Summer is well on it’s way as are the summer activities. The staff here at StepUP has organized a handful of events for the students to volunteer at and participate in this summer.  Every week StepUP has their hands in multiple events and services around the Twin Cities area.

“Movies in the park”, also begins this Saturday.  “Movies in the Park”, is an event ran by Minneapolis’s Parks and Recreation. The department picks a different park almost every day to play a movie for the community in the park right after the sun sets.  It’s a great way to get connected with the communities and get to know all the parks Minneapolis has to offer. Another great way to get to know Minneapolis and to get connected is by participating in various volunteer opportunities. One way that students here at StepUP offer their valuable time is by taking part in “Campus Kitchen” on Thursdays feeding seniors lunch in the community.

Next week will be an exciting time here in the Twin Cities with the Northern Sparks Art Festival taking place.  A handful of StepUP students are excited for this event which is an all-night Art Festival running from 9pm to 5:26am.

We also have ice cream socials, the Stone Arch Bridge Festival, the Pride Festival, and before we know it session 1 of summer classes will be finished as we enter into the month of July.

The StepUP program has been having a great summer so far with past events such as Recovery in the Park, Gopher State, and a movie night on campus.  We hope the students continue enjoying their summer and those wishes extend for all.  Excitement for fall semester is already upon us with a handful of students already accepted.  It’s going to be a great summer to lead us into an even better fall.

Northern Spark Art Festival

Minneapolis Movies in the Park

Stone Arch Bridge Festival

Pride Festival

Augsburg Campus Kitchen

Photo Credit:

Robin Schwartzman, THINK AND WONDER, WONDER AND THINK, Stone Arch Bridge, Northern Spark, 2012. Photo: Patrick Kelley

-Blake Halvorson

Max Bassinson, an outstanding member of the StepUP community and much more passed away suddenly this last Saturday morning from a severe, undiagnosed heart disease.  To honor his life, Max’s family has established a music scholarship at Augsburg College.  A full obituary is posted online.

Max at his Junior Recital

Through the online obituary members of the community can send tributes, notes, and flowers to the family.  The Services for Max will be held this Friday and Saturday in Delmar, New York.  A handful of students along with StepUP Director Patrice Salmeri will be flying out early tomorrow morning to attend the services.  We keep all those involved in our prayers and send our love.

Today, history will be made in the recovery community and our very own Director, Patrice Salmeri, will be there to witness it! Michael Botticelli is being sworn in as the Director of National Drug Control Policy, the first Director in history who is openly in recovery himself. Botticelli states after being voted in by U.S. Congress on February 9th, “I am open about my recovery not to be self-congratulatory, I am open about my recovery to change public policy”. He plans on continuing to establish national policies that recognize substance use disorders as a public health issue, not a stigma. As Director of National Control Policy, Botticelli will work in the movement towards treatment over incarceration, early prevention, and making treatment more affordable and accessible for the public.

Botticelli is an avid supporter of the StepUP program and community. Patrice was officially invited by the White House from the Office of National Drug Control Policy to attend the swearing-in ceremony at N Street Village, a recovery community for low income, homeless women in Washington, DC.  We are very proud to have our Director present at this important event and we support Michael Botticelli in the road to recovery for all!

-Blake Halvorson

The StepUP program attracts students in recovery from all around the globe.  We have had students from ten different countries and forty-four states.  This semester we have two international students, one from Iceland and one from Peru bringing more diversity into the StepUP program.

Jaime, a sophomore in the StepUP program was born and raised in the Barranco district of Lima, Peru.  He grew up attending a private English school  in Peru.  Jaime came to Minnesota in need of treatment in June 2012 and attended Hazelden Center for Youth and Family.  He had been to the U.S. before visiting family in Miami but says that did not prepare him for the weather.  The weather is the largest difference between Minnesota and Peru.  Another challenge he faces is not being able to work as he can only have either a student or work visa.

The reason he came to Minnesota for treatment was because his family knew the method practiced by the treatment centers in Peru were not what Jaime needed.  Peru’s treatment facilities were similar to a correctional facility where a lot of Jaime’s friends attended and were not able to remain sober.

After treatment Jaime looked into attending college and was deciding between Augsburg College and St. Thomas.  He chose Augsburg College because of the StepUP program and has been sober since he left Peru for treatment.  He is majoring in business and economics and will either go home after graduation for two years to return to complete his masters, or enroll in an Office of Technology Management internship.

Jaime is a bright, charismatic student with a lot of passion for life.  He is an aspiring businessman who the StepUP program is happy to have.

-Blake Halvorson

This last Sunday was a day not to be forgotten.  Not because of the game’s winning play, but of StepUp’s ability to come together to host a successful event.  This past Sunday, StepUP had a super bowl party in one of the flats where over half of the StepUP community came together to cook, eat, and laugh.  We managed to get our hands on a projector and speakers to view the game from one of the students who works for the event staff.  We then filled up the living room with couches from all the different flats to provide more than enough comfortable space for all the students to lounge about.  Another student provided the entire party with delicious hot Italian sandwiches that were gone before the second quarter had even started.  Then there was the deep fryer that one student used to help top the party off with deep fried wings, oreos, macaroni bites, and peanut butter balls.

Everyone contributed in some way or form to help with the event.  It was a wonderful experience having the community come together once again.  Even the students who had no interest in the game were content with all the food and conversation that was happening.  I could not of been more pleased with the turnout of the event and  have high hopes for the future events StepUP will be organizing.

-Blake Halvorson

Most of StepUP’s students are new arrivals to Augsburg before entering into StepUP, but not for Ricky (pictured on the right).  Ricky joined the StepUP program this spring, and had already been enrolled and living at Augsburg in the beginning of his recovery.  He lived with other users and was surrounded by abusive substances.  It took him almost relapsing to realize he needed a change in environment.  Realizing this, he enrolled in the StepUP program, and was accepted.  He moved into Oren Gateway center before the 2014 Fall semester had even finished.

Since becoming a part of StepUP he is happier with  life.  He feels much more included within the StepUP community than he ever did before on campus.  No matter the time of day sober fun surrounds him.  He said “The StepUP program gives me the community I wanted and needed to succeed in life.”  Ricky is very involved in the art programs on campus and is a great addition to the StepUP community bringing a unique perspective to the program.

-Blake Halvorson

Advent Vespers, one of the largest holiday music events in the Twin Cities with over 10,000 worshipers attending annually took place this last weekend, December 5th and 6th.  The event took place in the beautiful Central Lutheran Church, located downtown Minneapolis.

Augsburg plays a large role in this event with contributing volunteers, choirs, bands, and much more.  The event was a spectacular show that I was fortunate enough to attend as a volunteer.  Being apart of something larger than myself was a very beneficial way to spend my weekend before the last full week of classes.  It was a spiritual break that is always needed when finals are arriving.

The whole week before was filled with planning, practicing, and scheduling the event; and they sure did pull it off.  Also, a handful of StepUP students played a role.  It is an event I suggest all to attend to witness the neighborliness of not just Augsburg, but the community of Minneapolis.

-Blake Halvorson

This last Saturday November 22nd the StepUP students feasted.  The StepUP students came together and put on their very own thanksgiving, with the help of the StepUP office of course.

We cooked and served for over 40 fellow StepUP students with 80 pounds of turkey, 40 pounds of potatoes, multiple casseroles, and even homemade coconut balls from Iceland.

The atmosphere was spectacular, filled with conversation and laughter. When serving the food and seeing all the students wander in with an appetite made the cooking and preparing well worth it.  Everyone stuffed their faces and there was still a large amount of leftovers.   The event was a success, and a large thank you goes out to everyone who helped out, and that includes the students who helped eat the food as well.

It was great to be able to spend the thanksgiving holiday with my new community of recovering addicts.  For a lot of the students that are from out of state especially benefited with this being their only thanksgiving dinner this year.  I am extremely impressed with my fellow students cooking and planning.  After such an event I have a new appreciation for what my mother and grandmother go through every year.  It was a huge learning experience for me and perhaps now I can lend a hand in the kitchen this thanksgiving.

The StepUP community wishes everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

-Tim Brustad

PEASE Academy Celebrates 25 years

In 1995, I did my first of two internships to become a “Certified” Chemical Dependency Counselor (yes, this was pre-licensure). The concept of a sober high school was pretty new at the time. Times at PEASE were different back then; it was truly the holistic environment that many can envision. We would sit in our circles and pass the candle around. I think we were even using bean-bag chairs at the time. It was a wonderful experience for me, a true foundation for what my career would behold. Later, I was asked by Steve Massey, director at the time, to sit on the board of PEASE. This was another invaluable experience. This was also the first time that I met Michael Durchslag, in passing, who is now the current Director of PEASE Academy.

I attended the PEASE 25^th celebration this past week. While some things have changed it was also clear that many things had not. The feeling of family was apparent everywhere you went and with everyone you talked to. It didn’t matter if they were current students or family or alumni, there was a clear bond, the unspoken thoughts that “I understand where you’re coming from, I know why we are here, and thank the stars that PEASE is part of our journey.” It was a beautiful evening and clear that, once again, PEASE staff had put heart and soul into making it a success.

Isn’t it funny how things sometimes come around full-circle? Who would have thought that 20 years later I am once again offered the gift of working with PEASE students. As one of the StepUP chemical dependency counselors, I am afforded the opportunity to work with so many PEASE graduates that have taken the next step by enrolling here at Augsburg College. Recovery and quality of life go hand-in-hand.  What better way to answer the often-asked question, “If I’m not using what am I supposed to do?” than to offer the answer of education. Complementing a recovery program with the depth and breadth of an education is the perfect answer and PEASE Academy clearly has demonstrated an ability to make that work.

I have seen a lot of agencies and programs come and go in the past 20 years. The quality ones are still around, like PEASE. I think it’s a reflection of the good “family” that exists there.

Here is to another 25 years!