Beating addiction is hard work, physically, mentally and emotionally.

The women of Gateway to Discovery are doing the hard work of conquering addiction. And if that isn’t enough, they recently went out and did some hard work to make part of the Fort Dodge community cleaner and better looking.

Gateway to Discovery is a faith-based residential recovery program for women. Last week, the women tackled some of the mess once found along the Des Moines River near the Pleasant Valley neighborhood and along Meriwhether Drive plus Oleson Park and Triton Drive on the city’s west side.

Although nothing actually got painted purple, the effort was called Paint the Town Purple. That’s because the Gateway to Discovery logo is purple. Purple is also the color of ribbons supporting people in recovery.

To the Gateway to Discovery ladies, the cleanup was a way to return the favor to a community which they feel has done so much for them

“Paint the Town Purple is to give back to the community because the community is constantly giving to us,” Lyndsey Rholl, the Gateway to Discovery program director, told The Messenger. “The community in Fort Dodge is very giving and they absolutely adore what we’re doing here at Gateway. They’re super passionate about helping our women and we wanted to give back in some way.”

The ladies of Gateway to Discovery are in fact an inspiration to the rest of the community. First, they are defeating the demon that is addiction. And they are going one step farther by picking up litter and hauling away junk that others carelessly and, in some cases deliberately, tossed into what would otherwise be a beautiful natural area.

Anyone looking for an example of how to live a life of strength, courage and service can easily find one by looking to the women of Gateway to Discovery.