Fresh Start Recovery

02/19/2026

Congratulations to our newest group celebrating Gratitude this week.

This photo says it well. A steady dock, cold water, wide sky, and a group standing close. Recovery is a lot like that. You do not control the weather. You build your footing. You stay connected. You take the next step anyway, even when it feels shaky. Over time, what used to feel impossible starts to feel steady, because you are not doing it alone.

Our Gratitude celebration will be held on Friday at 1:15 PM at Fresh Start Recovery in Lethbridge.

Our Calgary community is invited to gather at the Calgary centre to cheer them on virtually. If you would like to join online, please email Rene@freshstartrecovery.ca
for the link.

02/16/2026

Family is a choice.

We often grow up believing it was chosen for us, but life gives us the chance to redefine the circle. We decide who we trust, who we stand beside, and who we allow to stand beside us.

Recovery is often described as an individual journey. The truth is, very few people get well alone.

Addiction slowly changes how people live together. Conversations shorten. Trust becomes cautious. People begin walking on eggshells or sometimes just stop talking. It is not always a big conflict. Sometimes it is a quiet distance that grows until a house no longer feels like a home.

One of the most meaningful things we witness at Fresh Start is not only a person getting sober. It is people reconnecting. A mother hearing her son laugh again. A child trusting dad’s word again. Two people sitting at a table without tension, just conversation.

When those moments begin to happen, something else follows. People who once needed support begin to offer it. The circle starts to widen.

This weekend, our alumni gathered for their AGM. It was not really a meeting. It was a reminder of what long-term recovery looks like when people stay connected. Individuals who once walked through our doors, unsure if life could change, now come back to help someone else believe it can. They welcome new arrivals, stand beside those completing treatment, and make room for those entering our eclectic Fresh Start family.

Connection is not a bonus part of recovery. Coming together is recovery.

Families do not need to be perfect. They just need a place to start again, the practice of coming together, one honest moment at a time. Every time people choose to sit back down together, healing grows a little stronger.

We are grateful to witness it every day.

02/13/2026

Fresh Start Recovery is drawing our first $1,000 Motorcycle Early Bird prize on Monday.

Deadline to enter is Sunday at midnight. www.freshstartraffle.com

This first Early Bird draw is proudly sponsored by Bow Summit Framing, a trusted company serving residential and commercial building projects throughout Alberta. Their unified approach to framing and prefabrication delivers unmatched speed, precision, and reliability. Check them out at https://bowsummitframing.com/

With your purchase of a motorcycle raffle ticket, you are eligible for:
• $1,000 cash (Earlybird drawn)
• Your name goes back in for ALL remaining draws

Join us for Fresh Start Recovery's 18th Annual 12-Stop Ride for Recovery, Alberta’s Greatest Bike Run. Presented by Grover Law Firm with additional Community Champion sponsors - Cochrane Toyota, Calgary Harley-Davidson, and YourAlberta (Government of Alberta). Where both motorcycles will be drawn live at the close of the Ride on August 15, 2026.

Our message this year is simple: Together, Without End. Because recovery doesn’t happen alone.

Tickets: www.freshstartraffle.com

Motorcycle raffle and 50/50 tickets are separate purchases

02/11/2026

Recovery is not a private battle. It’s a community responsibility.

Click the link below to read the article.

https://calgaryguardian.com/calgary-charity-fresh-start-recovery-centre/

Grateful to see our Executive Director share the heart behind Fresh Start Recovery and our belief that addiction is a community issue with a community solution.

We’ve moved from stigma and silence to coordination, accountability, and long-term recovery. There is still work to do, especially around housing and access, but progress is real. Recovery Alberta and a Recovery-Oriented System of Care are shifting the conversation from crisis response to sustained recovery.

Recovery is possible. It requires structure, dignity, and people willing to stand together.

Join us on August 15 for our 18th Annual 12 Stop Ride for Recovery. Ride. Volunteer. Sponsor. Show up. Recovery happens in community.

Follow Fresh Start Recovery and Fresh Start Raffle to stay connected.

For Bruce Holstead of Fresh Start Recovery Centre, recovery is a collective, community-driven effort.

02/10/2026

Together | Alumni Speaker Meeting | Tomorrow at 6:30 PM

Connection matters. Stories matter. Community matters.

Join us tomorrow evening as we come together across Calgary, Lethbridge, and online for our Alumni Speaker Meeting. This is a space to listen, reflect, and stay connected in recovery.

This week, we’re grateful to hear from Alumni Curtis J., who will share their story and lived experience. These meetings remind us why we show up and why recovery is never meant to be done alone.

When:
Tomorrow at 6:30 PM

Where:
• In person in Calgary
• Live-streamed to Lethbridge
• Online option available

If you’re joining virtually, email Rene@freshstartrecovery.ca to receive the live-stream link.

Whether you’re alumni, staff, family, or part of our wider community, you belong here.

We are

02/07/2026

We’re genuinely grateful to Teamsters Local 362, Teamsters Local 987, and Teamsters Rail Conference for the $60,000 raised through their annual golf tournament.

What matters most is not only the contribution, but what sits behind it. Their support reflects a shared belief that communities take care of their own. The Teamsters Local 362, Teamsters Local 987, and Teamsters Rail Conference continue to stand with us, not just in moments like this but whenever people gather, helping create space for connection, conversation, and belonging.

We value the relationship and the commitment it represents. Together, we continue to show up for people and families, grounded in Gratitude, Generosity, and Community.

02/05/2026

This little piggy showed up.
This little piggy stayed.
This little piggy asked a question.
This little piggy made a guess.
This little piggy bought a ticket.

And before long, one became many.

As the week settles, we’re carrying a lot of gratitude from the weekend.

So many people stopped by our booth, took a moment, made a guess, asked a question, shared a story, or chose to support the work by purchasing a ticket. Those choices matter. They’re how connection forms and how community grows.

Thank you to Calgary Harley-Davidson for donating the dart board and helping create something simple that invited people in and made space for connection.

Thank you to everyone who stopped, smiled, guessed, lingered, or came back again. Thank you again to our other sponsors Grover Law, Cochrane Toyota and the Government of Alberta. We carry that encouragement forward.

Recovery is not built alone.
It’s built together.

02/03/2026

This weekend was a reminder of what can happen when community comes together.

We’re grateful to Grover Law Firm, our legacy sponsor, for their long-standing leadership and belief in this work. Grover has consistently helped create the space for community to come together, not just by supporting events, but by standing behind the values that make connection possible. Their commitment goes beyond visibility or sponsorship. It helps build places where organizations gather, conversations open up, and recovery is welcomed as part of community life. That kind of steady partnership matters, and it continues to shape what is possible.

We value the support and commitment of Cochrane Toyota, Calgary Harley-Davidson, and the YourAlberta (Government of Alberta), who continue to help make this work possible. Each contributing from a different platform and reach, but all share a belief in community and in contributing to solutions that matter. Their involvement helps create the conditions for connection, conversation, and real progress for the people we serve.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our friends across the community and to the many organizations and individuals who continue to support this work. Recovery is not built alone. It grows when people show up for one another, together.

And to everyone who stopped by, whether you came with curiosity, questions, stories, or quiet support: thank you. Every conversation, every shared moment, and every ticket purchased meant more than we can easily put into words. These are the small choices that quietly strengthen community.

Thank you for being part of a weekend that reminded us what community can look like when it’s lived, not just talked about. We invite you to keep that going by supporting our 18th Annual 12 Stop Ride for Recovery, our ongoing raffle, and, most importantly, the mission that drives this work forward.

02/01/2026

Hey everyone! Come down and see us at the Alberta Motorcycle & Powersports Show at the BMO Centre in Calgary.

We’re set up inside Grover Law’s booth space with our two 2026 raffle bikes and the Fresh Start 50/50.

Grover doesn’t just show up, they sponsor this whole space and it’s packed with good neighbours like The Vanishing Ones, Perfect Lap, Freedom Biker Tours, and so many other amazing organizations and Iniatives Grover supports all in one spot. Come check out all of the draws they have including a trip to Sturgis!!!

And we’re right across from one of our Community Champion sponsors, Calgary Harley-Davidson, with their great space and DJ set up. The party is in full effect.

Hours:
• Today until 8 PM
• Tomorrow until 5 PM

Motorcycle Raffle:
A $20 ticket gets you into our Motorcycle Early Bird Cash Prizes: 3 separate draws of $1,000 (total $3,000).

And the best part: your ticket stays eligible because your name goes back in for both bikes:
• Yamaha R1M
• Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST Custom

50/50:
Last year’s 50/50 winner took home over $20,000, and it’s back again this year.

With the 50/50 tickets we’ve also got three more $500 Visa gift card draws coming up between now and August 15.

Come enter, check out these bikes, and say hi. We’re genuinely grateful to Grover Law for helping bring community together and building it with us.

01/31/2026

Today in Lethbridge, we celebrated our newest group completing their first recovery phase at Fresh Start. This isn’t the finish line. It’s the moment things start to look and feel different because you’ve built momentum, structure, and support that can carry you into what’s next.

Recovery holds when it’s shared. It’s strengthened by peers showing up together, alumni who understand the real work behind the dates, staff who stay steady, and a wider community that shows up when it matters. Over time, the role changes. The person who once needed support becomes someone others can lean on.

As we move into the end of January, keep doing what’s been working: stay connected, stay honest, and stay close to your people. Carry forward what you’ve built here. And when you’re ready, make room for the next person coming behind you. Your community stands beside you in connection, reflection, and growth.

01/29/2026

We’re grateful to see Lethbridge Polytechnic speaking about recovery openly, honestly, and without stigma.

Christian’s story reminds us that recovery isn’t a moment in time or a single milestone. It’s a journey that begins with a first connection and continues through education, work, service, and community.

At Fresh Start Recovery, we talk about being together from day one because recovery is built through real touchpoints. The first call. The front desk. The intake conversation. The first night. The first hard week. The staff who keep the place steady, the teams who prepare meals and maintain the space, the counsellors and support workers who walk alongside people, and the follow-through that continues as someone moves into their next chapter. This is the part people don’t always see. Recovery happens through a whole team, across every role, over time.

Today, because of commitment to recovery and the support of people and institutions willing to break down barriers, Christian is now one of those touchpoints for others. Working nights at Fresh Start Recovery. Going to school. Being present for the next person who needs to hear a steady voice on the other end of the phone. It’s a powerful reminder that recovery doesn’t stop. It expands.

Thank you to the instructors, staff, and leadership at Lethbridge Polytechnic for fostering a culture where addiction and recovery are part of the conversation, not pushed to the margins. This is what it looks like when education, compassion, and community come together.

We are Together from the First Day.
We are Together, Without End.

📖 Read the full story here:
https://lethpolytech.ca/wid.../fall-2025/safe-seen-supported

01/29/2026

January can feel like a reset button for the world. In recovery, it’s more like a steady return to what works.

This month, across Calgary, Lethbridge, and online, we celebrated January milestones and the people doing the work behind the dates.

To everyone who reached a milestone in January: congratulations. You didn’t stumble into this. You earned it the hard way, one decision at a time. On the days you felt strong, and the days you didn’t. On the days you showed up anyway.

If you received a tile, jersey, or milestone recognition, take it in. It’s proof you kept going. And whether you meant to or not, you also gave someone else a reason to believe they can keep going too.

We’re proud of you. Keep coming back.