"God doesn't make a bad thing happen. Anything he allows to happen will have a nugget of gold if we wait on it." 

Mary Jo Robinson has been making a difference in the lives of recovering alcoholics and addicts since 1980. It was in 1980 that Mary Jo and her husband George moved into the Union Gospel Mission to start the Christ Recovery Center to help late-stage, chronic alcoholics, and she is still providing counseling through the Center today. 

A recovering alcoholic and addict herself, Mary Jo can empathize and identify with those she counsels. She shares in their joy when they realize their lives have been changed for the better, and her most rewarding experience is seeing someone receive a sobriety medallion. A mother of seven, grandmother of 22 and great-grandmother of six, Mary Jo has a big family. But she believes her family extends beyond her immediate relatives, she is seen as a "mother" to everyone at the Center. 

Mary Jo has been credited with helping hundreds of men achieve sobriety. In addition to the time she spends volunteering at the Christ Recovery Center, Mary Jo also speaks to groups through the MADD Impact Panel and at Hazelden. She is also willing to counsel anyone who asks, and her fee, a can of Diet Pepsi!

Designated Charity: Christ Recovery Center