Published: November 26, 2009 11:17 pm         

Club Soda offers holiday dinner with ‘family’

TERRE HAUTE — Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and NFL football on a big screen TV made the Thanksgiving dinner look — in some ways — like many others.

But this one was special.

Club Soda, an alcohol- and drug-addiction recovery facility on South Fourth Street, provided Thanksgiving dinner Thursday to more than 100 people. Many were members of the club, which specializes in helping people kick life-wrecking addictions.

“Once you walk through the door, [the people at Club Soda] become your family,” said Lisa Sammann, public relations director for the club. Many people have no family in the area, so their friends at the club become their “second family,” she said.

Club Soda, at 609 S. Fourth St., offers a drug- and alcohol-free environment for people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. It is also a place where individual lives and whole families can be put back together, said Jeff Weisheith, club manager.

“It’s a place where people can put hope and dreams back into their lives,” he said.

About 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving, a club member stood and said grace in the main social room of the club. A few moments later, dozens of people were lining up to serve themselves hot and delicious-looking Thanksgiving dinners. The club was serving dinner to anyone, including the public, until about 8 or 9 p.m., Weisheith said.

“It’s the only place some people have to come,” he said.

Paul Conches of Terre Haute, a past club president, has been having his Thanksgiving meal at Club Soda for the past 11 years, he said. The food is “really good” and the club provides a great place for many people to spend the holiday, he said.

Thanksgiving dinner at Club Soda comes with a lot of laughter in the air in an informal atmosphere. A pool table covered with a tablecloth was the main serving table. Altogether, six turkeys and three hams were cooked for the feast.

Club Soda, a local not-for-profit organization, is also entering the computer age. A Web site is in the works at www.club-soda-terrehaute.org, Sammann said. The organization, which was established in 1989, also provides peer-to-peer counseling, drug screening and residential programs.

Because the holiday season can be challenging to many people struggling with addictions, Club Soda will be open 24 hours a day from Dec. 23 through Jan. 1, Sammann noted. “We’re giving them a safehaven,” she said.

“There are plenty of other places I could go,” said Jerry Wilkey, a member of the club who was sitting down to a turkey dinner Thursday at the club. However, at many of those places, people will be “indulging” and “I try to avoid that,” he said, adding that Club Soda provides the perfect alternative. “It’s just a good place to hang out and meet people and have a good time.”



Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.