Mission and Testimonials

"Inspiring hope, reuniting families, healing lives impacted by addiction"

• Treatment Excellence: IVRS is committed to a comprehensive system of care for the purpose of increasing access, improving quality of care, expanding services and achieving the best possible outcomes where recovery through IVRS’ continuum of care is fully integrated.

• Communication: IVRS embraces frequent and open communication to provide for the best decisions in day-to-day operations. Effective communication is attained through active listening, openly sharing ideas, cooperative and team problem-solving, respect and courtesy.

• Respect: IVRS is committed to clients and each other and this can be demonstrated through respect to all those IVRS serves. This is accomplished by treating clients and each other with dignity and value.

• Focus: IVRS’ focus is to exceed expectations of clients and each other. IVRS will operate the organization in a professional and courteous manner, remain responsive to client needs and conduct business in a way which underscores IVRS’ commitment to excellence.

• Staff Development: IVRS is committed to staff development through fostering an environment of learning, recognition for best practices and effective leadership. IVRS will promote an environment of constant improvement and the idea of never being satisfied with status quo through staff development.

• Inclusion: IVRS will foster an environment where clients and staff can grow, celebrate recovery and embrace diversity and opinion for the purpose of achieving IVRS’ mission and values.

• Integrity: IVRS operates at all times in an honest and ethical manner to strive for the highest ethical standards in every aspect of our job. This is attained through IVRS’ approach to quality, confidentiality and privacy exceeding client expectations, accountability and follow through.

• Operational Excellence: IVRS prides itself in achieving the highest level of quality and discipline in work. This is achieved through a focus on results and remaining centered on improving outcomes, building strong leaders and enhancing organizational effectiveness.

My name is Danny M. Violence was an everyday thing in my household. My father was a very "violent drunk". He would go on uncontrollable rages and break everything in the house. When I turned 12 years old, I started fighting back. I was a hurt, lost boy with broken dreams, no faith and no hope. I was in foster homes all over California. I was so full of hate, and felt like a lost soul and because of that I became very mad.

At 16, I went to California Youth Authority. While I was in there I would fight all the time. I was stabbed and shot at. I got my love from the streets. While in prison I got all my prison glory. That's where I got love and respect, from prison and the streets. I thought I was a mistake that God created. I was a diehard addict. There was never enough.

On September 30, 2008, I found myself in an abandoned apartment, feeling sick to my stomach, in a cold sweat and shaking so bad from the heroin. The pain was too much and I wanted to kill myself. I dropped to my knees and cried to God. I asked myself what am I doing? I have a little girl and a good woman waiting for me. I cried all night.

On October 1, 2008, I walked up to the IVRS Men’s Program, knocked on the door and said I needed help. I said I would do whatever it takes. I’ve been clean and off drugs ever since. Because of God and the Inland Valley Recovery Services' Program I am at home, being a father to my 2 year old daughter and a responsible man to her mother who is to become my wife.

Today I have a job that I’m dedicated to. I wake up at 4 a.m., sometime's 3 a.m. and ride my bike 15-1/2 miles from my house in Ontario, to Chino, where I carpool another hour to my job in Torrance. I do this everyday. Sometimes it rains and gets very cold, but I look at my family and begin to pray. I know I have to do this! I don’t have a car but that’s okay. We sleep in a living room, on the floor, with all our belongings outside in a shed. It's all okay because I know something good is going to happen. I have FAITH. I am a member of the 12-step community and very proud of it! I’m happy to say that I’m doing alright and I know that if I could do it anyone could do it! I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I did something about it. The first step is to admit that you have a problem.

My name is Donna H. and I’m 44 years old. I began using drugs and alcohol at the age of 13. My drug of choice is methamphetamine. Since 1998, I have been in and out of eight different treatment facilities. Within one month of leaving each facility I was using again.

I came to IVRS in May 2008 and completed my program in August 2008. From the program I went directly into transitional living. I enrolled myself into school for drug and alcohol counseling. In March 2009, still living in transitional living, I completed school and I’m now doing my internship at a facility. I moved into my own apartment and have been clean and sober for 13 months. I am living a life that is beyond my wildest dreams.

My name is Willie T. and I’ve been in my addiction for 30 years. I thought I was fooling everybody, but I was only fooling myself. I lost custody of my daughter and I had nowhere else to turn. I had to seek intervention. So I went to IVRS and enrolled in the outpatient program. I attended every group and participated and attended daily 12-step meetings. I started having clearer thoughts and making better decisions for my life.

IVRS has made a great impact on my life and has taught me how to handle situations that used to baffle me. I am thankful for my new way of life. I thank God. I continue to push forward to maintain a stable life and not worry about things I can’t change. I also thank my wife for being so supportive and the staff at IVRS for being so helpful.

My name is Angelita Y. I was homeless from 1980-1989 then went to prison for selling drugs. All I knew was homelessness, abandonment, anger and abuse. I grew up with this lifestyle.

I paroled from prison to Inland Valley Recovery Services. All the while I did this intense work on myself and the more I began to reveal the more I began to deal! I put myself into welding class while I was at the IVRS Program. I completed parole in 2004 and then finished the program.

I worked for a company for two years and have been living life on life’s terms after finishing Aftercare in transitional living at IVRS. I’m a mother with six children aged 18-32 years old. I love to write poetry, play ping-pong and tennis, and play drums in a band.

Remaining sober for over eight years now (it will be nine years 8/13/09). Even in these tough economic times, I’ve never relapsed. If it wasn’t for these programs I don’t know where my life would be. Thank you very much. I live and breathe the program, for without it, I’m nothing. I try to “pay it forward” for others to find recovery.

Savanah sits stoically as she talks about growing up in the chaos of Rebecca’s addiction. “Sometimes my mother would be available to help me. That was wonderful. Then she would disappear for days, only to reappear and then take off again. It was hard. I lived with my father and grandmother a lot. It was lonely for me. The only real friend I had was my dog Gunner.” Savanah goes on, “I never knew how long my mother would be gone or if the next time our paths crossed she would be in jail again.” With such instability, Savanah had no friends and no social life. “I had a “D” average in school. And when my mother dropped me off to live with my father or grandmother, I had to take care of my older brothers. That was difficult. I was only seven or eight years old.” Savanah looks sad as she recalls, “When my mother would come back, I was almost always unsupervised and had to fend for myself.”

“I remember the day my mother left me to begin residential treatment at Inland Valley.” Tears well up in Savanah’s eyes. “I was scared. I didn’t want her to leave me again,” Savanah pauses. “But in a few days my mother found out that children can live with their mothers at the facility. My mother telephoned and invited me to come and stay with her. I was scared at first and really didn’t want to go,” Savanah remembers. “But I decided to give it a try. I was standoffish at first and spent a number of days alone in my bedroom. Before long though, my mother and I were getting into the swing of things. We even had fun.”

Her mother, Rebecca says, “For the first time in both of our lives Savanah and I were learning about things like structure, and rules and safety. Inland Valley made all my decisions for me until I learned to make good choices for myself.”

Both Savanah and Rebecca started to gain self-esteem and build consistency in all areas of their lives. Once they completed the program they moved into aftercare.

Today, the joy in their eyes is unmistakable. They glance at one another as Savanah describes the life she and her mother share today. “Instead of getting D’s, in my sixth grade year I made the honor roll,” Savanah says with a smile. Rebecca adds, “Savanah and I live in a beautiful home in Upland. And my daughter is not the only honor student in the family. Soon after leaving Inland Valley I returned to college to study for a degree in “Addiction Treatment.” When I finished my degree I was actually hired to come back and work for Inland Valley as a counselor. I am very proud of that.”

In the meantime Savanah is excited about starting high school this year. “I’m glad because all my friends are there. I have friends now,” she adds with a grin. Savanah is determined not to let addiction take over her life. ”I have been offered drugs at school, but I always say no. I have seen what they can do to people and how they destroy families.”