Independence Day is almost here!

Come on out and join us for a day of freedom & fellowship with FABULOUS prizes, great music and FANTASTIC FOOD (suggested donation) to include BBQ (Red, Hot & Blue), burgers, dogs –all the good stuff and fixin’s! You won’t want to miss THE Premier Event of the Year at The Dallas 24 Hour Club!

You’ll have an opportunity to join the Friends of the 24 [Fo24.org], buy a sweeet T-shirt, support The Club with your presence and donations!

Schedule of Events

• 10:30 A.M.—Friends (that’s YOU) arrive!
• 11:00 A.M.—Al-Anon Speaker…Lillian L.
• 12:00 P.M.—BBQ…Prize Raffles…Music…FellowFunShip
• 2:00 P.M.—AA Speaker…Mike K.
• 3:00 P.M. —MAJOR Prize Raffle!
• 3:15 P.M. and later – enjoy the dulcet tones of DJ Surfer Mike…

If you have any questions about this event, please contact us here!

• Have you experienced a night or two on a 24 Hour Club mat?
• What has your experience at the 24 Hour Club meant to your sobriety?
• Have you carried the message at The 24? Sponsored a resident?

OR Shared your experience, strength, and hope at a speaker meeting?

• Have you ever celebrated the holidays at the 24 Hour Club?
• Celebrated your Birthday at the 24 Hour Club?

You get the picture… if you have any experiences you would like to share with us,
or anyone you know, please let me know. Please help us fi ll in the rich history of
our beloved Club.

Download the PDF flyer to share and print!: fo24-archives_tellusyourstory062008

You may contact me by phone: 214.284.6416
OR e-mail: archives@dallas24hourclub.org

Thanks so much,
Cathy O’
Chairwoman,
Friends of the 24 Archives Committee

Oh, and per the headline, Welcome to the FO24 or Friends of the 24 re-launch into the 4^th dimension! You might even be asking, “What is the FO24 and why is it re-launching”, “what does it do”, and hopefully “how can I get involved”. All this too will be revealed.

Website Re-launch

The purpose of re-launching the website is to have a more user friendly and functional website that volunteers can manage and update regularly. Why would we want to do this, because we know “everyone” in Dallas knows about the 24 Hour Club, but we want to have a simple way for “everyone” to be informed as to what is going on at The 24 Hour Club and when possible know how they can help.

In conjunction with the re-launch, we will have a monthly newsletter. This emailed newsletter will be sent to everyone that signs up for it, signs up for the FO24 or donates and gives his or her email address. We want to keep everyone informed about 24 Hour Club goings-on like events, needs, successes, meetings and much much more. There is no better way to do that than through a well updated website, informative newsletter and the open invitation to come down and participate in sobriety, service and fellowship at the Dallas 24 Hour Club.

The website tells the story of the 24 Hour Club’s mission and goals. We also cover ways to be of service to the 24 Hour Club like joining the FO24, donating needed tangible goods, donating time, donating money (safely and securely through PayPal to The 24 Hour Club, which is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit…so your donations are tax deductible), viewing meeting schedules, viewing photos, reading informative stories and seeing about upcoming events.

FO24 Re-launch:

What is the FO24 and why is there a re-launch? Well, the FO24 is like the service arm and “group conscious” for the Dallas 24 Hour Club. Think of it as the members of the corporation…you know that legal 501(c)3 thingy we told you we are? Well, the FO24 or Friends of the 24 is anyone that support what the Dallas 24 Hour Club Supports and that is recovery, sobriety, transitional housing for people that want to sober-up and a place for AA & Al-Anon to carry the message to them.

So, that is pretty cool, eh? Well we agree too. We are re-launching because this year we (the collective) have been working really hard to become better organized and more effective. We have formed great committees with great people from the community serving on them. We meet once a month to report on what we are doing, share notes on what we have done since last meeting, see how we can work together more and help The 24 Hour Club promote sobriety.

The cool thing is that membership is open to anyone who supports what we support: sobriety, a place for people to live and get sobriety and a place for AA & Al-Anon to hold meetings that support sobriety.

Membership is FREE. We do accept voluntary dues, totally at anyone’s discretion. We accept people’s time to do stuff from participate in the committees, to participate in sobriety at The House, to participate in labor to improve or fix The House. We also just plain accept people’s willingness to sign-up and receive our newsletter and updates so they know what is going on at The Dallas 24 Club…then when able you can give what you can. Heck, maybe you just help us spread the message and get more people involved in service with the FO24 and Dallas 24 Hour Club.

We hope you check out the website, sign-up for the FO24 and give what you can when you can. More importantly, we hope you identify with our cause and share the website and message with as many people as you know that also identify with the cause. The website has a “Contact Us” form for feedback and please help us improve what we are trying to do with your positive feedbacks of support and advice.

Much Love,

The 24

• Men & Woman’s Toiletries
  • Razors
  • Deodorant
  • Etc.
• Men & Woman’s under garments
• Bed Sheets – twin size
• Blankets
• Pillows

Non-Perishable Food Items

Non-perishable food is very essential to all. We try our best to provide them with enough food but since we never know how many people will be dining from day to day, this is an essential item. We collect canned meats, juices, canned vegetables, rice, cereal, applesauce, crackers, beef jerky, granola bars; any food that may be stored in a food pantry.

Hygiene Packets

We try our best to provide large Zip-Lock hygiene packets that include a new toothbrush, toothpaste, razors, shaving cream, deodorant, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hand sanitizer and body lotion. Large Zip-Lock bags allow staff to distribute the packets easily. For women’s packets, please include sanitary pads or tampons. Please note that if you are unable to provide Zip-Lock packets, we will still collect the items. Travel-size items are accepted.

Cleaning Supplies

Adults staying in our temporary housing facility need your help in maintaining the residence with basic home supplies. We collect dishwashing soap, sponges, paper towels, cleansers, cleaning wipes, bathroom cleanser, brooms, mops, laundry detergent, bleach, glass cleaner, furniture polish. Housing supplies collected are matching dish sets, kitchen and bath towels, electric fans, light bulbs, toilet paper, blankets, sheets/bedding.

Work-Ready Clothing

Part of the Dallas 24 Hour Club’s mission is to help our residents find gainful employment. Therefore, we are in need of gently worn work ready professional clothing for both men and women.

For years I passed the 24 Hour Club on Ross Avenue and wondered about the place. So the other day I spent 24 hours there.

It’s not exactly a weekend resort. More of a “last resort.”

The 24 Hour Club is a scruffy facility for people making a last-ditch fight against drugs and alcohol.

It’s often described as “the last house on the block,” the place drunks and junkies turn when they have no other choice.

The club is affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous but is an independent, self-sustaining operation. And as the name suggests, it’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a source of hope that never closes.

I walked in on a Friday afternoon and was hit at the door by the potent scent of cigarettes and Pine-Sol. You know right away this is a place in constant battle against decay – both in the soul of its residents and in the weary old structure itself.

It has the look of East Dallas mansions gone to seed as rooming houses. But an old nameplate identifies it as The Claremont, a former hotel probably built in the ’20s or ’30s.

I wandered inside, searching for the office. Nobody looked twice at me. People come and go all the time. And addiction is such an equal-opportunity affliction that no one appears out of place – young, old, pierced, bald, whatever.

I found the office and introduced myself to Will, the manager. He invited me to make myself at home, then went to an erase board and added me to the head count for the night. We numbered 44 – 29 men, nine women and six staff. We ranged in age from 22 to 63.

My visit had already been approved by Big John, chairman of the board of the 24 Hour Club. From Big John on down, everyone involved with the club is a recovering alcoholic or addict. And in keeping with the principles of AA, I agreed to use first names only.

Big John, 46, tells a favorite story to illustrate the unique nature of the 24 Hour Club. “I was standing out front one time when this old boy came walking up. He was filthy dirty and wearing only one shoe. I said, ‘Did you lose a shoe?’ He said, ‘No, I found one.’ I said, ‘Come on in. You’re in the right place.’ ”

That’s about as rigorous as the screening process gets. A sincere desire to stop using drugs and alcohol is the ticket in. Only a history of arson or sex crimes will ban you.

A serial killer featured on America’s Most Wanted was arrested in his bunk at the 24 Hour Club a few years ago. Residents tell the story with pride, evidence that all are truly welcome.

New arrivals sleep on mats on the meeting-room floor. It’s a quick test of sincerity, as well as an important lesson in humility. “If you are humble enough to sleep on that floor, you might have a chance,” Big John said.

To most eyes, the shabby 24 Hour Club is one big lesson in humility. Chris, 30, remembers his first reaction. “I thought, ‘Dump.’ That’s what I thought. I thought, ‘Man, I don’t want to live here.’ ”

But he has been there seven months. And now? “It looks like home,” he said. “It is my home. It’s a home of hope, recovery and faith.”

This isn’t a flophouse. Newcomers must commit to a stay of six to nine months. And after the first few days, they must find a job and pay their own way. A mat on the floor is $6 a night. A bunk upstairs is $9.

The 24 Hour Club has its own little cafe inside. You won’t find it in any gourmet guides, but it draws residents, former residents and other friends of the club. Friday night is steak night, and I enjoyed a tasty one with all the trimmings for $7.50.

The night passed in a blur of friendly, horrifying conversations. Talk seems therapeutic for residents, and I got an earful about the depths of addiction and the greased pole that is recovery.

Tommy is a bright, affable, 43-year-old guy who could easily be your suburban neighbor – might have been, in fact. But he has been through 17 drug treatment centers and is now on his third stay at the 24 Hour Club.

Lisa, 41, is a former Dallas Times Herald reporter. She went through 13 drug and alcohol treatment centers. “I turned 35 sleeping on a mat on the floor here,” she said.

But Lisa’s story provides hope. After so many tries, she is now clean and sober. She’s on the board of the 24 Hour Club and had stopped in for a visit.

Several AA meetings take place at the club each day. I sat in on the 10 p.m. meeting – in a thickening cloud of cigarette smoke. Everyone seemed happy to be there.

Indeed, the prevailing mood of the 24 Hour Club is cheery. After the meeting, I chatted on the club’s busy front porch with 37-year-old Rhesha. She had arrived at the club that day, after a week of sleeping in her car.

I asked about her first impression. “I don’t judge the building,” she said. “I needed the people.”

She smiled and added, “The thing I’m really excited about is that tonight I get to stretch out.”

And it was almost time for us to do that. Midnight is lights out. Dave, 47, had overnight kitchen duty, so he offered me his bunk. I gratefully accepted.

I climbed the stairs and entered a dark room, unable to tell how many men were already asleep around me. I kicked off my shoes and settled atop the covers. The space was cramped, the air stale.

I fell asleep thinking: If people are so happy to be here, what hell must addiction be?

Dawn arrived with the wet, rumbling coughs of smokers awakening all over the house. No need for alarm clocks at the 24 Hour Club.

I climbed out of Dave’s bunk and headed to the bathroom down the hall. I washed my face, then discovered the paper towel dispenser was empty. So I dried my face on the front of my shirt and began the new day.

Downstairs, the energizing aroma of coffee and pancakes spilled from the cafe. The 24 Hour Club is famous for its $1 pancake, an enormous thing that laps over the platter.

Few can finish one, and I noticed plates of half-eaten pancakes accumulating on a sideboard. I was becoming a little judgmental about the hygiene of the place. Then I got my comeuppance. Folks without a dollar quietly slipped in and dined on the leftovers.

The future of the 24 Hour Club is a little uncertain right now. Keeping the old building up to code grows more difficult, and board members would like to move to a newer, larger facility.

But fundraising is hard when the traditions of AA demand anonymity and discourage public appeals for money. The club needs benefactors. And Big John couldn’t help wondering if God hadn’t sent a journalist to their door to help with that effort.

I hardly felt on a divine mission, but I knew better than to scoff.

Saturday passed much as Friday night had, with conversation aplenty. I chatted with Blake, a fresh-faced 22-year-old from Plano. It seemed hard to believe his life could already be so screwed up. But he said he started at 14 and worked hard at it.

I talked to Gary, 47. He had nine stays at the club before sobriety finally took hold. He has been clean almost two years and stops by the club most mornings to hire a few workers for his construction crew.

And I talked to Scott, 33, a youthful, bright-eyed fellow. He had worked as dishwasher and busboy in the cafe the night before and smiled the whole time. I was especially curious about him.

“I come from a really good family,” he told me right off. “My father is a Dallas police officer.”

But Scott said he turned to drugs as a kid and has paid the price ever since – including nine years in prison.

I asked about the big smile while dishwashing. He hesitated, then plunged ahead. “Something happened to me about two weeks ago,” he said. “I turned my life over to the will and care of God.”

It was in a church service at the Salvation Army, where he was living. “I’m a pretty hard-ass,” he said. “But I started crying, and I couldn’t stop. I said, ‘God, I can’t do it anymore.’ ”

It’s still hard for him to talk about. But he said he’s changed. He got himself to the 24 Hour Club, ready to follow the program. “I’m not just washing dishes, man. I understand that now.”

A point came Saturday afternoon when I looked around and everyone was engaged in lively conversation. It seemed like a good time for the outsider to make his exit.

I left feeling glad the 24 Hour Club exists – and so grateful to be spared from membership.

This excerpt is from an October 1, 2005 Dallas Morning News article by Steve Blow.