For today's Gratitude Week feature, we're looking back more than 25 years to the people whose vision transformed the Healing Place of Wake County from an idea into a reality.

Picture 1: Our ""Dynamic Trio""—Fred Barber, Maria Spaulding, and Barbara Goodmon (left to right). Together, they made a promise to bring the Healing Place of Wake County to life and worked tirelessly to make it happen. Picture 2: Linda Strother spent countless hours researching solutions to the growing homelessness crisis in Wake County. Her search led her to the Healing Place of Louisville, and in 1997, Maria Spaulding, then Director of Wake County Human Services, led an 18-person delegation to Kentucky to see the program firsthand. The Dynamic Trio was among those who made the trip, and they returned convinced that Wake County needed a Healing Place of its own. Picture 3: Thanks to the generosity of early supporters, including WakeMed and many other community partners, construction began in 2000. Dennis Parnell, our founding Executive Director, led the Healing Place of Wake County from 1999 to 2016, helping establish the foundation that still guides us today. Picture 4: In the early days, staff from the Healing Place of Louisville lived on our Men's Campus to help launch daily operations. Here, Jay Davidson, President & CEO of the Healing Place of Louisville, embraces Spaulding during our 2001 Dedication Ceremony—a powerful reminder that recovery has always been built through partnership and community. While these photos capture just a handful of the people who made our beginning possible, there are countless others whose generosity, determination, and belief shaped the last 25 years. From the Dynamic Trio to the ChangeMaker who gave today, every act of generosity has helped make recovery possible for our Wake County neighbors. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. ❤️