On Friday, January 5, 2024, No Longer Bound celebrated founder Mike Harden’s induction into the Georgia Veterans Military Hall of Fame.
There was a special award ceremony.
The program was attended by dozens of No Longer Bound alumni as well as local veterans, community supporters and the current residents of No Longer Bound. Also in attendance was LTC Michael Mizel, President of Johns Creek Veterans Association who sponsored Harden’s nomination. According to Mizel, Harden is the only inductee into the Hall of Fame to ever receive an unanimous vote from the state-wide committee.
In addition to U.S. Representative Rich McCormick presenting the awads, senior staff member Bill Eubanks interviewed Harden on his journey from Vietnam to Washington D.C., into the pit of addiction and through the spiritual transformation that led him to founding No Longer Bound. The two men reminisced on the hardship of building an addiction treatment program from the ground up, telling many stories of needing food and resources and how God always provided.
Harden said you would think the hardest challenge would be raising money.
But for him, the hardest thing was always the men who didn’t make it. Early on, he asked God if He would take credit for the men who didn’t make it, saying he would take credit for the men who changed their lives. But God answered that He would take credit for both or Harden could take both.
“So, I gave them all to God,” he said.
One attendee asked Harden what he is most proud of today as he looks back at his life’s work.
“The greatest honor is to see a man come to Christ,” he said. “To lead a man to Christ, there is no other miracle that equals that.”
For 33 years, No Longer Bound has been a refuge for men in addiction, providing one full year of residential treatment, family recovery and job skills training.
It is estimated that over 1,500 men have transformed their lives on No Longer Bound’s campus since Harden founded the program in 1991.
Military veteran and U.S. Representative Rich McCormick said, “For those of you who have never been in the Marines, a Marine expedition unit is about 1,500 people, reinforced. What you can do with 1,500 people is unbelievable.”
Harden celebrating with current residents of the program. Photo by A.J. Pekarek.