KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
After 2 1/2 years of planning, designing and construction, Avalon Wellness and Recovery Center in Lawrence began accepting clients last month.
“It was as much for what I could do to help other people as it was to help myself," said CEO and co-founder David Hawley.
Hawley says he restarted his life in Lawrence 21 years ago. Shortly before his move to Lawrence, he began his own recovery from opioids. When he talks about recovery centers, he speaks from experience.
"A lot of the time you come into a facility to get help, they feel very institutional," he said.
Hawley owns Papa Keno's in downtown Lawrence. He said amid the absence of customers during the pandemic, he began to notice a "parade of people downtown dealing with addiction and mental health issues."
Additionally, the passing of his wife, who he went through recovery with and was separated from, pushed Hawley to follow through with his idea of the recovery center.
"Everybody (the Avalon team) has a personal connection to what we do," he said. "I think that's what's kind of unique about the industry."
Determined to change what he experienced during his time at a treatment facility, Hawley and his partner, Aaron Thakker, created a team of people who understand recovery on a personal level.
Nurses, counselors, case managers, peer specialists and people like Ken Vick, executive director of the center, make up that team.
"With all my years of experience, this just feels different," said Vick, who has worked in similar settings across the Kansas City area for decades.
Housed at a former Super 8 motel on Iowa Street in Lawrence, Avalon Wellness and Recovery Center will someday serve 60 clients. It's current capacity is eight beds.
In his late teens, Thakker said he was looking at serving years behind bars. His conditions of release officer helped him get a second chance.
"After that, I was done, this is it, let's focus on how to straighten my life up and then help others also," Thakker, co-founder of Avalon, said.
Thakker, a Eudora resident, is involved with various organizations in Douglas County, including Family Promise, Anchored Collective, and Feeding Eudora. Now, he's seeing the impact of Avalon.
"We're actually changing lives, we're actually doing this thing," Thakker said. "It's not just an idea he (Hawley) had, you know, it's done, we're doing this."
Supervised detox and withdrawal rooms, therapeutic spaces, media community rooms, a gym, saunas and cold plunges, and soon a pool will make up some of the amenities at the center.
Hawley says the Avalon team works to meet its clients where they are. While the center follows a 28-day model for recovery, the team will work with clients on a case-by-case basis.
"One of the most important things in this journey is how we support them when they leave," Hawley said.
Hawley said the center wants to establish an alumni community so recovery support continues after clients graduate from the center.
"With this center, it was always intended to be this patient-centric place of healing," he said.
While the center takes an individualized approach with its clients, the goal is to better the surrounding community.
"We want to put a lot of focus on Douglas County and make sure we're truly providing the services that we possibly can for this community," Vick said.
Their services aren't confined to Douglas County residents.
Hawley said this week, a client from Alaska with family in Kansas, will be entering the recovery center.
Some insurance companies cover services at Avalon Wellness and Recovery Center, and the center is currently working to expand its network.
Vick said the center is hoping to someday offer scholarships for those who are uninsured.
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