Amethyst Center for Healing has opened our dream program, My Aunties’ House. We are excited to share the work of one of our staff, retired sheriff, Sergeant Christian Luke.
With the help of a generous donation from the Dell Loy Hansen Family and Julie Hansen Family Foundations, we have leased a house in the Central City historic district of Salt Lake City, Utah.
In the process of working to get ready to open our doors, we spent a good deal of time beautifying, licensing, staffing and furnishing our new house.
One of our favorite furniture donations has been hand crafted headboards for each resident and the overnight staff quarters. Sgt. Luke has been collecting supplies and dreaming up plans to weld our facility’s beds.
When we asked Sgt. Luke why he donates his time and talents to us, he told us, “Buckle up, this might be a long response.” Sgt. Luke is not a man known for long speeches.
“I started a career in law enforcement because I wanted to serve my community. I felt LE was the best way to do this,” Luke explained. “Working in the Jail, keeping bad actors where they belong, seemed to be the best thing I could do.”
This approach to community service took it’s toll. “Early in my career, I became pretty jaded and thought there was more bad than good in most people. After a while, seeing all that negativity in one place, it was hard to see anything else.”
He shared how he came back from that dark place, “Then I went to therapy for the first time. After a while, I started seeing the good in people again. Now, I fully believe people can change for the better.”
Learning about My Aunties’ House from one of the founders, Sgt. Luke wanted to support the program in a unique way. He offered to weld us custom headboards for each one of our residents and the overnight staff area. Giving people who choose peace after violence, a place to rest their heads, shows his commitment to belief in change. “I think a program like MAH is a bigger benefit to the community than simply locking people up. If we can help people stop bad behaviors, there is a much longer lasting benefit.” He hopes the efforts of rehabilitation will be as strong as his beds, which are made from salvaged steel.
Sgt. Luke sees his volunteer work as a natural evolution from his job in corrections, “I’m excited to still be a part of serving my community, just in a different and more effective manner.”
Since his retirement from the Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Luke has been hired to work as a staff at our facility. His commitment to the safety of our community, continues through his service to the bravest among us, those who seek to become more peaceful.
If you would like to donate your time, talents, resources or connections, to My Aunties’ House, please reach out at MAH@amethyst4healing.org.
