SUMMER 2026
WOODHAVEN WAY
A Summer of Milestones, Growth, and Connection
Summer at Woodhaven was full of recovery, learning, friendship, and plenty of fun. The season included graduation, college courses, summer academics, volunteer work, new skills, long days outside, and the continued daily work of recovery. There was whitewater rafting, fishing, golf, archery, indoor rock climbing, Six Flags, creek swimming, boxing, basketball, cooking, meetings, family gatherings, and plenty of ordinary time together around the house.
One of the most meaningful moments came in June, when we celebrated the Woodhaven Prep Class of 2026. This year’s graduation marked an extraordinary milestone for our students and our community.
The summer also brought an important transition for the Woodhaven community as several young men moved on to the next stage of their lives, while others remained at Woodhaven and welcomed newer residents. Each is moving forward in a different way, with recovery, education, responsibility, and connection remaining at the center.
Across all of these experiences, the focus stayed the same: helping young people build lives in recovery while continuing to learn, grow, and prepare for what comes next.
RECOVERY PRINCIPLES
Practicing recovery with honesty, accountability, and connection
Recovery work this summer focused on integrity, accountability, humility, gratitude, willingness, expectations, and the ways our choices affect the people around us.
The boys talked about what happens before a relapse, including the behaviors, thoughts, and patterns that can build long before the final decision to drink or use. They explored the importance of telling on themselves, asking for help, recognizing resentment and self-righteousness, and paying attention to whether their daily actions are moving them toward or away from the life they want.
Groups also focused on community. Living with other people requires patience, consideration, honesty, and the willingness to look at your own part when something is not going well. The boys spent time talking about humility, how individual behavior affects the house as a whole, and what it means to be a good member of a recovery community.
Recovery 101
Recovery 101 became an important part of that work this summer. The boys learned practical ways to begin building a recovery community of their own, including arriving early to meetings, introducing themselves, collecting phone numbers, staying after meetings to connect, finding a sponsor, choosing a home group, and taking on service commitments. They talked about why making coffee, greeting people, setting up chairs, and helping clean up can matter. These simple responsibilities help someone become known, connected, and accountable.
We also saw the work becoming more personal. Boys asked thoughtful questions about sponsorship, requested particular meetings, talked about recovery during drives and meals, and began using what they were learning outside of formal group time.
At Woodhaven, the goal is not simply to attend recovery groups and meetings. It is to help each boy begin building a recovery life he can continue wherever he goes next.
WOODHAVEN PREP
Celebrating achievement, independence, and academic momentum
June 20 was a very special day for Woodhaven Prep. We celebrated nine members of the Class of 2026.
Together, the Class of 2026 earned 53 college credits, and every graduate enrolled in college. For students whose education may have been interrupted by addiction, previous placements, missed credits, or academic struggles, these accomplishments represent far more than numbers on a transcript.
Learning continued throughout the summer. Some students took college courses through Keystone College to get ahead, while others completed summer coursework and earned credits needed for their individual academic plans. Students continued working individually and in small groups, participating in book discussions, attending virtual meetings, and taking greater responsibility for their assignments and academic needs.
Students also had opportunities for hands-on career exploration through Johnson College, including carpentry and an automotive experience. Not every experience has to become a future career to be worthwhile. Part of exploration is learning what interests you, what does not, and what you discover about yourself by trying something new.
As always, some of the most important academic progress showed up in everyday responsibilities: sending an email, attending a meeting, knowing what work is due, asking for help, and following through.
We want our students to continue moving forward academically while they build lives in recovery, not wait for recovery to be finished before the rest of life can begin.
COMMUNITY AND SERVICE
Learning to contribute, give back, and show up for others
Much of early recovery involves receiving help from other people. This summer also gave the boys opportunities to think about what they can give back.
At Indraloka Animal Sanctuary, the boys spent time volunteering and helping with work that needed to be done. The experience gave them a chance to step outside of their own concerns, work together, and contribute to a community beyond Woodhaven.
The boys also spent a day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. It was another opportunity to work together, lend a hand, and experience the value of showing up for something larger than themselves.
Service is also part of the recovery community the boys are learning to build. Whether volunteering for an organization, making coffee at a meeting, welcoming someone new, or helping with a task around the house, the message is the same: recovery is not only about what others can do for you. It is also about becoming someone who can show up for others.
RECREATION
Adventure, friendship, and joy in recovery
Summer gave us plenty of opportunities to get outside, try new things, and simply have fun together.
The boys went whitewater rafting and indoor rock climbing, fished, golfed, kayaked, hiked, practiced archery, bowled, swam in the creek, boxed, and went to the trampoline park. They played basketball, spent time at the gym, went to movies, tried go-karts and mini golf, and filled many afternoons with time outside.
A highlight of the summer was a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure with alumni. The boys rode roller coasters, laughed together, and enjoyed a full day simply having fun. Alumni also joined the boys for basketball and other activities, giving current residents the chance to spend time with young people who once lived at Woodhaven and are continuing to build their own lives in recovery.
Recreation remains an important part of Woodhaven because adolescents in recovery need more than structure and serious conversations. They also need friendship, laughter, adventure, and experiences that remind them how much life can hold.
AROUND THE TABLE
Cooking, confidence, and the everyday skills of independence
Shared meals continued to be an important part of daily life at Woodhaven this summer.
With Chef Adam, the boys learned practical cooking skills, including dry and liquid measurements, cooking rice, browning meat, choosing the right pan, selecting proteins, and understanding different ways of controlling heat. They put those skills to use preparing Korean beef bulgogi bowls, chili, chicken Alfredo, and sushi.
Of course, there was also plenty of food that was simply fun to eat, including cheesesteaks, hot honey chicken sandwiches, boneless wings, honey sriracha chicken finger subs, cookies, cheesecake, and many other meals that disappeared quickly in a house full of teenage boys.
These lessons became especially relevant as some of our young men prepared for Mulberry or for the next stage of life beyond Woodhaven. Shopping, planning a meal, cooking, cleaning up, and managing food costs are ordinary parts of independence, and they are skills every young person eventually needs.
FAMILY PROGRAM
Supporting our sons while continuing our own recovery
Families are integral to recovery, and that was evident throughout our summer programming.
Our weekly Thursday Family Support Group continued to give parents and loved ones a place to learn, reflect, ask questions, and support one another. Topics included One Day at a Time and future tripping, releasing control, the Serenity Prayer, progress rather than perfection, addiction as a family disease, difficult decisions, time, meeting our children where they are, and giving ourselves permission to stop carrying, controlling, fixing, or taking ownership of what is not ours.
Many of these conversations reflected the same work happening among the boys. As young people are asked to take greater responsibility, families are learning how to support that process without immediately taking responsibility back. As the boys learn to tolerate discomfort, parents are also learning to sit with uncertainty and allow recovery to unfold without trying to control every outcome.
Making Room for Siblings
This summer, Mallory Henry from Caron joined Family Support Group for an important conversation about siblings. When one child is struggling with addiction, family attention naturally moves toward the person in crisis. Mallory helped families think about the experiences of brothers and sisters and the ways they may carry fear, anger, grief, confusion, resentment, or responsibility of their own.
Three Sons, Three Different Journeys
We also welcomed parents who shared their experience supporting three sons through three very different journeys with addiction and recovery. Their story was a powerful reminder that there is no single path, timeline, or formula for recovery, even within the same family.
A Season of Family Days
Our July Family Day brought families together for cake decorating, a shared meal, time to reconnect, and our summer Sober Celebration. We were also honored to welcome John Goldman and his wife, Jocelyn. John led a thoughtful presentation and discussion with families about trauma, and we were grateful for the perspective and experience he shared with our community.
The Sober Celebration gave us the opportunity to recognize recovery milestones and celebrate the work behind them alongside the people who understand what those milestones truly represent. It was meaningful to see families, residents, staff, and members of the recovery community together, honoring progress while also enjoying an afternoon filled with laughter and connection.
Our most recent Family Day continued that spirit of learning and connection. Families and boys took part in a LEGO vehicle competition that brought plenty of creativity, teamwork, friendly competition, and laughter. Mike also led a presentation on sobriety versus recovery, opening a thoughtful conversation about what recovery asks of us beyond simply not using substances.
We also spent time together in Family Support Group using Portia Nelson’s Autobiography in Five Short Chapters as a starting point for discussion. The reading led to a meaningful conversation about patterns, awareness, responsibility, and what it means to begin making different choices. It also gave us an opportunity to welcome newer families into the group and continue building the kind of support that comes from families learning alongside one another.
Family recovery includes difficult conversations and difficult choices. It also needs moments when families can simply be together and remember that their relationship is larger than addiction.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Connecting recovery with college, work, and independence
Strategic planning continued throughout the summer as the boys prepared for college, work, vocational opportunities, independence, and the next stages of their recovery.
A presentation from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) helped the boys learn more about supports available for college, employment, and vocational planning. The conversation gave them practical information about resources they may be able to use as they continue developing individual plans for what comes next.
Joe Roberts: The Skid Row CEO
One of the most meaningful learning opportunities of the summer came from Joe Roberts, known as The Skid Row CEO. Joe joined the boys for a customized virtual experience and shared his story of addiction, homelessness, recovery, leadership, and the life he has built in recovery.
Joe asked the boys to think seriously about what they want for their lives, why it matters, what roadblocks may get in the way, and what actions they are willing to take. The boys engaged openly, sharing goals as well as fears and concerns about whether they could reach them. Joe noted that they were already able to recognize internal barriers that many adults struggle to identify.
The experience connected closely with the work happening throughout Woodhaven. Goals matter, but so do the choices, routines, relationships, and actions that move us toward them.
WOODHAVEN ON MULBERRY
Independence with recovery, accountability, and support
This summer brought a major transition for Woodhaven on Mulberry.
Throughout July and early August, the young men preparing to move worked through the practical details of living more independently. They talked about college and work schedules, transportation, recovery meetings, budgeting, groceries, appointments, time management, and the routines they would need once much more of the day became their responsibility.
At the same time, significant renovations were completed at Mulberry. Work on the second and third floors included three new bathrooms, new carpeting, and fresh paint, along with extensive cleanup and improvements outside in both the front and back of the property.
On August 15, eight young men moved into Mulberry.
Mulberry offers more independence while keeping recovery support and accountability close. Recovery remains central, along with house meetings, academic and executive functioning support, and the relationships that help young people continue moving forward.
COMMUNITY RECOGNITION
Celebrating the people and moments that made this summer meaningful
This summer was shaped by meaningful milestones and by the many people who helped make them possible.
We congratulate the Woodhaven Class of 2026 and celebrate the academic work, perseverance, and commitment that brought them to graduation and into the next stage of their education. We also celebrate the residents whose recovery milestones were recognized during our summer Sober Celebration.
We are grateful to Joe Roberts for creating such a meaningful experience for our residents and for challenging them to think seriously about the futures they want to build. We thank Mallory Henry from Caron for helping our families better understand the sibling experience, and the parents who generously shared the story of supporting three sons through very different experiences with addiction and recovery. We are deeply grateful to John Goldman and his wife, Jocelyn, for joining us at our July Family Day, and to John for sharing his experience and perspective in a thoughtful conversation with families about trauma. We also thank Mike for leading our most recent Family Day discussion on sobriety versus recovery.
We are also grateful to Chef Adam for the care, creativity, and practical instruction he brought to the Woodhaven kitchen, and to the educators, recovery-community members, volunteers, organizations, and community partners who gave our residents opportunities to learn, serve, explore, and connect throughout the summer.
WITH GRATITUDE
For the people who make Woodhaven a community
As summer comes to a close and we look toward the start of a new school year, we are grateful for all that this season held and for the many people who made it possible.
We are grateful for our staff, who bring consistency, patience, humor, accountability, and care to the boys every day, not only in groups, meetings, academics, and activities, but in the ordinary moments in between. We are equally grateful for our families, who continue doing their own difficult work of learning, changing, supporting, and sometimes stepping back so their sons can take greater responsibility for themselves.
We are grateful for our alumni and the young men further along in the Woodhaven continuum who return, spend time with the boys, and show them what life in recovery can continue to become. We are grateful as well for our educators, speakers, volunteers, members of the recovery community, and community partners who share their time, experience, and encouragement and help expand what our residents can imagine for themselves.
Most of all, we are grateful for the boys. This summer brought graduation, college credits, recovery milestones, service, new responsibilities, new experiences, and significant transitions. It also brought quieter moments that matter just as much: honesty, effort, repair, friendship, asking for help, showing up for one another, and trying again.
Now we look forward to September 1 and the start of a new school year at Woodhaven Prep. The fall will bring new classes, new goals, and new opportunities for our students to continue moving forward academically while deepening the recovery foundation that makes everything else possible.
We are grateful for this community, for the work already done, and for the opportunity to keep walking alongside our young people as a new season begins.
