Over the river and through the woods, a place for healing and recovery is taking shape in Plum Branch, South Carolina. The GameChangers Foundation, founded by Will Dalzell, is creating a place of restoration for men recovering from substance abuse and addiction.
“Our mission is to provide spiritual environments and experiences in Christ that bring recovery in the hearts, minds, and souls of those struggling with substance abuse and in their families,” says Will. “The men’s center will have up to 50 guys who will stay there for a minimum of one year. They’ll get trade training, take fatherhood classes and attend Financial Peace University.”
“We have a wholistic approach to their recovery,” explains Will. “We’re treating their mind, body, and soul so that when these men leave, they can be good stewards and successful in the community.”
Having traveled the road of addiction and recovery himself, Will understands the importance behind this mission. “I had about 13 years of my life where I struggled with drugs and alcohol. I celebrated 13 years clean and sober this June. A few years ago, on Easter, the Lord called me to this ministry and told me this was what I needed to be doing.”
Following that prompting, Will started the GameChangers Foundation. Soon after, he began the process of prayerfully seeking out ministry partners and finding a location for the center, an amazing story of God’s provision for the perfect piece of land.
In 2017, when he felt led to open this ministry center focused on the recovery and healing of men battling addiction, Will (a landscape design architect by trade) sketched out his vision for the property. It included a large 150-acre tract of land that could be used in various ways, including space for multiple buildings and cabins, land to be used for planting and trade training, and three ponds. In 2019, when the purchase of an initial piece of land fell through, Will came across another large tract of property for sale.
“Right when we were about to make our offer and put our earnest money down on a piece of land, I called Ashley Prescott, who was helping us with the purchase, and she told me the land wasn’t for sale anymore. I was just riding down the road, about a mile down the same road [where the land purchase fell through], and I pulled up on this other piece of property. Out front it said ‘150 acres, 3 ponds, and house.’ Everything just felt right.”
At the closing, one of the family members selling the property noticed that Will was signing all the documents as the representative of the GameChangers Foundation, and he asked Will about it. “I ran out to my truck," Will says, "and I grabbed that map that I drew of this piece of land 2 years ago, and I started telling him about it. I looked up at him, and he was crying. He said, ‘My dad was an alcoholic. I can’t believe that this piece of land that he loved so much is going to be used to help people with that same problem.’”
The long-term, master plan for the property includes using the site for other ministries and events. In addition to the men’s center, Will says, “There will be a retreat center where we’ll have marriage counseling, and groups can rent it for weddings, retreats, and things like that.”
“It’s really a place of restoration,” says Will. “We’re trying to fix the family unit that’s broken, keep marriages together, and build these men back up who have gotten themselves in bad situations, so that they can be fathers and get back into their homes.
The GameChangers Foundation appreciates your prayers and continues to seek partners in this ministry. For more information or if you have gifts, talents, resources, or a desire to mentor the men who will be going through the program, please visit GamechangersFoundationSC.org and use the ‘Contact Us’ tab.