06/08/2026
Got a few photos back from the Block Party and we want to take a moment to share about and acknowledge Brett C***a, one of our founding members. We made him a banner to thank him for his contributions on our 30th anniversary. Brett joined Robin and others with "lived experience" from the very start in various roles but longest held as Board Chairman. Brett became vital in spreading and maintaining the early mission and is a true model of recovery. Brett is on record saying in the 2009 iteration of Friendly Harbor, "Unlike the hospital or mental health center or the ATU treatment, here we don't live and die by structure. We let people do their own thing here. [...] This is their place, we run it. That's the way I feel about it. This is the biggest savior of my entire life. [...] We don't do anything here for recognition. The only way we'd want that, is for people to know they're welcome here. This is our house."
This was a revolutionary idea pressed against and in tandem to former models of mental health care. Self-directed recovery is fundamentally a lot harder than a clinically guided 30-day program. The Friendly Harbor provided a place and space to partake in a shared ownership of one's own recovery and shone a light to others as a pivotal invitation to go on that journey together. Back then, everyone was a volunteer and up until 2017 that was true. Granted that has changed a bit due to the sheer needs of an organization, administratively and to maintain functionality, our staff now hovers around 10 to 12 paid peer specialists and 2-3 administrative professionals. Everyone other than the executive director Michelle has lived experience with their own mental health or substance use conditions in recovery.
The message and heart of the work remains the same. People can and do recover from mental illness and substance use every day. We are here to support and facilitate individual sustained recovery, including harm reduction, prevention and crisis planning. We thank Brett and all the others for planting strong roots that remind us of the importance and impact of this work.
Friendly Harbor is Pueblo grown and remains the beacon of hope that they had envisioned all those years ago.
