Celebrating Recovery
Graduation Celebration
Honoring Four Women Who Completed Our Recovery Program
Graduation Day
Four Women. One Hard-Earned Milestone.
On July 23, 2026, four women completed the Breakthru House residential recovery program and were honored at a ceremony on our Decatur campus.
Graduation marks the end of months of clinical work, group therapy, life skills training, and daily commitment. It also marks a beginning – each graduate leaves with a plan, a support network, and a community that stays with her.
4
Women graduated
6+
Months in program
50+
Family and guests
1969
Serving women since
The Ceremony
Highlights From the Day
- Four women received their Breakthru House stoles and certificates of completion
- Each graduate shared reflections on her recovery journey with family, staff, and supporters
- Staff, board members, and community partners joined to celebrate
- Families and children were welcomed on campus for the ceremony and reception
- The afternoon closed with a balloon release and a reception in the garden
“Sobriety has given me a whole new life, and it’s better than I could’ve dreamed. That’s not just a catchphrase. It’s the truth.”
A Breakthru House Graduate
Sandy Jap is the Sarah Beth Brown Professor of Marketing at Emory University. She has also served as a faculty member at the Sloan School of Management at MIT and at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She has published widely on the development of organizational relationships, go-to-market strategies, and e-procurement. She is the author of Partnering with the Frenemy, a book on the dark side of business relationships and A Field Guide to Channel Strategy, a how-to book on going to market strategy. Sandy is an international speaker, expert witness, and consultant to a wide range of industries and firms. 
Joe Brown has been a Board member since the 1980’s. His father was an original founder/supporter of Breakthru House Inc., when it was founded at St. Mark UMC in 1969. He has worked at Courts & Co., a regional brokerage firm from 1961-1972, Atlanta Federal Savings & Loan, that became Georgia Federal Bank from 1972-1987, and finally with his wife’s State Farm Insurance agency for 20 years until retirement.
Following a 20-year career in the real estate legal field, with a real estate law firm in Atlanta, Sylvia Bates served as real estate coordinator for Racetrac Petroleum, owned a mortgage brokerage, and has been a realtor for 35 years.
T. Gordon Barber is a retired ATT Executive with 41 years of experience in Network Operations. He is owner and manager of Barber Properties. He grew up in Hendersonville, NC, graduated from The Citadel and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Maryland. He was an Army officer and served in Okinawa. Currently he volunteers at North Fulton Community Charity, Habitat for Humanity, and is a member of the Disaster Recovery Team at Alpharetta Methodist Church. He and his wife, Karen, live in Milton and have 3 grown sons and 2 grandchildren.
Nancy Young retired from serving as Vice President of Development for the Georgia United Methodist Foundation (GUMF) in 2022. She brings over 40 years of nonprofit experience in the areas of fundraising, major donor development, training, special events, planned giving, and facilities management. Prior to joining GUMF, Nancy served as Vice President of Development for Action Ministries. She began her career in development while serving as the Executive Director of the YWCA of New Britain, Connecticut. Currently, she is a member of the Church Council, Finance Committee, and chair of the Endowment Team at Midway UMC. Nancy is also a consultant to the Endowment Campaign at Dunwoody UMC. Most recently, Nancy joined the Board of Directors for the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation in Nashville, TN.