A second chance, fully invested

Derek found more than recovery—he found a new life and a purpose to give back.

For years, Derek looked successful from the outside. He had built a career in business development, owned a four-bedroom home, drove a nice car, and led a professional life that suggested everything was going well. But inside, Derek was struggling.

As the youngest of five, he often felt like he didn’t measure up.

His father suffered a serious heart attack when Derek was 15, and during those difficult teenage years, alcohol became an escape.

What began when he was young followed him through college and into adulthood.

“I had a reputation as the work-hard, party-harder kind of guy,” Derek remembers.

Because he continued working and achieving professionally, it was easy for others, and even Derek himself, to miss how serious his addiction had become.

Eventually, everything came to a halt.

For nearly a week, Derek stopped going to work, turned off his phones, and isolated himself in his home. When his mother finally came to his door, Derek opened it and said the words that would change his life:

“Mom, I think I need help. I think I need to go to rehab.”

From that moment, Derek’s family began looking for a way to help him.

After he entered detox, his sister, Heather, knew her brother needed somewhere to go next.

Through her own struggle with infertility, Heather had formed a friendship with Toni McFadden, wife of PAATC CEO Kris McFadden. So when her brother needed help, Heather reached out to someone she trusted.

She told Toni that Derek was in detox and asked about Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge.

By then, Derek was ready to stop trying to figure everything out on his own. “Whatever my family says to do, I’m just going to do it,” he remembers.

Five days into detox, Derek climbed into the car with his mother and sister and headed to Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge.

He arrived in July 2019 expecting treatment, but what he found was something much deeper.

Within his first month, Derek committed his life to Jesus Christ on the prayer deck.

And as he began rebuilding his life, Derek approached his time at Teen Challenge much like he had approached his professional career: he wanted to learn from someone who had gone before him.

So, he asked for a meeting with Kris McFadden.

Derek remembers asking Kris how he had gone from his own troubled past to where God had brought him. Then Derek asked how Kris had “spent” his time at Teen Challenge.

Kris corrected him. “You’re asking the wrong question. I never spent my time here. I invested it here.”

Those words stayed with Derek.

Kris began meeting with him and giving him books to study. Derek filled notebooks with what he was learning. The conversations and mentorship became part of the foundation God was building beneath him.

Derek graduated from Teen Challenge in June 2020. And while the years immediately following graduation didn’t always look extraordinary from the outside, God was still working.

Today, Derek can see the fruit.

He has continued in recovery.
He has served others.
He met and married his wife, and today they are raising their baby girl.

The man who once felt his life didn’t matter now recognizes just how much grace God has given him.

That’s why Matthew 10:8 has become part of Derek’s life: “Freely you have received; freely give.”

Legacy Planning:

Stewardship That Lives Beyond You

Legacy planning is a meaningful way to practice wise financial stewardship while caring for the people and causes that matter most to you.

By thoughtfully incorporating charitable giving into your estate and financial plans, you can provide for your family, potentially realize important tax and financial benefits, and create a lasting impact through a nonprofit whose mission reflects your values.

Provide for your loved ones by creating an intentional plan that helps protect and bless your family for generations to come.

Create potential financial and tax advantages through certain planned-giving strategies, depending on your individual circumstances.

Leave a lasting legacy by supporting a nonprofit and ensuring the work you care deeply about continues for future generations.

Make a meaningful gift at any giving level—legacy giving is not reserved for the wealthy; gifts of many sizes can have a significant impact.

Because estate, tax, and financial circumstances vary, donors should consult their attorney, tax professional, or financial advisor when considering a planned gift.

From our CEO

Over the years, I have had the privilege of witnessing countless examples of God’s faithfulness through the generosity of people who believe deeply in the mission of our ministry. Some have given faithfully each month. Others have stepped forward during moments of urgent need. And some have made an extraordinary decision to continue their impact beyond their lifetime through a gift in their estate.

These legacy gifts have had a profound impact on our ministry.When we receive an estate gift, we are reminded that behind it is a person or family who believed so strongly in this work that they chose to make it part of the legacy they would leave behind. Their generosity continues to provide hope, healing, and transformation long after their own lifetime.

Estate gifts help provide the resources that allow us to continue doing the work God has called us to do—serving individuals and families in some of the most difficult seasons of their lives. They help strengthen our programs, care for our facilities, provide critical resources, and ensure that our ministry remains available for the next person who walks through our doors searching for hope.

What is especially meaningful to me is that a legacy gift represents more than financial support. It represents a lasting statement of faith and stewardship.Scripture reminds us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

For those who have included our ministry in their estate plans, their treasure continues to point toward something they cared deeply about: seeing lives restored, families reunited, and people given the opportunity to experience lasting transformation through Christ.

Perhaps you have never considered including our ministry in your will, trust, or other estate plans. I simply invite you to prayerfully consider what your legacy might make possible.

A legacy gift does not have to be extraordinary in size to have extraordinary impact. It can also be structured in a way that first cares for the people you love while allowing a portion of what God has entrusted to you to continue advancing His work for generations to come.To every donor who has already chosen to make our ministry part of their legacy, thank you. Your faithfulness is continuing to bear fruit.

And to everyone who faithfully supports this ministry today, please know how grateful I am for you. Together, we are investing in something far greater than any one of us—a legacy of hope, restoration, and changed lives.

With gratitude and in His service,