Sarah Chatelain-Gress, co-founder of The Lotus Center, Inc., will be speaking at 1 Million Cups on Wednesday, October 21. The talk will take place virtually through a livestream that can be found on the Prairie Den Facebook page. 1 Million Cups will be from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
About Sarah
Sarah Chatelain-Gress is the Executive Director and co-founder of The Lotus Center, Inc. In addition, she is titled as Addiction Counselor and Social Worker. She attended Concordia College, Ridgewater College, and Minnesota State University of Moorhead. She loves coming to wrok every day because it’s a mission and a passion. Sarah expands, “Someone took a similar chance on me over 13 years ago and lit a dying candle. Perhaps they did not realize that tiny flame would become a fire, but I’m determined to share it with others.” The highest part of her entrepreneurial journey was watching what was once a theory, actually prove itself!
About The Lotus Center, Inc.
The Lotus Center, Inc. is all about celebrating all the small positive achievements, one at a time. It’s supports individuals struggling with substance use disorders, and their loved ones, in their journey of seeking a new way of life. The Lotus Center, Inc. was founded by two individuals who reached out and banded an additional five co-founders in 2016 based on shared passions to implement new approaches proving to be effective in addressing substance use. The Lotus Center, Inc. was brought about by a conversation in the Fall of 2016 between two individuals while walking along the railroad tracks of downtown Moorhead, MN.
Sarah explains, “Each were emotionally drained; discussing growing frustrations over the barriers they had witnessed clients repeatedly encounter within the field. The “revolving door” cycle, a mere 5-10% success rate, eligibility of need based on funding, and the irony of removing services from individuals clearly in need based on if they used while in treatment just did not sit well. The solution came from a rather whimsical comment, “we should start our own treatment center”. The other individual caught both off guard with a determined “Why not!?!””. The Lotus Center’s mission is to “holistically meet the needs, provide opportunities, and improve quality of life for those impacted by all aspects of substance use disorders.”
Event Details
Sarah Chatelain-Gress, co-founder of The Lotus Center, Inc., will be speaking at 1 Million Cups on Wednesday, October 21. The talk will take place virtually through a livestream that can be found on the Prairie Den Facebook page. 1 Million Cups will be from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. She plans to highlight the importance of networking, educating yourself, and finding resources within your community. She thinks it’s important to speak at events like 1 Million Cups because it allows for educating the public about your mission and ideas. Sarah expands, “We need to awaken other’s potential in addressing public needs and many other fields. For those who have already made headway with cultivating ideas into reality it’s our responsibility to inspire and guide future aspiring minds.”
If you’d like to learn about The Lotus Center, Inc. you can visit their website. If you’d like to keep up with what they’re doing you can like their Facebook page.
