When Ambre achieved sobriety in 2022 and started thinking about her future, she came up with a five-year plan: buying her first home. Thanks to hard work and perseverance, Ambre is achieving this goal ahead of schedule, in just three years! Unfortunately, Ambre’s gain is Action Alliance’s loss, as her new home is in Maryville, Tennessee, near Knoxville.
Ambre was just 12 when she started using drugs and alcohol, resulting in 10 different stints in juvenile hall. At the age of 18, those stints turned into jail, including a 13-year stay for being the driver in a series of 26 armed robberies.
Achieving sobriety in 2022 after escaping an abusive relationship, Ambre moved to an Action Alliance home. Within nine months she was asked to be a house manager, and she began working in business-to-business sales in 2023. The job is a perfect fit – she’s continuing to work remotely for the company after her relocation to Tennessee.
Why Tennessee? Ambre, who has relationships with all three of her children, her six grandchildren and her parents, is particularly close to her daughter Jessica, who relocated to the Volunteer State with her husband and three children in August, 2024. Ambre’s new home is just six minutes from Jessica and her family – in fact, Jessica served as her realtor. “Coincidentally, there’s a walking path next to my house that leads to the softball field where my granddaughter Liya plays softball!” explains Ambre.
Ambre’s move also coincided with Mother’s Day – she flew out on May 10, and was able to celebrate Mother’s Day in her new home the next day. And, she’s attending AA meetings just a half mile from her new home.
Ambre is truly grateful for the role Action Alliance played in her life. “From the minute I walked into Tee’s* house, I was surrounded by amazing love and support,” says Ambre. “When I was asked to serve as a house manager, both Tee and Shawn** mentored and guided me. Action Alliance taught me how to be a leader, how to love, and how to have a spirit of tolerance while I guided other women on their own sobriety journeys. Between the role God has played in my new life, my commitment to AA, and the support of Action Alliance, I can’t say enough wonderful things.”
Ambre is also grateful for her “grand sponsor,” Billie, who recommended her to Shawn for the house manager role, along with her sponsor Roxi and Roxi’s husband Herman, both of whom serve on the Action Alliance Foundation board. “They have all been so instrumental in my life,” says Ambre.
“Realizing this dream of home ownership definitely represents a new chapter in my life,” concludes Ambre. “It’s truly amazing that God has opened this door.”
*Tanya “Tee” Powell, a long-time Action Alliance house manager
**Shawn Sterhardt, General Manager for Action Alliance as well as a house manager