Meet The Team

My adult life has been centered around alcohol, drugs, and anything else that allowed me to escape reality. However, after repeatedly getting into legal trouble due to my choices, I made the firm decision to find a way to live a more fulfilling life. I discovered that my troubles stemmed from my childhood and had intensified as I grew older. I managed to overcome the fear of being vulnerable by seeking guidance from mentors that I could relate to. As I learned to love this new life with freedom and peace, I knew I had to pass it on and share my experience with others. Through numerous challenges and experiences, I have come to understand that the best way to help others is by sharing my knowledge of these experiences and how I walked through them. I have been through 11 treatments, and I struggled to relate to the counselors. I realized that there is no one better to relate to someone going through a tough time than a person who has been through it themselves! That's why we created Destination Elevation! I have maintained sobriety for 3 years now and have found healthy ways to cope with my fear and anger. This has led me to a better life and made me more productive in every way. I believe that there is hope for all young people and individuals to find long-term solutions to short-term problems. This program was not designed just to help kids. It also provides a service work that will help the mentees involved!! I have dedicated my life to helping kids and adults find a better path than the ones I chose. It is never too late for a better destination!!!

My name is Kent Gray. I want to provide a brief summary of myself and explain why I would like to be part of the mentoring program. I have experienced numerous challenging situations in my life which led to difficult circumstances, including jail stays and eventually a prison sentence. The years I spent in prison taught me a lot about making the right and wrong decisions. After my release, I started implementing the lessons I had learned. Those lessons have been very helpful in my everyday life. I have also started seeking God for help because I realized that people may fail you, but God won't. I have learned valuable lessons that have kept me out of trouble, and I want to pass that knowledge on to the teens that Destination Elevation is reaching out to. I believe that my life experiences will help me connect with struggling teens facing difficult situations. I want to show them that there is hope for change and that it's not the end of the road. I am eager to be a part of this mentoring program as it will allow me to become a more productive citizen. Thank you for this opportunity. Great is thy faithfulness.

I help with mentoring teenagers because I believe in the potential of every young person. By providing guidance, support, and encouragement, I can help them navigate the challenges of adolescence, make positive life choices, and develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed. Mentoring allows me to give back to my community and make a lasting impact on the next generation. I grew up in the Mandan/Bismarck area. I am the oldest of 6 girls. My parents divorced and remarried when I was young. They never got along and always fought during pick-ups and drop-offs. Always talking to us kids about how bad they are and how we should choose not to see the other parents. It was hard to grow up in the environment. When I was 16, I ended up in group homes and foster care. I had to change schools because I didn’t get along with my parents at all. I was parting and meeting new boys all the time. I graduated early just so I could work and move on my own. Which led to more partying and more boys anyone who could give me attention. When I was 19, I moved to Baltimore, MD to live with my dad. I met my oldest son's dad there. When we found out I was pregnant, we both moved to North Dakota. After enduring five years of abusive behavior, including physical violence and infidelity, I finally decided to leave him. During that time, I often left my 5-year-old son with my mom on weekends so I could go out and socialize with friends and meet new people. When my oldest was 9 I met a new guy, I got pregnant with my middle son. This guy was no good either, he beat me cheated on me; had a whole family I didn’t know about in another state. I finally left him and moved to Mandan and tried to start over. When my second son turned 1, I met my husband, Mac. He Loved me right and finally life was looking normal. Mac and I have been married 6 years this September. He has made my boys his. No one can tell him different, so we have three boys 17, 9, and 5. I accept Jesus Christ in my heart 3 years ago. My family belong to Surprise church where I’m in charge of Family ministries. I love hanging out with teens in our youth group and I have been through so much in my younger years I feel I can make a difference in other teens lives.

My name is Chance, and I proudly hold the position of Destination Elevation's Diversion Director. I was born in Wichita, KS. I graduated from high school and received my diploma in downhill pipe welding. In 2009 I became addicted to Methamphetamine. For years to follow it wreaked havoc on my life. My life became a downward spiral that was out of control. I let down everyone that I loved trying time after time to get sober. After fifteen years of addiction, I landed in jail and was sentenced to North Dakota Adult and Teen Challenge. After graduating in 2024 I’m no longer bound by the bondage and lies that the enemy wants me to believe. I now know that there is freedom in Jesus Christ and that I am a child of God. My life verse is Luke 1: 73-75 “The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.”

Hi! My name is Teresa. The reason I chose to be a part of Destination Elevation is simple. Growing up, I never really had someone I could look up to or talk to who understood me. I fought severe depression and anxiety due to sexual and physical abuse as a small child and had no way of coping. With such traumas, I turned to alcohol and drugs as my new friends. My hopes in being a part of Destination Elevation are to hopefully be a light in a young person's life and help guide them through some of life's struggles by being there for them every step of the way. Helping them to find their way to a life of positivity and healthy choices. To stop addiction before it happens.

Growing up we moved around a lot because of my dad's job, so I never really had any friends to speak of. I had my first drink at 8 years old and started drinking heavily in my senior year of high school. I also started using pot in college. After that, I moved to Minot and then Williston. I had started using cocaine, but only if someone else had it. I went to Heartview in 1981 and had been sober for 35 years, although I did not participate in the program or attend meetings. After a grateful 35 years of sobriety I relapsed, and now I'm back in meetings and helping other alcoholics and addicts as much as I can.😁 This Saturday, 9/28/24, will mark my 1-year sobriety birthday. I have been married to my beautiful wife for forty-one years, and she has helped me through a lot. We are both helping people that are trying to find their way.