EVENT RAISES FUNDS WOMEN RECOVERING FROM DRUG ADDICTION

ASHEVILLE - Nearly a quarter century ago, Nannette Johnson checked into a
motel in Tennessee and shot up. She had been using intravenous drugs and
drinking heavily for six years.

Suddenly, she thought she saw a policeman's hand reach through the window.
She dropped to her knees and promised God she would never use again if he
would get her out of this predicament.

There was no policeman, but Johnson kept her promise nevertheless.

On Saturday, she put together a party at City-County Plaza to raise funds
for a safe home for women trying to recover from drug and alcohol
addiction, which she calls Shine on Others.

"It's not an easy thing to pull yourself up," she said. "And there's not
enough help for people, especially women."

Among the performers was Christian rapper Chuck Long of Asheville.

"I was in these very streets," Long said. "I was doing drugs. I was selling
cocaine, crack. I was hurting my own people."

The only way he knows to make amends for the damage he did, Long says, is
to help people find their way out of addiction.

Nearby, several people sporting hats made of long, twisted balloons danced
the Electric Slide. The hats were courtesy of balloon artist and magician
Eric Schweitzer, who stopped by to donate his time and balloons for a good
cause.

Daniel and Emily McCarthy sat on the sidewalk with their two sons, Aidan,
3, and Caleb, 10 months. They had come to hear the band Leopold. They said
they'd probably buy some of the food for sale at the event rather than take
the kids to a fast-food restaurant for supper.

"You're going to spend the money, why not spend it where it will do some
good?" said Emily McCarthy.

Johnson has raised about $2,000 so far. She hopes to find a house near city
bus routes and big enough for six to eight women. Eventually, she hopes to
open four houses: this one, a second for women with HIV/AIDS and their
children and two for men with drug and alcohol addiction.

Johnson's mother, Barbara Marvels, believes her daughter will succeed:
"She's moving mountains. Once she makes up her mind, she'll accomplish
whatever it is she wants to do."