We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tammy Adler Foeller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tammy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I would have to say one of my greatest risks has been disclosing that my daughter was suffering from substance use disorder. Our family had been hiding in the darkness for so long, it just seemed normal. I never wanted anyone to know. There is so much shame, embarrassment and isolation that is part of this disease, it just seemed best to keep it a secret. I was so concerned about the judgment that would follow. I feared our church friends would not want to associate with us. I didn’t want people to think I had been a bad mom, or that our family was somehow responsible for her disease. I wondered if we would lose our friends.

While I know this isn’t what some people would consider a risk, it was so daunting to expose our secret, I was physically sick. To say the words out loud to our friends and family was painful. To no longer hide in the darkness of solitude was scary for me. I didn’t think I would ever be ready, yet I also knew I couldn’t live the way I was living anymore. I was exhausted.

Tammy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Tammy Adler Foeller. I am happily married to my “favorite” husband Bo. I am a mom to Joshua and Stephanie, and a stepmom to Amy and Tracy. And my greatest joy is being called Tamma by my 8 amazing grandchildren!

I am a Dental Hygienist and have been employed by Dr. Mark Jerman of Jerman Family Dentistry since 1999 when I returned to the workforce following my divorce. While I am grateful I had a career to return to, Dentistry is not my passion.

I have found my passion empowering women in our community who are in recovery from substance use disorders. I am a co-founder of OpenDoor-Columbus whose mission is to bring Help, Hope and Healing to the often invisible women in prison and on the streets trying to change their lives.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

OpenDoor-Columbus received nonprofit status at the end of December 2019. Little did we know that then the world would shut down 6 weeks later due to Covid. Talk about a road block!!!! We weren’t even off the ground and our dreams of helping women seemed impossible. But with so much uncertainty in the world, we knew women needed support more than ever. And we knew we could provide it if we got creative. So that is what we did! We did what other established organizations were doing and turned to virtual communication! And although it wasn’t our plan or ideal, we were able to come together and offer support in a unique way. It was better than doing nothing at all and we discovered that being in a relationship over zoom was a lifeline for women who were trying to manage the shut down, not use drugs, and take care of her family. We really had a purpose after all.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

OpenDoor-Columbus is unique in that we are primarily volunteer run. We have close to 80 volunteers who selflessly spend an hour a week for up to one year with women who are referred to us from Federal Prison, Franklin County Municipal Court- Specialized Dockets, (hart-helping achieve recovery together), CATCH (changing actions to change habits)(women who have been sex trafficked), Basecamp Recovery Center, Hilliard Recovery Court, and others.

We are always in need of more volunteers because our approach is to work in teams of 4-6 volunteers (that we train) to form a circle of support around one woman from a Referral Partner for up to one year. Each volunteer brings life experiences, resources, and the desire to change the trajectory of women and their children’s lives. We are not looking for clients; we are looking for volunteers who are willing to engage in a relationship with women who are in poverty of meaningful friendships. The beautiful thing that happens is that the volunteers’ lives are changed too.

I would be remiss not to share a story of resiliency of one of our teams. Often people underestimate what they have to bring to the table. This is one such story. Michelle signed up to volunteer and quickly told me that she didn’t think she had anything to offer. She was blessed not to have any experience with substance use disorder in her family, or with any friends. I assured her that having a caring heart and the willingness to show up weekly was all that was needed. Fast forward after many ups and downs, Michelle has become a true friend to “Joyce” (name changed). Sadly Joyce ended up back in prison, and Michelle visits her regularly and Joyce tells her frequently that she is her only real friend. Michelle sends her cards, Bible verses and speaks to her weekly. Although Joyce will be in prison for a bit, when she is released her entire team will be there for her. The volunteers have shown resilience just as Joyce has! Miracles are part of our story.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.opendoor-columbus.com/
• Email: tammy@opendoor-columbus.com