Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Opitz
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The story of the Lotus Center began with a conversation between friends on a railroad track. Both were service providers with personal experiences in recovery, and I had been working through the grief of recently losing my spouse to brief relapse following years of recovery due to a poorly regulated drug K2 hat were initially legalized but later deemed dangerous after the statistics started adding up. My best friend and father of our child had ended up one of those statistics.
Our discussions revolved around our frustrations as we watched friends and family struggle against a disease that affected us all and feelings regarding how the cards were stacked against them. At the same time, unaddressed systemic barriers blocked pathways to success.
Recently, we had to discharge someone after 60 days of sobriety due to a relapse during a funeral visit, which reinforced the notion that the odds were always stacked against those seeking help. Others desperately searched for residential treatment but couldn’t receive assistance due to a lack of insurance. We realized that our approach to substance use and addiction had remained unchanged for 30 years, rooted in strategies established and unchallenged since the Reagan Era, a time when addiction was commonly seen as a moral shortcoming, and we were repetitively fighting a losing battle with approached proven to be ineffective with only a 10% success rate which exemplifies the definition of insanity. When my friend Joe suggested, “we should just open our own recovery center,” I surprised both him and myself with my straightforward reply: “why not?”
A good friend of ours recently launched his first nonprofit, a needle exchange program, which enlightened us about a new perspective on substance use through the harm reduction framework. This approach addresses significant co-occurring disorders and trauma associated with substance use. It emphasizes meeting individuals where they are, fostering a client-driven program, and recognizing that the initial barrier many face when seeking recovery is the expectation to be clean or abstinent before receiving treatment or to continuing ongoing services. Such a requirement is not typically found in other medical treatments for physiological diseases.
As individuals with lived experience in recovery, we understand that treatment is only a small part of achieving true recovery. We need community support and a sense of purpose. It’s essential to have someone who can be there for us in our darker moments, whether that’s a friend or a provider through street outreach. We see substance use as a lifelong journey, not just a 28-day program, and we will require others to depend on throughout this entire spectrum of needs.
We assembled a board of seven co-founders. Three were providers, and the other four were individuals experienced in recovery. Together, we started developing what has now evolved into the Lotus Center Inc Recovery Service Center and the additional programs we offer within the community today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, the journey certainly hasn’t been easy. It’s been filled with numerous ups and downs—moments of celebration and awe at how far we’ve come in these seven years. It has demanded a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices from everyone involved, as well as from their friends and families. Throughout this journey, it’s become clear that business and friendships don’t always blend smoothly. People evolve and change. We’ve faced significant challenges, particularly while navigating COVID, providing services in a struggling industry, and maintaining operations as a nonprofit organization. Learning to manage grants presents its own set of complexities, separate from running a small business. Personally, I’ve gained invaluable lessons as I’ve traveled this path as a social worker and addictions counselor, often questioning my qualifications due to not having a master’s in business or accounting. However, I feel incredibly fortunate to have received resources and support from the community that guide us when necessary, along with an amazing team working alongside us. One of the most crucial lessons is to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, which helps you know when to ask for help while allowing yourself some grace.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Lotus Center, Inc.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Lotus Center Inc. is a nonprofit harm reduction and recovery service center located in Moorhead, MN. It provides both day and evening programming for individuals aged 18 and older who are struggling with substance use, along with support for their loved ones. The center employs evidence-based practices and innovative approaches to tackle addiction while fostering a sense of community and belonging among peers.
We do not require participants to be abstinent to access our programming; instead, we understand that recovery is a journey rather than an event. Every positive change, no matter how small, contributes to finding a better way of life, and these successes deserve celebration. Our ultimate aim is to support the community in making recovery a standard way of life, rather than an exception.
Recently, we opened a men’s transitional housing unit, providing supportive housing for up to nine men as they work toward establishing independent living within the Fargo-Moorhead community.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Starting a grassroots nonprofit begins with a dream and will require not only a tremendous amount of passion for the mission that is calling you, but also endurance and stamina from you and those around you. There will be days when you feel the odds are stacked against you, yet you press on, while on other days, you may surprise yourself with how far this idea has come. Stay focused, stay humble, always ask questions, and do your own research instead of completely relying on others to get tasks done. Building a great team is a beautiful and sometimes challenging project on it’s own. Do not allow this to become your entire life. There is more to it than this, and it’s ok if other things are calling to you.
Lastly, perhaps just know when to let go and accept that there will come a day when you have to say goodbye, because this commitment is very much like a child. It will grow into a teenager if all goes well, and one day it will likely outgrow “home.” But at that point, your purpose is to remind it where its roots were and where its heart began.
Pricing:
- \We have staff titled treatment coordinators who are dedicated to helping the indvdividuals we serve connect to funding options that will assist them with covering our services if at all possible this may look like walking them through applying for state aide of MA or exploring any of our grant funded programs would assist them if they do not qualify for medical coverage. Ultimately our goal is to make sure we don’t allow anyone already experiencing struggles accrew financial debt while seeking treatment or any other services
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thelotuscenterinc.org/ and https://mnrec.net/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLotusCenterInc17 and https://www.facebook.com/REC56560
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelotuscenterinc734
