On October 7, 2015, the Council for a Drug-Free-LaGrange County posthumously nominated Jan Noble, Sr. for the Northeast Region award of the Governor’s Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana. This 2015 award acknowledges an individual for whole-hearted contributions to a community regarding the negative impact of alcohol and other drugs.
Jan Noble, Sr. worked professionally in the addictions treatment field for more than 27 years. He provided education/support for many persons on the recovery journey; he also worked by way of Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] membership for over 37 years. Jan started was responsible for starting countless AA groups and sober support programs.
In about 1980, Noble wrote Tools of Recovery, an accumulation and editing of significant elements of recovery from AA lore. This publication is read in this region at virtually every AA meeting.
In 1985, he co-founded an outpatient treatment facility with his wife, Shirley. It continues to this day as Addictions Recovery Centers, Inc. [ARC] with offices in Columbia City, Elkhart, LaGrange and South Bend – along with the Goshen hub. ARC, Inc. is one of the largest organizations in Indiana devoted to outpatient treatment and education of persons with addictions and substance abuse.
Jan died on June 5, 2015, but the impact of this life well lived shall influence countless persons for years to come.
This Regional award was presented at the November 13, 2015 Northeast Region Annual Meeting, held in conjunction with a continuing education training event and luncheon at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne.
Words on the plaque given to Jan Noble, Sr.’s family members are as follows:
The Northeast Region of the Governor’s Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana recognizes Jan Noble, Sr. as the individual who has made outstanding contributions to his community.
As a follow up to this award, The Council for a Drug-Free-LaGrange County presented family representative Jan Noble, Jr. with a framed certificate at their annual holiday luncheon on December 2, 2015 recognizing Noble, Sr. as a rare LaGrange County winner of this Regional Award. Chosen from nominees from 15 counties making up the Northeast Region, this moment of acknowledgement provided a special way to honor Jan Noble, Sr. for his many years of ongoing service to his community, Northeast Indiana and beyond.
Yvonne Riege