Denton Freedom House draws in thousands through gala
Staci Young and her daughter Stacia Fuller-Hallman’s lives were forever changed by the Denton Freedom House when the patriarch of their home, Jason Young, went through the program.
That is a perspective not everyone sees of the work the nonprofit does, Staci said.
“They also support the family,” she said. “… The whole idea is not to just support people that are on drugs but to get them off the drugs and to get them [contributing] to the community.”
She also spoke of the resources DFH helped provide while Jason was at the men’s home, including physical needs and coun- seling.
“We are building people up, and they become contributors,” Staci added.
Fuller-Hallman spoke of the community her mother and siblings gained when her dad entered Phase 1 that is still there to support all of them today.
She was a high school senior when Jason entered the men’s home, and Fuller-Hallman has also seen the change in her dad.
“He’s involved in the community … because God has transformed his life so much,” she said.
Jason, who is part of the DFH staff, shared his perspective in the form of a poem during DFH’s gala on March 7.
Hundreds gathered in the Midway Church sanctuary to hear from the people of Denton Freedom House about the impact of the organization on the statistical level and the personal one.
Strategic Development Manager Maria Jones, who spoke during this year’s Time of Giving, spoke to the group gathered there about DFH’s impact on her family and why its goals matter to her so deeply.
“We have an incredible opportunity before us—an opportunity to be agents of change, to be beacons of light in a world that often feels shrouded in darkness,” Jones said. “You don’t have to wear a white coat to save a life. You don’t have to hold a medical degree to offer healing. Tonight, your donations can save lives.
“You don’t have to be a licensed therapist to restore families. You don’t have to hold a degree in psychology to mend broken hearts. Tonight, your generosity will empower a program that rebuilds families.”
She shared how she and her husband learned of Denton Freedom House in 2020 when they were trying to help their niece overcome addiction.
It was Rachel Eschew, the DFH communications and event director, who was able to connect with Jones’ niece.
“That night, over 20 years of prayers were answered,” Jones said. “In a few days, she entered the ladies home and was the second woman to graduate from the Denton Freedom House.”
Jones spoke with passion and pain about the impact she feels DFH could have had on her youngest son, who died in March 2023, of cirrhosis of the liver.
“We would have done anything to save him, but as difficult as that was for me and as difficult as that still is, I have never experienced anything that has made me more aware of the love of God,” Jones said.
DFH offers a faith-centered rehabilitation program that requires no payment for the first six month phase to people grappling with alcohol and/or drug addiction, as well as additional phases of the recovery program.
The nonprofit owns and operates Zera Coffee & Events in Denton, where many of the programs alumni have the opportunity to work to help them rebuild their lives. It also operates a food pantry, Freedom Food Pantry, where it offers help to families in need in Denton County.
Members of DFH shared their experiences with the people in attendance at the gala in both tableside visits and from the podium.
A mix of long-time attendees and first-time gala participants filled the room.
Melissa Hayes and her husband Phillip Hayes have sponsored a table for years because of their conviction about DFH.
“We’ve seen these guys and women walk through Hell and then kind of have restoration, and so we have to share that,” Melissa said. “I’ve had several family members overdose and die and [they] never found freedom. To find a program that’s not only free to them but that works.”
At a nearby table sat first-time attendees Laura Bradley and her husband, Greg Bradley, who have given to the ministry financially over the years.
“We believe in the ministry,” Laura said. “We believe in the vision and what they do. … It was powerful to hear their testimonies because I have kind of a shared past and to see a ministry that is available now to help people where they don’t have to struggle is very powerful.”
