Simply Amazing is the title of a new film telling the incredible story of Teen Challenge Cincinnati and its 30 years of life-changing work with young addicts. The title is certainly on target.

The locally produced anti-drug film is part of a 30th anniversary celebration and fundraiser on April 26 at Cincinnati's Teen Challenge Ranch.

Since it first opened its doors in 1972, hundreds of troubled young men have come seeking help to rebuild lives shattered by drug and alcohol abuse. Many are veterans of other recovery programs that didn't work for them.

The Ranch, a nationally recognized facility located near Milford, is a faith-based drug and alcohol residential treatment center. It is one of more than 350 self-supporting, independent centers in the Teen Challenge International network, which is the largest and (by several studies) the most successful substance abuse prevention and treatment program today. Because of its widely heralded success over several decades, Teen Challenge is the faith-based organization most often referenced by both sides of the debate over federal funding for such groups.

At Cincinnati's Teen Challenge, men ages 18 to 25 spend 9 to 12 months living at The Ranch, going through intensive studies, work projects, earning their GED if necessary, performing Samaritan services for those in need and receiving life-equipping skills plus vocational and job placement help. It's certified as an Ohio substance abuse treatment and counseling center.

The history of Cincinnati's Teen Challenge is steeped in the courageous but tragic story of its first young director, Ken Bagwell. He started Teen Challenge here in a rehabbed building on Vine Street in the heart of downtown. Several years later, he was beaten into a coma by a young teen and died. Others who worked with Bagwell or supported the mission, kept it alive and eventually built the current center on donated farmland near Milford.

Today's professional staff sees it as ministry, not just a job. Support from hundreds of people in this community keeps it going and growing. Men and women from business, education, law, the clergy and other fields, volunteer as teachers, board members and more.

Simply Amazing documents Teen Challenge's 30-year commitment to this region. More importantly, it delivers one of the most credible anti-drug messages we've seen. The non-scripted interviews with young men talking about their struggle with drugs and recovery are unabashedly candid and unforgettable. It could be subtitled "reality and hope 101."

Simply Amazing will premier at the April 26 event. It will be offered for sale on DVD beginning May 1. It comes in a feature documentary or a youth-outreach study version.

The 7 p.m. fundraiser includes guest speakers and food. For inquiries or reservations, call Teen Challenge at 513-248-0452.