Every week, I will be profiling an extraordinary human being who lives in our community. If you know someone who is doing something interesting with their life, I want to hear about it. Send me an email at [email protected].
It’s true. Sometimes, when you least expect it good things happen. And that is the case for 43-year-old James Hunt. After a long battle with drugs and alcohol, he found the light. And much more, too. He found his purpose in life.
And when he looks back today, nine years into sober living, James still can’t help but harbour some uncomfortable feelings of who he once was. Maintaining sobriety is a lifelong thing, says James. It’s a commitment, a promise, to yourself.
James is open and honest and he’s got a big, caring heart. He’s a man of faith but he hasn’t always been and he’s not the type who wants to shove religion down your throat. He’s certain God saved his life and his job allows him a form of repaying a debt of gratitude.
James is the executive director of The Door Youth Centre and he believes it’s part of his life purpose that he ended up there. The Door is a valuable place in so many ways. It gives teens a safe and fun place to go and hang out. There’s a lot for kids to do there: shoot pool, play checkers and video games, listen to music, snack and chat, or just chill out. James has a big role there. He’s responsible for organizing all of its programs, recruiting volunteers and fundraising not only for 100 per cent of his salary, but for the operation costs as well. On Tuesdays, James is busy volunteering at Huntsville High School working with teens in the Student Success Room. It’s safe to say he has a soft spot for teenagers.
He’s an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on and someone who really cares. He can easily sympathize with teens who are going through tough times. Because, the truth is, James had it pretty rough as a teenager himself. Quite simply, he just gets teenagers. He knows that kids today are growing up at a fast pace. In fact, it’s harder today than ever before. There’s a lot going on during the teenage years: existential questions are being asked that form your identity (who am I and who do I want to be?) and, at the same time, teens are bombarded with mixed messages from every direction.
“It’s a confusing world we live in now, so trying to navigate through that with changing hormones and there’s also poverty issues here where both parents are working and families do less and less together and the kids are often left on their own to make their own meals… They’re trying to work their way through this world but who’s helping them? It’s a tough time just to be a person and survive the teen years. The influence of the internet is huge.”
Drugs and alcoholism became the story of his life. There was no hope. There was no light. He had even devised a plan to end his life.
James had a pretty troubled youth himself. His parents’ divorce really hit him and drugs and alcohol became his coping mechanism. In a short time, he went from being a gifted high school student to a guy who preferred to chase the party. He continued on a downward spiral. He dropped out of school and became a parent just after he turned 19. Eventually he graduated high school when he was 20. His first-born daughter attended his graduation.
“Every day, I’d think, ‘today will be the day I don’t drink’, even though I had already devised a plan to get more booze for that day. It was an endless cycle of wishing I could quit and realizing I couldn’t. It came to a point at the end of my drinking that I would black out, and this went on for several years. One day I I’m spending an awful lot of time thinking about ending my life… I had hurt everyone around me and I was never going to escape. I had a plan. I knew there was a rope in the shed and what branch I was going to hang myself from. I’m drinking to the point I didn’t remember the night before. But I had a family and a fiancée and so part of me wanted to live. I reached out to a 12-step program and that’s where the road to recovery started for me.”
At the beginning, James was skeptical. He wasn’t so sure being part of Alcoholics Anonymous would have an impact on him. But he knew one thing for certain: he was tired of living a life with no meaning. When he attended his first 12-step meeting, he had the attitude that he was going to give it a try and he was going to prove there was no escape from his disease and he could go on his merry way drinking himself to death. But he was wrong. He immediately saw that there were people who had it just as bad as he did and many who were worse than he was, yet they had recovered.
That was the first place I saw hope of escaping alcoholism. I went to those meetings every day for three years until I slowly drifted away from that as life got busier and I felt comfortable with myself. It was a rough road but looking back everything I went through equipped me to work with the teens. It will be nine years on Christmas Day since I had my last drink.
He was meditating when God busted in…
About a month and a half into his recovery, James put himself in a treatment centre in North Bay. He was full of shame and guilt and at the lowest point in his life. It was while he was there that he had a truly defining moment – a powerful encounter with God. It wasn’t something he expected to happen or necessarily wanted either. Sure, he grew up going to church but he turned his back on it when he was around 12. He didn’t believe in God, nor did he have any concept of God or a higher power. But then, some unexplainable things started to happen in his life and that was enough to restore his faith. It got to the point where James could no longer explain them as coincidences. He believes it was God setting him up for this moment. For the first time in his life, James felt like he was okay and he was going to be okay just as he was.
During his first year of recovery, he spent a lot of time just focusing on recovering. Eventually, he started going back to church and playing in a band. He was learning and serving and taking every opportunity to do that. He became involved with a youth ministry at his church and led that for a couple of years. And then he had heard about a Huntsville youth centre seeking volunteers. He had a conversation with one of the steering committee members and the next thing he knew he had been hired as the director.
Life is full of uncertainties. And sometimes James isn’t so sure how he got through some of those rough times. But what he does know is what he’s doing is all part of his divine plan. Ask him if knowing that he’s helping others is bringing him total joy and fulfillment and this is the answer you will get:
“The difference is if helping others was making me feel fulfilled, I’d get discouraged and disappointed. It’s about helping others and looking for evidence that you’re being helpful. This is my vocation. My calling.”
The Door is currently seeking volunteers. There’s no previous experience necessary. If anyone is interested please email James Hunt at [email protected] or call The Door at 705-789-4748. Local businesses are also being sought to support The Door with monthly financial contributions in order to ensure it stays up and running as it relies solely on private donations. The Door does not receive any government funding or grants.
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Betty Fulton says
Hi Laura, James & Rachel – a fine article, and nice photos of a great couple. May The Door continue to flourish under James leadership with Rachel’s backing. This young couple do their best to promote the knowledge that God loves all of us, no matter how broken we are. I pray that more volunteers will step forward, and The Door will get the financial backing it needs in order to flourish. Ches & I supported it well when we lived in Huntsville, but I feel it is time for others to step up to the plate in supporting this very worthwhile work!