Louis and Sally Michelson

Ashley & Eric Miller

Frankie Sue Miller

Mary K Miller

Nathan & Ginny Miller

Anthony and Lucy Milliano

Melissa Millikin

Chaynne Minter

Brad and Nancy Moore

Matthew and Makayla Moore

Brandon Morgan

Jared Morgan

Mike and Ronda Morris

Nicholas and Morgan Morris

Melanie Myers

Mary Neikam

Jason and Elizabeth Neelley

Brianna Neukomm

William and Tammy Newton

Edward & Teresa Nichols

Ike and Kelly Nichols

Rickie and Annette Nimmo

Kathi Norrington

Gwen O’Brien

Snookie Oglesby

Baccus and Jennie Oliver

Pauline Owsley and Jennifer O'Neil

Danny and Rudele Orazine

Darrell and Shirley Orazine

Doug and Sherry Orazine

Randy and Andrea Orr

Christian & Mary Orsborn

Scott and Sonia Osman

Thomas and Joan Oster

Preston Overstreet

Corey and Heather Pace

Don and Belinda Page

Kevin and Mary Paschall

Jim and Mindy Paxton

Foster Pearson

Don O and Martha Peck

Glenn and Terrye Peeler

Sharon Pegram

Scott and Kattie Penick

David R and Carolyn K Perry

William and Carol Petty

Dixi Phifer

Sara Pickard

Jeffrey and Sharolette Pierce

Kay Pinkley

Jack and Anne Powless

Peggy Powless

Ryan Powless

Steve and Nancy Powless

Jack and June Poyner

Mark and Teresa Prude

Rachelle Puckett

Dona Rains

Tony and Cheryl Raspberry

Sherry Reagan

Brandy Reed

Jason and Karen Reichart

John Randall and Trina Resser

Robert and Nancy Reynolds

Kaylee Rhodenbaugh

Kathryn Riley

Mark and Debbie Riley

Greg and Heather Roberts

Roberts Family Giving Fund

William and Elaine Robertson

Mary Robins

Walter and Connie Rodgers

Greg and Traci Rodulfo

Spencer and Bethany Romine, MD

Amy Roof

Kenny and Nicki Roof

Nicole Rooyakkers

Tommy Joe Rothrock

Craig and Susan Rothwell

Fred and Denise Rouse

Gregory and Traci Rudolfo

Darrin B and J Marie Rudolph

Robbie and Lisa Rudolph

Matt Rule

Anthony and Natalie Rupard

Buddy and Ann Rushing

Alan and Nancy Sanders

Jane Scelzi

Michael Scheer

Priscilla and Steve Schiff

Bill and Carlene Scillian

Richard Schonscheck

Fletcher and Bonnie Schrock

Meredith Schroeder

Brittany Seibert

Steve and Donna Seltzer

Roberta Sewell

James and Kay Sexton

Lisa and Howard Shafer Charitable Trust

Thomas and Nedra Shemwell

Peyton Sherrill

Suzanne and Steven Shidal

Charlie and Linda Shields

Bryan Shumate

Jason and Leigh Ann Siener

Terry Sills

Robert Simpson

Richie Slack

Drs. Kathy and Kinney Slaughter

Jerry and Donna Smith

Karen Smith

Robert and Jane Smith

Stephen and Claudia Smith

Matt and Keisha Snow

Roy and Jane Snyder

Richard and Tammy Souder

Charles and Brenda Spees

Mike and Carrie Spissinger

David and Rebecca Stanley

Paul and Rhonda Steele

Lucas Stinnett

David Stokes

Larry and Phyllis Stovesand

Shaun Sullivant

Kurt and Joni Sutton

Larry and Cynthia Swope

Carolyn Talbert

Sarah Talbert

Cameron Hooman Taleban

James D. Tankersley

Janel Tate

Jeff and Heather Taylor, MD

Richard and Janis Taylor

Otis and Melissa Thaxton

Michele Thomas

Pat Ellen Thompson

Darren and Magen Tinsley

Gregory and Danielle Tipton

Glen and Linda Titsworth

Britton and Rayla Trigg (R.B. and D.B.)

Todd and Pam Trimble

Dorothy Truitt

Lee Tucker

Wayne and Mary Upshaw

Joe and Tamarah Vance

Thomas and Anita Vance

Joy Vasseur

Kenny Vasseur

Autumn Vaught

Jessica Waggoner

Bob and Jill Wagner

Robert and Jill Wagner

Bill and Joanie Walden

Mike and Debra Walker

Robert and Shirley Walker

Robert and Susan Walker

Clay and Lauren Wallace

Morris Wallace

Norman and Patricia Wallace

Lannis and Jean Walters

Danny and Nancy Webb

Leslie Weber

Alan Whitaker

Jeremy and Sharon White, CPA PLLC

Mike and Meg Wiersema

Cari Wildharber

Anita Williams

John and Kristin Williams

John and Vivian Williams, Sr.

Lee & LaVonna Willingham

John D. Willoughby

Ed and Sandra Wilson

Patrick Withrow, MD

Jim and Karen Wittman

Bryan and LaCretia Womack

Anita Wood

Marlen Wood

Bill and Robin Woods

Dr. James and Vicki Woods

Jason Woods

Linda Woodward

Barbara Worthen

Steven Wright

Sharon Yates

Marianne Yontz

James and Karen Younger

Eric Ziegler

Businesses

3 C’s Concrete Work, LLC

AAA Stowaway

Alford Law Office

Alpha Delta Kappa Lambda Chapter

Anonymous (2)

Atmos Energy Corporation

Robert W. Baird & Company, Inc.

Bacon Farmer Workman Engineering and Testing

Ballard County Board of Education

Ballard County Fiscal Court

Banterra Bank

Baptist Health System Services

Baptist Healthcare System, Inc.

Beyond Uganda

Big River Electric

Blue Horizon Travel

Blythe CPAs and Advisors

Bryant Law Center

Cape Electrical Supply

Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation Trust

CCS Real Estate Holdings, LLC

CFSB

Charity League, Inc.

Commonwealth of KY KYOAAC

Community Christian Academy

Community Foundation of West Kentucky

Country Chevrolet

CSI, Inc.

Dairyman's Supply Co., Inc.

Danny Carroll Campaign Fund

Delta Regional Authority

Denton Law Firm, PLLC

Marshall W. Davis Drugs, Inc.

Ray & Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust

Edward Jones, Inc.

RE Fairhurst Reality

Fairways Management dba Paxton Park

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Flying Pig LLC

FNB Bank, Inc.

Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership

Funeral Directors Life Insurance

Gipson Farms, LLC

Sara Gipson Group- EXP Realty

Give Lively

Graceland Management Services, LLC

Graceland Portable Buildings

H.T. Hackney Company

Healthworks Medical, LLC

Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonel Hutson, Inc.

I5 Design Group, Inc.

Independence Bank

Independence Foundation, Inc.

Innovative Ophthalmology

Jackson Purchase Energy

Jim Smith Contracting

Kelso Electric, LLC

Labor of Love, Inc.

Lake Chem Credit Union

Leeper Family Foundation

Life Care, PLLC

Linwood Motors

Little Tractor & Equipment, LLC

Lone Oak Lion’s Club

M & P Remodeling

Marquette Transportation Company, LLC

Marshall W. Davis Drugs, Inc.

McCracken County Board of Education

McCracken County Fiscal Court

Mercy Health

Mid America Machine

Millano Audiology LLC

Miller Hahn, PLLC

Millwork Products

Milner & Orr Funeral Home

Neil's Catering

Nesbitt's Docks and Lifts

New Life Associates

Nikao Institute, Inc.

P&L Employee Charity Fund

Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce

Paducah Bank and Trust Company

Paducah Breakfast Club

Paducah Insurance Agency

Paducah Board of Education

PayPal Giving Fund

Peck Flannery Gream Warren Inc.

Purchase Ear Technology

Renewed Performance, LLC

The River Foundation

Robertson Hill, Inc.

Robison's Top Quality Consignment

Rotary Club

Rudolph’s Inc.

Samsil and Holland, LLD

Signet Federal Credit Union

Sutton Investment and Retirement Partners

Swift & Staley, Inc.

The Solvent Group

Total Life Care

Triangle Enterprises, Inc.

Turner Land Title & Escrow Services, LLC

United Fund of Calvert City

United Way of Western Kentucky

Waterfront Services, Inc.

West Kentucky Memorial Group

Western Kentucky Regional dba

Four Rivers Behavioral

Wells Fargo

Whitlow, Roberts, Houston and Straub, PLLC

Williams Heating & Air, Inc.

Williams, Williams and Lentz

Woodmen Life- Chapter 2

Wyatt Bell & Co.

Churches and Ministries

Abundant Life Worship Center

Arcadia United Methodist Church

Bandana Community Church

Bandana United Methodist

Bethel Cumberland Christian Church- s/b

Bethel Christian Church

Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Brookport Church of God

Christian Community Church

Christian Fellowship Church

Community Christian Church

Community Life Church

Community Ministries

Concord United Methodist Church

Concord United Methodist Church Women

East Baptist Church

Faith Center of Paducah

Faith Life Class

First Assembly of God

First Baptist Church of Paducah

Free Spirit Motorcycle Ministry

Gospel Mission Worship Center

Grace Baptist Church

Grace Fellowship Church

Heartland Church

Highland Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Immanuel Baptist Church

Joppa Missionary Baptist Church

LaCenter Christian Church

Lone Oak First Baptist Church

Massac Methodist Church

Mt Zion Baptist Church of West Paducah, Inc.

New Covenant Fellowship

New Harmony Missionary Baptist

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church

New Hope Primitive Baptist Church

Newton Creek Baptist Church

Olivet Baptist Church

Pryorsburg Baptist Church

Rosebower Baptist Church

Sanctuary Church of God

Shady Grove Baptist Church

Shiloh Baptist Church

Southland Baptist Temple

Trace Creek Missionary Baptist Church

Trinity Methodist Women's Mission Fund

Trinity United Methodist Church

Twelve Oaks Baptist Church

Way of Christ Bible Fellowship

Wickliffe First Baptist Church

TOGETHER WE HAVE INVESTED IN LIFELINE RECOVERY CENTER’S PEOPLE, PROGRAMS, FACILITIES, AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY. IN DOING SO, WE HAVE HELPED RESTORE MEN AND WOMEN TO FULL HEALTH, SERVING THEIR COMPLETE SPIRITUAL, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL NEEDS.