WHEREAS, Reverend Henry T. Wells, a native of Ocala, Florida, was born on Christmas Day in 1929 moved to Philadelphia in 1975 to escape social troubles; and
WHEREAS, With the help of a drug rehab program and the support of a great woman, his wife Margaret Rev. Wells not only changed his life, but set about changing the lives of others. He understood that most addicts have little or no money, health insurance or a place to live often making them unable to cope with the recovery process without support from other recovering addicts. From the first couple invited to share his home, Henry continued to reach out to other homeless addicts seeking a supportive environment to fight addiction; and
WHEREAS, In1983, Rev. Wells founded One Day At A Time (“ODAAT”), providing the groundwork for the peer based/community based recovery model. It has become a national and international model as a working example of what was possible from within the community, and by the community, to treat the stubborn problem of drug addiction; and
WHEREAS, Through the efforts of ODAAT, led by Rev. Wells, countless lives were saved during the drug epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s; and
WHEREAS, ODAAT and Reverend Wells have received much acclaim for its vision and programs. They have been featured in many national newspapers including
USA Today
,
The Sun
,
The Philadelphia Inquirer
and the
Philadelphia Daily News
. ODAAT has also been featured in many national news programs including
48 Hours
,
NBC World News
and
60 Minutes
; and
WHEREAS, ODAAT has since expanded its programs and continues to serve thousand of residential clients annually at its facilities supplying recovery, addiction and homeless shelter services. ODAAT provides HIV/AIDS prevention, education and care outreach programs through its prevention and outreach teams who connect with thousands of people annually and boasts an alumni community of over 10,000 graduates and their families. ODAAT also works toward increasing the rate of childhood immunizations; and
WHEREAS, On September 11, 2013, Rev. Wells lost his battle with Parkinson's disease. Today ODAAT continues under the direction of his son, Mel, who carries on his legacy today; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Lehigh Avenue from 24th Street to 25th Street as “Rev. Henry T. Wells Walk” to honor and pay tribute to his work in North Philadelphia and beyond.
End