Fresh Start Recovery

06/06/2026

Tomorrow is Two Wheel Sunday, one of our favourite events of the year.

Come out and see us. The weather looks beautiful, and the motorcycle community will be together in one place.

Fresh Start will be set up beside Grover Law Firm and Calgary Harley-Davidson, two partners who continue to show up for this community. Both are sponsors of our Fresh Start Recovery's 18th Annual 12-Stop Charity Ride for Recovery, and this year they are also Title Sponsors of Two Wheel Sunday.

That kind of commitment matters.

Stop by the Fresh Start booth. We will have both raffle motorcycles on display, and our team will be volunteering throughout the day.

New location this year:
Lynnview Road and Millican Road, off Ogden Road in southeast Calgary.

10 AM to 3 PM.
Free to attend.

Thank you to the Two Wheel Sunday committee, Grover Law Firm, and Calgary Harley-Davidson for the work it takes to bring riders and the wider community together.

Whether you ride a cruiser, a sportbike, or just love the culture, come down and find us.

06/04/2026

Fresh Start Recovery was grateful to attend Councillor DJ Kelly’s first Ward 4 Town Hall.

Our Calgary facility sits within the Greenview Industrial BIA, right here in Ward 4. We have called this community home since 2012. Two of our Recovery-Oriented Housing locations are in the ward as well, and many of our staff, alumni, volunteers, and supporters live and work throughout the area.

Being a good neighbour matters to us. We operate under a Good Neighbour Agreement, and since moving here we have worked to stay in close contact with the people and businesses around us, listen to concerns, and be a responsible, active part of this community.

Hearing directly about the priorities and challenges facing Ward 4 is part of that.
Councillor Kelly’s connection to the area goes back well before this term. Through the Greenview Industrial BIA and his time as President of his community association, he already knew many of the people, businesses, and organizations that make this ward what it is.

Recovery is strengthened by community, and community is strengthened by people willing to listen and work together.

You are invited to see that firsthand. On July 10 from 11 am to 2 pm, we are hosting our Stampede Barbecue, and we would love for the community to join us. Come by, share a meal, and get to know your neighbour on Edmonton Trail and 41 Avenue.

We are grateful to be part of this ward, and grateful for the support of the community around us. Thank you to Councillor Kelly and the Ward 4 team for connecting directly with residents and for keeping the door open to ongoing conversation.

06/04/2026

🍔 Fresh Start Alumni BBQ
📅 June 13, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
📍 85049 RR 212, Lethbridge

Stronger United. Together, Without End.

There are a lot of things that make Fresh Start what it is, but one of the most important is our community.

One of the things we have always appreciated most about this community is that people continue to show up for one another long after treatment ends. They stay connected. They answer phone calls. They celebrate milestones. They help carry each other through difficult times.

The relationships built here do not end when someone leaves treatment. In many ways, they are just beginning.

What has always stood out to us about this community is that distance rarely changes the connection. Over the years, people have come to Fresh Start from communities across Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and beyond. Some have returned home and others have settled elsewhere, but they remain part of the same recovery community.

On June 13, the Fresh Start Alumni Association invites Alumni, Family and Friends Alumni, current clients, staff, families, friends, supporters, and community members to come together for an afternoon of food, connection, and fun.

🌭 Food & Refreshments
🎵 Entertainment by Gemini Entertainment
🎟️ Raffle Prizes
💵 50/50 Draw
💦 Dunk Tank
🍭 Cotton Candy
🍧 Snow Cones
🎉 Fun for Everyone

But this day is not really about food, games, or prizes.

It is a reflection of the community that continues to exist long after treatment ends.

At Fresh Start, we believe recovery does not end when treatment ends.

Meeting Every Individual, Supporting for Life is more than a statement. It comes to life through the relationships, accountability, and connection that continue long after someone leaves treatment.

Our community continues to meet every week through Alumni Business Meetings, Step & Topic, speaker meetings, milestone celebrations, social activities, and countless conversations between people who continue to support one another in recovery.

This BBQ is simply another opportunity to come together. A chance to reconnect, share a meal, welcome new faces, and strengthen the relationships that help make our community what it is.

Recovery does not follow a straight line. It takes connection, accountability, and a community willing to walk alongside while people find their way.

This is how we help rebuild lives, reconnect families, and strengthen communities.
Whether you are an Alumni, Family and Friends Alumni, current client, family member, supporter, or community partner, you are part of our community.

Please RSVP to Dalton at [email protected].

While you are marking your calendars, save July 10 for the Fresh Start Stampede Barbecue in Calgary and August 19 for the Fresh Start Community BBQ during Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge.

We hope to see you at all three.

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

06/03/2026

Fresh Start Recovery's 18th Annual 12-Stop Charity Ride for Recovery

Saturday, August 15, 2026
Registration begins at 8:00 AM
Fresh Start Recovery, Calgary
411 - 41 Avenue NE

Alberta's Greatest Bike Run returns for a full day of riding, connection, and community.

Riders and passengers start with breakfast, then head out on a roughly 400-km scavenger-hunt-style ride through rural and urban Alberta. Each stop brings an activity, a clue to the next location, and a reminder of why this ride matters.

The day wraps with dinner, a community celebration, and the live draws for our motorcycle raffle and 50/50.

This is more than a ride. It is a day that brings people together in support of treatment, Recovery-Oriented Housing, outreach, alumni connection, and long-term recovery support. Meeting Every Individual, Supporting for Life.

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

We are also grateful for the support of Vivid Orthodontics, Trotter & Morton, Mettle industrial services, Spolumbo's Fine Foods & Deli LTD, The Royal Canadian Legion #1 Calgary, and the Fresh Start Recovery Alumni Association.

Register now: https://fresh-start-recovery-centre.givecloud.co/18th-annual-12-stop-ride-for-recovery

To sponsor, contact Rod Garossino at 587-777-8332 or [email protected].

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

Thank you for supporting our 17th annual 12 Stop Ride! We are looking forward to you joining us for our 18th! Early Bird Draw FridayStay in for every 50/50 draw after that.Support addiction recovery across Alberta.This Friday’s 50/50 Early Bird draw is supported by an anonymous donor who believes ...

06/02/2026

This week brings two opportunities for Fresh Start Alumni to stay connected.

Alumni Business Meeting
📅 Tuesday, June 2
🕕 6:00 PM

The Alumni Business Meeting is a place to hear updates, share ideas, and stay connected to the work of the Alumni community.

Step & Topic Meeting
📅 Wednesday, June 3
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 Calgary, Lethbridge, and Online

This week’s discussion focuses on Step Seven:

"Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."

Step Seven is connected to the principle of Humility. In recovery, humility is not about shame or weakness. It is about honesty, willingness, and recognizing where help is needed.

We will also reflect on Belief Seven:

"We believe this is a spiritual program, and that two of the most spiritual actions a person can undertake are to first ask for help when needed, and second to offer and provide help when others are in need."

That belief reminds us that recovery is strengthened when people stay connected, ask for help when they need it, and show up for others when they can.

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

Recovery Continues in Community

06/01/2026

Nothing Will Stop Us From Cleaning Up.

Today's Greenview Community Cleanup wasn't exactly blessed with sunshine.

Rain. Wind. Soaked boots. Phones ending up in bags of rice.

And still people showed up.

Clients, alumni, staff, community members, local businesses, and neighbours all stepped out together to take care of the place we call home.

The 12 Steps talk a lot about cleaning up. Not just streets and alleys, but our side of the street. Taking responsibility. Showing up. Doing the work even when conditions aren't ideal.

Today felt a little like that.

No one would have blamed us for staying inside. Instead, our team joined the Greenview Industrial Business Improvement Area, fellow community members, and partners to help clean up the neighbourhood where Fresh Start Recovery calls home.

By the end of the day, volunteers had covered approximately 15 blocks and helped remove truckloads of garbage, discarded furniture, pallets, and debris from the community.

The weather wasn't great.

The people were.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, including the Greenview BIA, community volunteers, local businesses, and the many Fresh Start clients, alumni, and staff who spent the day making a difference.

Sometimes recovery looks like rebuilding a life.

Sometimes it looks like picking up a piece of trash in the rain because the community matters.

Both are worth doing.

05/29/2026

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

Motorcycle raffle and 50/50 tickets are separate purchases

05/28/2026

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

05/28/2026

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.

05/27/2026

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