July 2023 Newsletter
My name is Brian, and I am a 47-year-old resident here at Soul’s Harbor. The circumstances that led me to this point were a lifetime in the making. I grew up with an amazing family. My Dad had an extraordinarily successful career serving in the United States Air Force followed by a successful career in the insurance industry. My mom was a devoted wife and was talented in art and education… I was a middle child and life was good until the age of 8. I came home with a massive bruise on my arm but never remembered getting hit with such force to cause it. I was taken to the hospital and after having blood work done, I was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. Cancer did not run in our family, and I was flown to the National Institute of Health to participate in a clinical trial for the drug that is now commonly used to treat this disease. After 3 years of treatment, life seemed to return to normal for our family. The first time I got sick, I was young enough to be resilient about it. The second time, I was just old enough to take it personally. I hated God. I hated my family. I hated the world in general. In my anger, I turned to drugs and alcohol to help me forget the trauma. The substance abuse addiction clung to me up until about a year ago. My addiction took me across the country through a series of extremely bad and self-destructive choices. I got off a Greyhound bus in Dallas. I knew one person in Dallas, and he let me stay with him for about a week. I was entering my 4th month of an all-liquor bender and my body was close to shutting down. Then my friend told me about Soul’s Harbor. He called them for me, and they opened a bed for me. Little did I know that my life was about to change in ways I never thought possible. I was treated as a human being. I was told that I deserve to be free from addiction. Soul’s Harbor staff and the guys in the program taught me how to win the battle one day at a time. I was loved, and the compassion I was shown was truly humbling. I have been sober for just over one year. My sobriety date is June 16, 2022. The healing and knowledge and desire to give back to guys who are broken, just like me, is all the proof that I need to know that Soul’s Harbor program works. The twelve steps work. I am a new man today, and I owe it all to the wonderful and generous people here at Soul’s Harbor. With my new family here, I will succeed. I will persevere, and I will be of service for the rest of my life. God bless.
That is until my freshman year in high school. One day I just felt sapped of all my strength. My folks took me to have blood work done and I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It was very devastating to me and for the next 3 1/2 years, I went through chemo treatments. My entire high school years were the darkest and most painful of my life.
A Brighter Future via Trade School…
Here at Soul’s Harbor, we always want to help our men better themselves. We have teamed up with Regional Black Contractors Association (RBCA) and Dallas College, to offer job training, OSHA certification, and construction certification. We had four men graduate from this program and immediately placed in jobs. Our four graduates are (from left to right) Daniel, Riley, Matthew, and Doyle. We will continue to partner with RBCA and Dallas College to help our men attain a bright future. Congratulations to our four Graduates! We are super proud of these men.
We need your help…
Soul’s Harbor homeless shelter is supported solely by our four thrift stores. You can donate your household items via phone (972-286-1940) or our “Household Donation Request Form” page. We also take automobiles “Vehicle Donation Request Form“. So if you have old clothes, furniture, appliances, household items, or even a car to donate to Soul’s Harbor, either fill out our online form or call our dispatch office at 972-286-1940. Our dispatch office is open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
We are sustained solely through our four thrift store sales. We rely on your donated items to support our shelter. At Soul’s Harbor, we would like to thank all our customers that donate their items and also our thrift store customers. Because without our customers, there would be no Soul’s Harbor.
Thank you and God Bless.
Brent Burmaster
Executive Director of Soul’s Harbor Homeless Shelter
For information regarding intake/admission into our recovery facility, please contact:
Dispatch Representative
Soul’s Harbor, Inc.
13134 Nile Drive
Dallas, Texas 75253
972.286.1940
972.286.5282 Fax
Soul’s Harbor Substance Abuse Program Questions and Intake
Please contact our intake Manager
Cell number 214-663-9684
contact@soulsharbordallas.org
New Online Donation Processing:
Soul’s Harbor, Inc.
13134 Nile Drive
Dallas, Texas 75253
972.286.1940
972.286.5282 Fax
donate@soulsharbordallas.org
Soul’s Harbor can now provide the convenience of taking your donation request online. Just follow the link to our online “Household Donation Request Form”. We are also now taking vehicle donations and have an online donation processing form for this too. “Vehicle Donation Request Form”
To help Soul’s Harbor financially you can donate by clicking the donate button.