Greetings from Baldy Hughes Therapeutic Community & Farm!

We are located approximately 30KM south-west of Prince George, BC. Our community provides men recovering from addiction an accessible, year-long residential program. Our residents are given a unique opportunity to regain their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, and remove barriers to their long-term health. Our structured and strict program combines work roles, education, clinical therapy and healthcare support as a platform to empower men to reclaim their lives.

We are excited by an opportunity that has been presented to enhance our 2016 Therapeutic Beekeeping and Honey Producing Program. This program builds transferable skills and develops a profound connectivity with nature that will return a sense of self-worth and community pride.  The process of caring for bees has a positive impact on the personal growth and recovery of our residents. By participating in the training course and honey producing process, our residents will develop a healthy curiosity for nature, and learn first-hand how to care for a community. Beekeeping and honey production teaches about the connectivity of all life, and how various life forms, ranging from humans to insects to plant life to the weather, are interdependent. Beekeeping demonstrates the synergy between humans and the insect world. It helps people overcome fear, which is a significant contributor to addiction, and reveals the tremendous power that comes from conquering fear, and re-learning to love and care for others.

The money we raise will provide an introductory bee keeper course from a certified instructor for at least 10 residents, in addition to learning materials, new hives, bee packages, bee suits and related tools. This will result in a highly engaging program whereby participants will have new, life-long skills, an incredibly heightened respect for life, and personal pride in the resulting honey products. Our forecast is that the 2016 season will result in approximately 250 kg of honey which we share with our supporters, families and local groups.

For instance just recently our residents created and hosted an event for approximately 200 senior citizens. At this event, samples of our honey from last season were distributed as raffle prizes. The enthusiasm that was shown, as well as the personal connections that were created between community elders and our residents, was an amazing thing to behold.

We thank you for any support you can provide. Your good will and generosity will help our therapeutic community continue to deliver innovative and meaningful programs to the men of Baldy Hughes, all working hard to reclaim their lives and return to their home communities as productive members of society.

For more information on our community and programs, please visit www.baldyhughes.ca.

UPDATE:

Today is March 22 - the second day of Spring. Some of our residents are getting excited about the possibility of getting involved in our 2016 beekeeping program, and so we paid a visit to our remaining hives from last year to check them out! Hopefully within a week the temperature will be warm enough for us to open the hives and see their status after the winter months. Anticipation for the upcoming program is positive, and so we hope you can contribute to our campaign to help us realize our goals for the 2016 honey producing season at Baldy Hughes!