The Turning Point Foundation has long been a valuable resource for people outside Chilton County.

New leadership at the substance abuse and addiction recovery program hope more people inside the county begin to utilize the facility and its services.

Turning Point Foundation has been around since 1991, and in its current facility since 1995.

The foundation sits on 8.5 acres of land off County Road 627, between Thorsby and Jemison.

The facility’s main building includes a residence hall, dining hall and offices. There’s a chapel and a separate building that serves as a classroom, and also an old house where residents work out.

Residents have planted a vegetable garden and installed a disc golf course. There’s a pond where some residents fish–and a female duck named Roger that enjoys dog food.

Turning Point seems a world away from all the cares and concerns of everyday life–and perhaps that’s why it is so effective at helping men deal with substance abuse and addiction problems.

David L. Pendley III came on as Turning Point’s executive director in August 2013.

Pendley brought with him 12 years of experience with The Foundry Missions, a 12-month rescue program in Bessemer that serves hundreds of men and women.

“To go from there to here is just a whole different world,” Pendley said. “I was kind of a judge there–it was discipline all day long. I love the one-on-one time you get to have with guys here. You feel like you’re really changing lives.”

Tim Dean is another newcomer to a leadership position at the Foundation, where he has served four months in the outreach ministry.