For 13 years, Lucy Hall-Gainier has helped troubled women in Atlanta. She established the Mary Hall Freedom House (MHFH) in honor of her mother. “My mom … died of alcoholism when I was 6 years old,” she reveals. This tragic turn of events inspired her lifelong commitment to help others.
An addict herself for 10 years, Hall-Gainer sought help and guidance to eventually end her reliance on drugs and alcohol. “Unfortunately, when you are looking for love in all of the wrong places that is exactly where you find it. I found it in drugs and alcohol myself. Some events began to take place when I got pregnant with my daughter and I wound up getting treatment and I never looked back,” shares Hall-Gainier.
As the organization’s CEO, she has empowered more than 2,500 women to beat drug addiction and become self-sufficient individuals. Hall-Gainer established MHFH with just $5,000, two apartments and two employees in 1996. Today, MHFH has over 50 apartments and 70 employees to accommodate distressed women and their children. With several years of experience working with nonprofits, Hall-Gainer is now living her dream of helping women break the cycle of addiction, poverty and homelessness, offering that same helping hand with MHFH. “I just think everybody needs encouragement.”
Allstate Insurance Agency recognizes Lucy Hall-Gainier and encourages volunteerism on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in cities across the country.
Become a hero in your community by finding local volunteer projects at www.beyondfebruary.com. –yvette caslin
