APPLETON (NBC 26) — The Genesis Club has quietly stood for more than four decades, offering a lifeline to countless people.
"This is a place... there's no other place like this. I mean, this is you come to a meeting here and just about everybody is saying this is my family," said Len Hansen, a veteran and member of the club. "You know when you come into a program like this or you come into a place like the Genesis club, you think nobody knows my story. And you can be sitting there with 40 people and every time somebody opens their mouth, they are telling part of your story."
The story of addiction is a complex one, and the Genesis Club has guided people through their battles.
"I've worked my program a few decades now … I don't have that want or need to be here that much, but I need to be here," said Hansen.
We asked Hansen where he would be if it weren’t for the club.
“Where would I be? I would be dead,” said Hansen.
The Genesis Club has become a beacon of hope for many, but for some, the physical barrier of getting inside proves to be impossible.
"This is a need. This isn't a luxury; this isn't an option for us. We're raising money for an elevator lift here at the club," said Jonathan Stavast, a member of the club's board of directors.
According to Stavast, reaching the club's doors is only half the battle for some individuals. The other half comes when they realize that they cannot access the support and community waiting on the other side.
"It's not just wheelchairs. Me, myself, I'm in my 30s, I had a hip replacement. And yeah, that does happen, I guess hip replacements in your 30s… But at the time I needed this club the most, I couldn't come here because there wasn't a lift," said Stavast.
Stavast knows the club can change lives because it changed his life.
"They have given a three-year-old her dad back. And they've given a wife her husband back," said Stavast.
For nearly a decade now, the club has campaigned for support, driven by a singular goal: raising funds for an elevator lift that would make the club accessible to all. However, out of their $140,000 target, only $30,000 has been raised. Some of which have come from members.
“To put this in perspective, we have people here that will donate $1. That sounds like nothing to a lot of people … that $1 is one of $2 that person may have,” said Stavast.
Now, the Genesis Club is turning to its community for help.
"It will get worse with every person that dies and will get worse with every person that doesn't get their family back. Some people need to get taken care of. And we can do that right here," said Stavast.
The Genesis Club is launching two efforts to raise money: A GoFundMe campaign and 5K event at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 7 in Memorial Park.
