A Story of redemption

Redeeming a story of tragedy to save lives

Nick’s New Beginnings (“NNB”) is a Georgia Nonprofit Corporation founded by Garret and Christina Vandever to serve their local community of individuals who are in substance use recovery. This community is dear to the founders’ hearts as they lost Garret’s son, Nick, to a heroin overdose in 2014. He was 23 years old and a new father. From that point on, the Vandevers made it a priority to prevent other parents from losing a child unnecessarily due to substance use. Since Nick’s death, they discovered that most people have been impacted by the loss of a loved one from substance use disorder. In 2018, they opened Nick’s House, a recovery residence in Las Vegas. That home has seen great success with many residents obtaining steady jobs, purchasing cars, reuniting with their families and children, and transitioning to independent living while maintaining their sobriety.

In the last ten years, the Vandevers have spent more and more time in Flovilla, Georgia, where Nick’s mom and stepdad live, and where Nick spent time when not in Las Vegas. What they found was a need for recovery residences in Butts County. Nick’s House in Las Vegas is still operating, but the Vandevers have relocated permanently to Butts County and are looking to help the community here.

NNB provides housing opportunities for individuals who are in substance use recovery. These houses provide a safe place for the NNB family members, immersing them in a family-like environment where they form

Garret & Christina Vandever

NNB Co-Founders

healthy relationships and habits. The NNB family members are not transient but instead individuals are provided with a home environment, without an occupancy time restriction (assuming the family member follows NNB policies). These homes have a zero-tolerance substance use policy and an ultimate goal to empower NNB family members to maintain a substance-free life and reconcile with their families.

In Butts County there is already a large community of individuals pursuing their sobriety, NNB seeks to facilitate opportunities in which they can come together. They began that mission in the spring of 2022, by hosting a weekly sober softball game. It’s a great opportunity to not only bring those in recovery together for fellowship, but to incorporate their families in a positive environment where their sobriety is celebrated.

There is a significant amount of stigma around the recovery community and they are striving to bring awareness. The Vandevers are not in it for the money, they are in this for the people. They are not bringing drugs into the community, they are seeking to provide fellowship opportunities and recovery-cultured homes to those pursuing their sobriety - something that can keep individuals from relapsing. The support of the recovery community brought together by Nick’s New Beginnings, provides the catalyst to change the generational culture of addiction. The homes provide a safe environment that allows the NNB family members to thrive and in response both crime rates and divorce rates lower. The NNB family members in these homes are obtaining employment and paying taxes, they are reconnecting with their families, they are building a new life centered around recovery and they are supported by the Nick’s New Beginnings community.

Address: P.O. Box 220

Flovilla, GA 30216