Partner Spotlight: Mosaic Recovery Center

“Don’t look at anyone that’s in addiction without hope. In Mosaic Recovery Center’s case, the people we encounter in addiction are always someone’s husband, brother, uncle, or son and they all have the ability to turn their life around.”

Mosaic Recovery Center is a faith based organization that brings hope to men struggling with addiction in the South Cumberland area. When talking with Maggie Orames, the director of donor development and banquets at Mosaic, it became undeniable that the positive impact this organization has on the mountain is astounding. 

Maggie explained, “Our goal with Mosaic is to do everything in our power to eradicate addiction to drugs and alcohol on the plateau. We have to do that one by one with each resident that comes in. Sometimes they’re here for a day, and sometimes they’re here for more than a year.  We just do all we can to create a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment to ensure that they know that they can receive the recovery that they deserve.”

During each residents' stay, Mosaic takes care of every need that they have. To quote Maggie, “If they come in with nothing on their back, then we make sure they get clothes. We take care of all of their residential needs while they are living with us. Our base is a one year program, but sometimes our men are here for a little bit longer depending on their recovery and progress. After a year we have a graduation for them, and we have an onsite transitional house that they can move into in case they don't have a safe place at home to stay.” 

Mosaic works diligently to secure multiple streams of funding for their work. “We don't receive government funding of any sort so we work with people, business owners, pastors, and individuals of every walk of life that listen to our story and realize how important it is for men to have a supported and successful recovery once they decide to be done with drugs and alcohol.”

One hundred percent of Mosaic’s funding comes from donations and grants. When asked about their relationship with South Cumberland Community Fund, Maggie’s gratitude for SCCF on behalf of Mosaic was evident. “We love SCCF,” she said, “They have been such a blessing to us. We received our first grant from them about three years ago. It was for $10,000, and with that money we renovated our residential kitchen to turn it into a commercial kitchen.”

She continues, “At that time we had over 20 residents in our program and we only had one dishwasher, one stove, and everything was used and broken down. So we used that money to get a commercial dishwasher that does 32 loads an hour, a huge stove, and a few other important things with that grant. We also did some smaller renovations to make our kitchen a bit bigger.”

Maddie added, “With a grant from SCCF, we were also able to buy a huge playground set. Our residents often have visits with their families and children, and previously the kids would sit there, bored out of their minds during the visits. Frequently, the fathers didn’t really have relationships with their children, so it was important for us to have something onsite to help cultivate that relationship."

"We always have a project going on at Mosaic. We are never static because we know that we have to continue to think and expand and revamp what we're doing in order to make our program successful,” she added. “I love working with South Cumberland Community Fund because their grant process is easy to follow and they truly believe in what we're doing here.”

When asked to share about her residents’ recovery successes, Maggie reflected on the fact that there are so many success stories among Mosaic’s graduates. The Center’s success rate is over seventy percent, which is three times the national average. These successes and the impact that organizations like theirs have on our community highlight a strong case for the importance of continued funding. 

Maggie’s parting words were ones of encouragement for anyone who may be searching for a way out of addiction: “At Mosaic, we look at every single resident as a person and human being, and we know that if they are willing, we can give them the opportunity to live a full and free life.” 

If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, reach out to Mosaic today by visiting their website or call 988, the suicide and crises lifeline. 

Tess Foster

AmeriCorps Member,

Serving at SCCF