Face It Foundation

08/31/2026

Hmmmmmm🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

Can you believe it….. two weeks from right now will be sitting down to a delicious barbecue dinner after a resounding round of golf!

 I just wish we had a better weather forecast for everyone🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴

08/31/2026

What project should be next🤔🤔🤔🤔

08/28/2026

Placement on our memorial benches are now available.

Memorial Benches are now available.

If you have any questions, reach out to Bill Dehkes at [email protected]

08/23/2026

I often say “At Face It, we do not sell ice cream cones”. What that means is that we have really hard days sometimes….this past Tuesday was one of the very worst.

We were notified that two men we know, both ended their lives that day.

We lost our friend Nick. He was one of the most caring people you will ever meet.

Ironically, we met Nick a few years ago as he started doing a fundraiser for Face It…for a friend of his that took HIS life.

Nick would literally give you the shirt off his back, but Nick also had some mental heath challenges that he could not overcome.

Even though I only knew Nick for a few years, we had some great conversations about friends, life, goals and challenges.

Rest in Peace our dear friends…you will not be forgotten💜

View Nicholas Andrew Tamble's obituary, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

07/31/2026

A fun walk through the woods on wood mulch trails….

07/28/2026

Who ever thought that a “Bench” could be so powerful💜

Working up at Northwoods today, as we have a handful of “Mom’s” stopping by this weekend to check out their bench! They will be the first ones to see it.

As we worked on straightening up the trails and such, my friend Mike Riordan and I stopped at the ‘Mom’s Bench.

Mike mentioned that helping on this project is the most meaningful thing he has done with Face It!

I then started sharing stories about the different names on the bench. I talked about some of the kids and of course some of the moms.

Sure was a powerful and reflective 15 minutes.

07/14/2026

Good morning faithful followers……

Just in case you haven’t heard, I wanted to share with you the story of Face It - Northwoods Retreat Center! PLEASE give our page a follow💜

In 2023 we purchased a piece of property in northern Minnesota. It is a 6 bedroom/ 3 bath house on 22 wooded acres of forest.

Through 100’s of volunteer hours and a generous family foundation….”Northwoods” has turned into one of the most impactful pieces of the Face It Foundation!

We have hosted dozens and dozens of retreats ranging from a single day to 3 or 4 days. The nice thing is that when you own something, there is no check in or check out times😊

Northwoods is a peaceful, secluded place where hundreds of men have enjoyed time away and a unique friendship that doesn’t exist anyplace else. The outdoor patio, large firepit and extensive trails throughout the property all combine to make this a very special place!

Besides the men at Face It, Northwoods has been open to the Face It Moms…all moms who have lost a child to su***de for a couple of days away, doing crafts, spending time together and making memories! In 2025, a separate non profit used Northwoods for a “Dad’s” weekend. A group of fathers that have all lost a child to su***de, came together for a powerful show of support for one another💜. Besides enjoying each other’s company, they also took on a project! They built a beautiful enclosed bulletin board that became a special place to leave notes of remembrance and encouragement.

All of this brings me to my main point….Northwoods is wonderful place. We would love it if it was used 365 days a year in some capacity or another.

So here it is…if you run or know of a non profit that would benefit from using a place like this, please reach out to me, [email protected] and see if Northwoods would be a good fit for your organization or group.

As a 501c3 non profit we are not allowed to charge any sort of rental fee.

Thanks for reading and PLEASE follow Face It - Northwoods Retreat Center for updates.

07/11/2026

It has been planned for almost 3 years, and now, it is finally a reality💜

So I have been asked about this special project on the hiking trail up here at Northwoods!

When we purchased the property back in January of 2023…besides planning it to be a place for men to connect with other men that are struggling, but just as important, was a way to honor those that we have lost to su***de😥

As we spent time renovating the building and improving the areas around the home, I always kept the thought of creating some sort of tribute in the back of my mind.

After the house and surrounding yard, we’re all renovated, it was time to carve hiking trails through the 22 acres of trees that we have.

It took a long time, many volunteers and many hard, exhausting hours of work, but the trails are almost completely done. Close to 3/4 of a mile people can choose to wander through the trees, enjoy nature, listen to the birds and other wildlife

But now that that is done, the most important part remained, we needed to honor those we have lost😥

The idea came to us about putting benches out on the trails. They will become a place where people can rest, enjoy the sounds or may be share some time chatting with a friend. These benches will become our tribute.

As I thought about where to place them, and what they should look like, one thought popped into my mind….”We have to start with the Face It Mom’s”.

The Face It Moms, a group of amazing people who were thrust into a journey that no mother should ever have to endure. A group like this truly breaks my heart, but it inspires me as well. When I think of what they all have and are going through, it makes me work harder! It drives me to reach out to more people and offer help. My wish, as well as theirs is that no one else will ever have to join their group.

One thing I learned years ago from these incredible women is that they never want their children to be forgotten.

So in one very small way, we are trying to do our part, to make sure those children will never be forgotten.

So this very first bench that has been placed on the trails up at Northwoods, it has the names of 15 of the children that these mothers have lost.

I pray that each mother knows, that from our hearts, they’re beautiful children will never be forgotten💜💜💜

A very special shout out to my friends, Steve and Mike who helped getting the spot prepared, and the caring folks at By The Yard furniture for their workmanship and compassion.

07/09/2026

A “Very Special” project has been completed up at Face It - Northwoods Retreat Center.

Thanks so much to those that made this idea come to life💜

A HUGE shoutout to our friend Mike Riordan, for volunteering to help us finish a very special project up here at Northwoods.

Thank you all that help make Northwoods a very special place💜