Fresh Start Recovery

One ticket. A shot at both bikes.

We draw the Yamaha R1M first.

Then that same ticket goes back in for the Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST.

One person could win both.

Tickets are $20 each. Only 12,500 will be sold.

Buy before July 10 and you're also entered in our $1,000 Early Bird Cash Draw.

freshstartraffle.com

The grand prize draw takes place August 15 at our 18th Annual 12-Stop Charity Ride for Recovery. Alberta's Greatest Bike Run.

Every ticket supports addiction recovery across Alberta.
@
Treatment, recovery-oriented housing, and healing for the families and friends affected by addiction.

Providing Solutions To Save Lives, Rebuild Families, And Strengthen Communities.

Meeting Every Individual, Supporting for Life.

Supporting for life means staying connected, staying accountable, and making sure no one has to navigate this path alone.

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Grover Law Firm, and our Community Champions: Cochrane Toyota, Calgary Harley-Davidson, and YourAlberta (Government of Alberta).

Get your tickets: freshstartraffle.com

AGLC Licences #762028 and #762026

Win 1 of 2 motorcycles or even both, plus a chance at the 50/50 Jackpot Motorcycle raffle and 50/50 tickets are separate purchases

On Friday, July 10, we are hosting the Fresh Start Recovery Stampede BBQ in Calgary.

If you came last year, we heard you.

More than 1,500 people showed up. The community was there. The energy was there. So were the lineups, the heat, and a few things we knew we had to do better.

We fixed them.

This year, the BBQ will move across the full property. Inside, outside, up front, and into the parking lot. Multiple food stations. More shade. More space.

The mechanical bull, petting zoo, live music, tipi raising, face painting, raffle baskets, and family activities will all be part of the flow.

Not off to the side.

This event is free. Everyone is welcome. Alumni, clients, families, staff, neighbours, partners, and anyone who believes recovery is worth supporting.

You do not need a connection to addiction to belong here.

Just show up.

📍 Fresh Start Recovery Centre
411 41 Ave NE, Calgary
🗓 Friday, July 10, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

RSVP here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=IIFwcPsflEWeWRLEc0ykDtzICoHFzAFOq2cPJl_t4cFUMks2UEpNS1JQS1BQSUFMUDA2VUdMVE4zQiQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

Thank you to Pratts Wholesale for sponsoring the barbecue.

We also want to acknowledge the continued support of Grover Law Firm, Cochrane Toyota, Recovery Alberta, and Calgary Harley-Davidson. Their support helps strengthen the work we do throughout the year.

We are also preparing for our Whoop-Up Days Barbecue in Lethbridge on August 19. Watch for more details in our upcoming newsletter.

Come hungry. Bring someone who needs to see what this looks like.

Bruce Holstead
Executive Director
Fresh Start Recovery

forms.cloud.microsoft

Tonight was a hot one across Southern Alberta. You could feel it the moment people walked through the doors. But you could also feel something else. Energy. Connection. Community.

Tonight, we celebrated 85 years of recovery in person across Calgary and Lethbridge, with a total of 224 years including those who could not make it but are still very much part of this community.

That matters.

Milestones are not just numbers. They represent people who kept going through hard days, ordinary days, setbacks, growth, and everything in between. One day at a time eventually turns into something worth celebrating.

To everyone who picked up a milestone tonight, congratulations. To everyone celebrating across Alberta and beyond this month, whether quietly or surrounded by others, we see you too.

Recovery keeps moving forward because people keep showing up for one another.

Our team is out in Fort Macleod today for the Fort Macleod Community Resource Fair, and we’d love for you to come by and say hello.

We’re here connecting with community members, sharing information about recovery support, and talking with people about the work happening across Southern Alberta.

Stop by the Fresh Start Recovery booth and grab some swag while you’re here. We brought our stress brains and our compasses.

The stress brains have become a bit of a staple around here. A reminder that even when life feels heavy or chaotic, healing is possible and our brains can recover, rebuild, and mend with time, support, and connection.

The compasses carry a different meaning for us. We give them to alumni when they complete treatment because recovery is not the finish line. It is a new direction. A reminder that even when life gets difficult, people do not have to lose their way or walk alone.

These events matter because community matters. Recovery grows through connection, conversation, and people showing up for one another.

Come check us out today between 11 AM and 4 PM at the Fort Macleod Community Hall. We’d love to meet you.

SouthernAlberta MentalHealth AddictionRecovery FortMacleod

Some recognition lands quietly and reminds you the conversation is moving in the right direction.

Last week in Kelowna, Dr. Nathaniel Day received the 2026 Effectuating Change in the Field Award from the Western Canada Addiction Forum. Thank you, Dr. Day. This recognition is well-earned and reflects years of steady work.

As part of the award, Dr. Day was given a $10,000 contribution, which he chose to direct to Fresh Start Recovery's Recovery-Oriented Housing work. The contribution came from the Western Canada Addiction Forum. Dr. Day's leadership within Alberta's recovery-oriented system, including his work with the Government of Alberta, is a significant part of why this conversation is moving forward across the province.

We are grateful.

Not just for the support, though it matters. We are grateful because of what it represents.

Recovery does not end when treatment ends.

Housing matters. Community matters. Connection matters.

That is the conversation we have been trying to have for a long time.

Dr. Day has a way of keeping that conversation focused on what matters. Better outcomes. Better systems. Better support for people and families.

We have had those conversations with him.

About belonging. About what happens after treatment. About the risk of people leaving structure and returning to instability without the right support around them.

That is the heart of Recovery-Oriented Housing.

His choice to put this contribution toward Fresh Start reinforces something we have seen for years.

People heal in community. People stay well when they stay connected.

Thank you again to Dr. Day, to the Western Canada Addiction Forum, and to everyone continuing to push these conversations forward.

The work matters. We see it.

Recovery-Oriented Housing is not separate from recovery. It is where recovery lives.

Last week, something quiet and important happened in Bridgeland.

We gathered with partners, government, community members, and people in recovery to formally introduce Fresh Start's Bridgeland Recovery-Oriented Housing initiative.

It was an introduction to a vision we have been living pieces of for years, now being built with greater structure, intention, and long-term commitment.

What was shared was not a new idea. It is an old one, rooted in something we have known for decades.

Recovery does not end when treatment ends.
People heal in community. People heal when they have connection, accountability, purpose, and a place where they belong.

Over the last 33 years, we have witnessed both the successes and the gaps within addiction treatment and long-term recovery. We have seen people leave treatment hopeful, only to return to instability and isolation. We have also seen what happens when people stay connected to recovery, stable housing, and ongoing support.

The difference is not small. It is everything.
Recovery-Oriented Housing is not just a roof. It is not simply affordable accommodation. It is an environment where recovery can continue to be practiced, supported, and strengthened. A place where people can rediscover responsibility, rebuild relationships, restore dignity, and begin contributing back to the world around them.

Thank you to the Government of Alberta and the Minister's Office for attending and for standing alongside this work.

Thank you to the City of Calgary, the Mayor's Office, the offices of Ward 9 and Ward 4, and Councillor Clark and Councillor Kelly, for their continued belief in strengthening recovery within our communities.

Thank you to Patricia and the Calgary Homeless Foundation for their continued partnership and for reminding everyone in the room that none of this is done alone.

And to Jordan, thank you for sharing your story with honesty, courage, and humility. Recovery is not theoretical. It lives in people. Your words reminded everyone in the room why this work matters and what becomes possible when someone is given the chance to heal, belong, and stand again.

This is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a larger conversation about what recovery-oriented systems of care can look like in Alberta moving forward.

We cannot do this alone, and we are not trying to.
If you believe in this direction, we want to hear from you. Reach out to learn more, share this post, or help us continue building what comes next.

[email protected]

With gratitude, Bruce Holstead, Executive Director, Fresh Start Recovery

Providing solutions to save lives, rebuild families, and strengthen communities. Meeting every individual. Supporting for life.

This is where recovery lives.

Alumni Milestones
Wednesday at 6:30 PM
Calgary • Lethbridge • Online

Alumni, current clients, staff, families, friends, and supporters are all welcome.

Milestones give us a chance to pause and recognize recovery in real life. Not just the dates or the time counted, but the daily choices, the effort, and the willingness to keep going.

Whether you are celebrating a milestone, supporting someone you care about, or simply showing up to be part of the community, there is a place for you.

If you would like to attend online, please email [email protected] for the link.

If you are in Recovery-Oriented Housing and cannot attend in person, please connect with your Outreach Support Worker.

You are no longer alone. We are together, without end.

Earlier today, we gathered to recognize another group taking the next step forward in recovery.

Not the finish line.
Not the end of the work.
A foundation to keep building from.

What matters in moments like this is not perfection. It is people continuing to show up. Continuing to stay connected. Continuing to move forward together.

Every person in that room arrived with a different story, but for a moment they stood side by side recognizing how much can change when people stop walking through life alone.

The next phase now begins outside the walls of treatment. Back into daily life. Back into responsibility, relationships, routines, and community. That transition matters.

This is why connection after treatment matters so deeply. Alumni, outreach, Recovery-Oriented Housing, family healing, community support, and staying engaged all become part of how recovery continues to grow stronger over time.

To everyone who continues helping create spaces where people can heal, reconnect, and rebuild, thank you.

And to today’s group, congratulations. Keep building on what you started here.

Together, without end.

Please note, this week’s Gratitude celebration is taking place on Thursday instead of Friday.

If you would like to join online, please email [email protected] for the link.

This Thursday, we come together to recognize a group of individuals completing the first phase of treatment at Fresh Start Recovery.

Finding solid ground.
Moving forward together.
Still doing the work.

That is what this moment is about.

People doing the work, standing together, and taking the next step forward.

Recovery asks a lot from people. Honesty. Accountability. Patience. The willingness to keep going when things feel uncomfortable. Reaching this point matters because the work behind it is real.

What stands out in this photo is community. Different stories, different backgrounds, different experiences, all standing together for a moment of reflection before continuing forward.

Recovery does not stop when treatment ends. It continues through community, connection, Recovery-Oriented Housing, outreach support, alumni involvement, families healing together, and people continuing to stay connected long after treatment.

To the staff, alumni, families, and supporters who continue walking beside people in recovery, thank you. This community continues to matter because people keep showing up for one another.

And to this group, congratulations on reaching this phase of recovery. Be proud of the ground you’ve covered and keep moving forward together.

Recovery continues here.

Stay Connected.

Step & Topic Meeting tomorrow evening at Fresh Start Recovery.

Wednesday, May 20
6:30 PM
Calgary, Lethbridge, and Online

Step Six
“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”

Belief Six
“We believe that each of us will, from time to time, be confronted with challenges and obstacles. Whether asked or not, the Fresh Start Alumni will always be there to ensure that no member need ever face difficulties alone.”

Topic
Willingness

Willingness is not always loud.

Sometimes it looks like showing up when things feel heavy.
Sometimes it is asking for help.
Sometimes it is staying connected instead of disappearing.

Step Six reminds us that recovery is not built alone. Growth often begins when we become willing to let others walk beside us through the challenges, setbacks, and changes that come with life.

That connection matters long after treatment.

Recovery continues in community, in conversation, and in the willingness to keep moving forward together, even on difficult days.

If you are joining online, email [email protected] for the link.

If you are in Recovery-Oriented Housing and cannot attend in person, please connect with your Outreach Support Worker.

We’ll see you there.