This week marks the second anniversary of Just a Dad From Akron’s grand opening at 937 Kenmore Blvd. In two short years, founder Kenny Lambert has seen his business evolve from purposeful clothing store to a safe place for the community to visit and those in recovery or struggling with addiction to find support – and the support side of the business is poised to continue evolving.
Earlier this year, Kenny announced the launch of JADFA House with Kristi Watson – a Kenmore-based photographer and his partner. JADFA House is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that will provide recovery support and services to those struggling with addiction – something Kenny knows about firsthand.
Before getting sober and opening Just a Dad From Akron, Kenny spent years struggling with substance abuse and addiction on Kenmore Blvd. Now he and Kristi will help others aspire to sobriety on the same street where he once struggled.
“Building a safe place for people to recover, find God and come together in the name of faith and recovery was my inspiration to start the JADFA House”, said Kenny.
JADFA (an abbreviation of Just a Dad From Akron) House will serve as a safe place for people who are working towards sobriety and is built on three pillars: Faith, Recovery and Community. The goal is to create a space where everyone can feel safe and welcome to grow stronger in recovery, build healthy friendships, and continue building a mission for positive change.
“We don’t want to limit JADFA House to only people in recovery” explained Kristi. “We want JADFA House to benefit everyone in the community. We are planning to have cookouts, 5ks and other events to help bring good people to Kenmore Boulevard.”
JADFA House will offer sober support meetings where participants are encouraged to share their experiences and strengthen their commitment to recovery along with weekly activities like yoga, bible study, dinner nights, and morning meditation to those who seek out its services and become JADFA House members.
In addition to in-house sober support, JADFA House will help its members receive treatment and detox placement, community outreach education, and training.
JADFA House provides members with a sense of community, belonging, and positivity.
“It is our role to create a space for the community [at JADFA House] where everyone can feel welcome and free to come as they are and be themselves, knowing they can step into a space without any judgment” a JADFA House member said.
Kenny – who credits the birth of his daughter as the inspiration he needed to get clean – also knows how hard it can be for parents to get help and support when they have their children, which is why JADFA House also provides activities and supervision for children while their parents attend sober support meetings.
While JADFA House is already providing sober and mental health support through weekly meetings (every Friday at 8 p.m.) at Just a Dad From Akron, Kristi and Kenny say they hope to host the grand opening of JADFA House and move the support meetings there this summer.
In the meantime, don’t miss Just a Dad From Akron’s second anniversary party this Saturday, March 11, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The event will feature prizes and exclusive merchandise.
For additional information or support, contact JADFA House at info@thejadfahhouse.org or visit their website at thejadfahouse.org. Find JADFA House on Facebook at The JADFA House 501c3. JADFA House will open at 916 Kenmore Blvd. in Summer 2023.