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03/10/2008 5:55 PM ET
Recovery facility renamed after Jeter
'Derek Jeter Center at Phoenix House' fights substance abuse
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com







TAMPA, Fla. -- With a career full of honors and accolades for his on-field play, Derek Jeter received another distinction on Monday afternoon for his efforts off the field. The Yankees shortstop joined members of the Phoenix House community in a renaming and rededication ceremony for "The Derek Jeter Center at Phoenix House."
"It's a special day for me, and it's a special day for the foundation," said Jeter. "We believe in everything Phoenix House has been doing in over 40 years."

Jeter's foundation, Turn 2, made a $500,000 donation to the building formerly known as the Phoenix House Youth and Family Counseling Center to assist and enhance the center's programs.

Phoenix House chairman James Doyle said the rededication is a way to thank and honor Jeter.

"We are both excited and honored to be joined by the Turn 2 Foundation of Derek Jeter," said Doyle. "There is no more important work in this community than that of helping our young people."

At the center, customized outpatient intervention and treatment plans are developed to meet a variety of needs, including individual, group and educational counseling that helps teens address substance abuse and other negative behaviors.

"We are extremely excited about this dedication," Dr. Charles Jeter said. "I am proud as a father to have a facility named after my son."

Last year, Tampa's Phoenix House reached out to more than 1,000 people. The center, which focuses mostly on teens between the ages of 13-17, also provides ongoing support and encouragement for positive growth.

"Throughout these years, Derek, and his family and foundation, has supported the most important facet of our center by helping teenagers to reclaim their lives from destructive potential," Doyle said. "The Phoenix House is going to address that every day with this intended program."

Finn Kavanagh, executive director of Phoenix House, said the donation is the largest sum Phoenix House has ever received locally. It will be used to support and enhance existing programs and provide the center's clients with expanded services.

Kavanagh said there was no exact date the donation was made; rather, it was a series of phone calls between Turn 2 and Phoenix House.

The mission of Turn 2 is "to create and support signature programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and 'Turn 2' healthy lifestyles."

Charles Jeter, who is the vice president of Turn 2 and on the Phoenix House Board, says it has been an excellent partnership between the two programs.

"We are very, very proud of Derek that he found a program like Phoenix House that we could partner with," he said.

While Phoenix House has been operating for more than 40 years, the Florida branch didn't open until 2004. Derek Jeter and his father had initially been involved with Phoenix House in New York before that, but they were excited to take things into their own backyard.

While Doyle calls the donation "a bold expression of support," Derek Jeter, a Tampa resident, says it simply has been an honor to be involved.

Derek Jeter says recovery stories such as that of Lauren, a former Phoenix House patient who spoke at the ceremony, have particularly hit home.

"It means a lot to my family, it means a lot to the foundation and more importantly it means a lot to the kids," Derek Jeter said. "Kids are going to make mistakes, and when they make mistakes, they need that support system. And there's no better place to have it than the Phoenix Center."

Lauren's mother, Becky, also spoke highly of the Center, thanking Turn 2 for continuing to help the Phoenix House help kids.

She pointed to Derek Jeter's Ten Steps to Success Poster, Step 6, which reads, "Surrounding yourself with a strong supporting cast."

"We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Phoenix House," said Lauren. "There is help, there is hope."

Brittany Ghiroli is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.