OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — "I didn't know how to get out and I didn't have the courage to ask for help," said Mark Dahir, CEO of the Heart Ministry in North Omaha.
"Besides being a father to my daughter Whitney, it's the most important thing in my life," Dahir said.
But it's a role, that while reflecting on his life, he never imagined he would hold.
"I am an alcoholic, I am a drug addict, and I was active in my addiction and I was trying to figure out a way to stop using or stop drinking or stop making some of the choices I was making, and I was stuck," Dahir said.
From 1998 to 2011, Dahir, a former Omaha bank Vice President, accumulated seven DUIs. It was a crash in 2011 that marked a turning point.
"I got into a bad car accident, I almost killed an individual and I got injured very badly," Dahir said.
While incarcerated for 15 months, he said he started to work on his healing. But, Dahir described returning to society as a 'really tricky transition'.
"Things kind of came to a head when I had a meal with the priest and he told me that maybe I should stop thinking of myself so much and think about someone else," Dahir said.
It was at that point, his journey at the Heart Ministry Center began.
"I volunteered here for 40 to 50 hours a week, six days a week for four months, and then I was offered a job as our fourth full-time employee and given the title relationship manager," Dahir said.
He developed the intensive 15-week job placement program called Fresh Start.
"107 fresh start graduates to date over six years, and their pictures are on the wall in the lobby, and there is so many stories of people moving forward that have inspired me and kept me coming back and held me accountable," Dahir said.
The Heart Ministry Center provides several resources to the community, including a food pantry, free dental care, even laundry services through their social enterprise Fresh Start Laundromat.
"We are a campus full of resources that's a one stop shop for those in need," Dahir said.
He worked his way up through different leadership roles, serving as the CEO for the last two years.
"The people who move forward and the things they go through remind me of the way it was and I don't want to let the people who are going through what I went through down," Dahir said.
Living out the ministry's motto, 'Dignity for All' while restoring belief in himself.
"It's a good day to be alive," Dahir said.
If you are looking for resources or are interested in volunteering at the Heart Ministry Center visit their website, heartministrycenter.org
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