Lifeline dedicates new campus for women, paying tribute to saint who prayed for healing.
Celebrating a three-year dream turning into reality, the new women’s campus at Lifeline Recovery Center was dedicated Oct. 22 as the Saint Monica Women’s Campus.
Women moved from the Morgan Lane campus in September to the new 45-acre property near Barkley Regional Airport, with construction wrapping up on five new buildings: Two dorms, chapel, dining hall and administrative offices. The existing home on the property will be renovated for transitional living.
The 29,500 square feet of new construction can house up to 90 women, up from the 50 served on the Morgan Lane campus.
Executive director Ashley Miller said the new campus was designed to promote healing. “When clients arrive now,” she said, “they are surrounded by the best possible environment – appropriately-designed physical structures and highly-trained staff – to facilitate their healing.”
She recalled when she was in treatment at the old campus on Bloom Avenue in 2013, clients had to leave their classes or counseling when it rained to help mop up water damage. “Our new campus puts the focus where it belongs: Recovery itself,” she said.
Board chair Steve Powless added: “The new campus is especially meaningful because it gives women a safe and beautiful environment in which to begin rebuilding their lives. Many arrive at Lifeline at one of the lowest points they have ever experienced. I want them to walk onto this campus and immediately sense there is hope here.”
Tara Hyde, Executive Director of The Office of Drug Control Policy, also attended from Frankfort, representing the Governor's Office, in support of the dedication.
Hope inspired the new name, honoring Saint Monica, the Patron Saint of Mothers for a lifetime of prayer for her son, Saint Augustine.
The campus name was chosen by the Ray & Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust, which provided legacy funding during the “Campaign for Recovery: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction, One Life at a Time.”
The campaign raised $15 million from 450 households, 120 businesses and 50 churches to fund Lifeline campuses for men and women, as well as an endowment for continued operations. Men moved to a new campus, known as The Ranch, in Ballard County in 2022. Property for the women’s campus was purchased in 2023, and construction began in late 2024.
Laurie Latham, executive director of the Eckstein trust, explained the trust’s campaign gift to support Lifeline:
“The Ray & Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust’s Board of Trustees is honored to support Lifeline’s campaign to bring hope, healing, and restoration through Christ-centered recovery.
“The work of Lifeline reflects the Trust’s core values of strengthening families, helping those in need, and supporting Christian initiatives that create lasting opportunities for change.
“In selecting a name for the women’s campus, the Eckstein family chose to pay tribute to Saint Monica, a Catholic patron saint known for her steadfast faith and persevering prayers for those seeking healing, hope, and new beginnings.”
A new plaque on campus pictures the late Ray and Kay Eckstein, whose family continues their legacy of faith and generosity through the charitable trust.
Powless, who co-chaired the campaign, said Lifeline is grateful to the Ecksteins and all donors who made the new campus vision a reality.
“This community did not simply fund construction projects,” he said. “This community built hope. This campaign was never really about dollars. It has always been about lives.”
