Inside the Mission & Impact of Turnabout Community Resource Center
When Paul Drazich talks about Turnabout Community Resource Center in Russiaville, he passionately speaks like it’s his steady calling and much less like a description of what he does for work. He has led the center since its launch in November 2021, though his route there stretches back nearly two decades.
Drazich first stepped into jail ministry in 2006 while living in the Warsaw area with his wife. He worked with men and women in the Kosciusko County legal system until 2018 and learned how layered recovery can be. The move to Kokomo came in 2018 for his wife’s job, and he continued studying, eventually completing training through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors in 2021. That timing lined up with the formation of Turnabout. He was invited to become its executive director and primary counselor, the role he keeps today.
His work at Turnabout rests on training and lived experience. He completed two courses in addictions counseling, yet he speaks just as openly about his own history. Drazich was an alcoholic and has been clean and sober for more than 40 years. When he talks about his background, there is no self-dramatizing, only an understanding of what it takes for someone to walk into a room and ask for help.
Turnabout’s approach is broad. AA meets inside the building. Counseling can be secular or faith-based. Drazich says the center’s purpose is to offer hope, help and healing in whatever form fits a person’s needs. Volunteers work with family members of addicts, and other partners step in where the community has gaps. One group of grief counselors meets monthly at the United Methodist Church in Russiaville with parents who have lost children through death, miscarriage or abortion. That work is important to him because families often have nowhere else to take that kind of pain.
Another gap became clear early on. Veterans in the area had no counseling support. Turnabout now partners with the AMVETS post in Russiaville. Five counselors are available to work with veterans, and several served in Vietnam or later conflicts.
Drazich is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. He was never deployed in a conflict, but he works closely with AMVETS and other local veterans groups to help people reach the services they qualify for.
When asked what matters most to him in his day-to-day work, Drazich returns to the moment when a person realizes they are not defined by their addiction. Watching someone say “that was who I was, not who I am now” remains one of his favorite parts of the job.
Turnabout receives support from churches throughout Russiaville and the surrounding area. The counseling is free financially, though Drazich reminds clients that there is still a personal cost. Counselors invest time preparing and meeting with people, and clients are given homework to continue their growth. In his view, progress only happens when both sides show up willing to work.
He urges the community to keep one date in mind. A benefit for Turnabout and the Carl Koontz Memorial will take place Saturday, March 14 at Western Schools. It marks 10 years since Officer Koontz was killed in the line of duty. The day will include demonstrations from the sheriff’s department and other agencies. Final details are still being arranged, but Drazich says the event carries weight for the community.
For anyone hesitant to seek help, he keeps the message clear. Everything is confidential unless the court requires otherwise. Turnabout’s volunteers understand addiction from many angles, and if the center cannot meet someone’s needs, they guide them toward the place that can.
Turnabout serves Carroll, Clinton and Howard counties in Indiana. During the times when families, teens or children may struggle with addiction, mental health issues or other life-crisis dilemmas, Turnabout can provide a trusted beacon of care, connecting critical and available resources to help, heal and support all those who may need them.
Anyone needing help, or just someone to speak to, can reach out to Turnabout at 765-753-5003. The center is located at 190 N. Union St. #31 in Russiaville.
