Greetings! The year 2001 was a busy and productive one for us here at Gray Wolf Ranch. We continue to grow and mature. Our staff has increased in both size and ability; our outcome success rate keeps improving; and we've gained even higher levels of accreditation.

To what can we attribute our success during these past four years? I believe the major factors are our gradual and controlled growth, our dedicated and skilled staff, and our focus on our goals. Our primary purpose continues to be offering the best possible care for the young men who come to us on their journeys of recovery. They are the soul of our program and we judge our success by our ability to help them.

For my part, I see it as my job to keep the mission and vision of Gray Wolf in place. I have tremendous confidence in our team and I enjoy having the opportunity to work with them on a regular basis. I make it a point to stay involved and connected with the residents and their families. I enjoy having the opportunity to go along with the residents on two or three treks a year and occasionally take them snowboarding or sailing. I learn much from them and they certainly keep me challenged!

Here are some highlights from last year, and some thoughts about our plans for the future.

• Programs and facilities: We've expanded our aftercare option for our graduates by relocating our Sober House program (the Wolf's Den) to a spacious, four-bedroom Victorian house in town. In addition to this move we are now providing wolf's den residents with expanded out patient services. The former Wolf's Den house adjacent to the main lodge is now being used for our senior-status residents, allowing us to accommodate up to 24 residents. Living outside of the main lodge gives them more responsibility and autonomy while still being on the Gray Wolf property.Several other great new additions are the campfire area that serves as a place where we hold graduation ceremonies and group meetings and the new vegetable and flower garden which adds summer flowers to the lodge and fresh vegetables and herbs to the meals.

• New staff: With an increase in the number of residents at Gray Wolf, we've also added some new staff. Kerry and Steve Sutorious have joined us--Kerry as our third full-time Chemical Dependency Counselor and Steve as a full-time Trek Tech. Kris Kampf, who has been on staff at Gray Wolf for three years, is now our Clinical Supervisor. Kris attends evening group therapy sessions and works closely with our clinical team. Along with his role as primary caretaker for Buck (our Gray Wolf Labrador Retriever) and assorted other duties.

• And more new staff: Jill Christenson, who directs our Community Service Program, joined us in August. She's already proven to be very effective in placing residents in volunteer and paying jobs within our local community while keeping the program well organized and running smoothly. Meg Mason, our new cook, is working wonders in the kitchen. She's been terrific at involving the residents in the food-preparation and cooking process, and her meals are meeting rave reviews.

• Local expertise: We are also fortunate to have a number of skilled professionals in and near Port Townsend who share their time and expertise with us. Psychologist Darby Greenway provides counseling three days a week and works closely with our in-house counselors. Psychiatrist Frank Walker, M.D., joins us one day each week, filling the void left by the untimely death of our friend Dr. Jim Matthias.

• Outcomes: Our outcome studies show that more residents are successfully completing our program and continuing to gain long term sobriety. I believe that this attests to the maturing of Gray Wolf Ranch and our core team of skilled and effective counselors and techs. Our residents are a vulnerable and volatile population to work with, bringing with them a complexity of issues and challenges. Fortunately, Gray Wolf is small enough and skilled enough to provide the extra help that they need.

• Treks: It was a banner year for our trek program, with much of the credit going to Alex Borton, our Trek Program Coordinator. Recently, we received an Association for Experiential Education (AEE) credential for the wilderness component of our program, giving us the highest national recognition possible, a testament to the strength of the program.

• CARF credential: We were also awarded a three-year credential from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for our treatment programs. This is the agency's highest possible level of certification and is based on an extensive on-site review.

• Alumni: Our connections with our alumni continue to grow. We now have two alumni treks per year, and we keep expanding our alumni website. The website is proving to be a good way for us to keep in touch with our former residents and for them to keep in touch with each other.

• 4806 Foundation: I can't forget to mention the establishment of the new, nonprofit 4806 Foundation, which you can read about in this newsletter. 4806 will provide financial assistance to young people seeking treatment for substance abuse and related disorders. We have seen a great need for a program such as this, and I am really excited that more deserving young adults will be able to get the help they need.

• Looking ahead: We plan to continue to provide a high level of service to our residents and to keep improving our facilities and programs. We are also exploring the possibility of creating a similarly structured program for young women in recovery. As always, we look forward to hearing from our alumni, their families, and our community of referents, caregivers, therapists, and supporters. We couldn't do what we do without you. Keep in touch!

--Peter Boeschenstein