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Elmhurst resident Jose Morales knows what the consequences of alcoholism are. Sadness came over his face as he recalled losing his father to the disease and then his own battle, which eventually led to the creation of Jovenes 24, a non-profit serving those who suffer from the diseases of alcoholism and substance abuse.

“I promised my mother I would never drink,” Morales recalled. “By the age of 17, I was drinking at least three times a week. At 25, I lost everything, including my family.”

After losing all his assets, his job and then finally his wife and kids, this factory manager in Mexico hit his bottom. After going through an Alcoholics Anonymous program in Mexico, and armed with a desire to make something more of his life, Morales decided to leave his country and come to America.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got here,” Morales said. “The streets here had the same problems as back home in Mexico – there were alcoholics everywhere, and I knew I had to do something.”

What Morales did, by the group’s last count, is turned the lives of more than 3,000 alcoholics and drug abusers around. In 1991 Morales and a handful of other recovering alcoholics began the struggle to establish J24 in a rented a basement in Corona. With each of the members contributing $50 a week from their own pockets, the group was quickly able to retain a space to offer to people hoping to get clean.

“I remember the first people that came from New York Hospital had to sleep on the floor with pillows and covers I brought from home. I would give them $5 to eat three meals,” Morales recalled. “Today, we have over 20 beds in our newly purchased house in Corona and provide three meals a day – about 20 for breakfast, 30 for lunch and 40-50 for dinner.”

The shift from that first rented basement to the new house in Corona hasn’t been easy or quick. Morales recalled how after the first year, there was more demand for their services than they could provide. The group actually had to shift their location numerous times over the years because each space they obtained ended up not being able to meet the growing demand. Finally, on his own personal credit, Morales purchased the current house in Corona.

Recovering alcoholics and abusers are offered three months of free space to sleep, watch TV and socialize with others facing the same difficulties at Jovenes 24. A stipulation to keeping their beds is that they must attend a meeting every single day. After the initial 90-day period ends, they are offered another space for which they must pay $300 per month. According to Morales, most of the people who stay do so gladly, because they are eager to give back to the organization that gives them their lives back. Staffed entirely by volunteers, including Jose, J24 has never turned away or charged anyone for entering the shelter for treatment.

To date, Morales knows of seven other similar organizations in New York alone that have been founded by recovering alcoholics who came through the doors of Jovenes 24, though there are many such organizations across the nation.

Morales’ hard work and dedication have recently been recognized with a nomination for Volvo for Life Awards, an award given to community members across the nation for their contributions to others. To vote for Morales, go online at http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com and cast your vote.

Morales currently works two jobs—as a doorman and as a parking attendant, both in Manhattan. He supports his wife (who returned to him after he got sober), four children and a grandchild with his earnings and dedicates all his free time to what he calls his “life’s work,” his “labor of love” – Jovenes 24.

For more information or services of Jovenes 24, call (718) 458-0108.