The Blue Water Recovery and Outreach Center has spent the past eight years growing from a grassroots idea into one of the largest recovery community organizations in St. Clair County. What began as a small group of people with lived experience supporting one another has become a hub of meetings, peer coaching, outreach and community events that now serve hundreds each week.
Building a peer-led recovery center
BWROC opened in 2017 as a non-profit recovery community organization, or RCO, meant to fill a gap between treatment programs and long-term support. Executive Director Patrick Patterson joined shortly after the organization formed and helped shape it into a peer-led center that focuses on connection, navigation and lived experience rather than clinical services.
The model has led to steady growth. Patterson said BWROC has experienced several years of expansion as partnerships with hospitals, community mental health providers and employers helped broaden its reach.
The center now works with individuals inside treatment programs, meets people in the community and provides follow-up support long after someone leaves a rehab setting. Staff routinely help people connect to detox programs, counseling, recovery housing and transportation. Meetings and coaching are free and open to anyone seeking support.
Banquet draws hundreds in celebration
On Tuesday evening, Dec. 2, that growth was visible as roughly 400 people gathered for BWROC’s annual banquet, the organization’s largest fundraiser and a celebration of the recovery community. The event included speakers, awards, a video presentation and remarks from staff and volunteers.
BWROC holds the banquet at the end of each year to highlight its work, bring supporters together and strengthen year-end giving. Patterson said the event also provides critical financial support for the center’s recovery services. While official counts aren’t calculated, Patterson estimated the total at $30,000 to $35,000.
After the event, Patterson said the organization’s success reflects local support. “We are just extremely humbled and grateful the community has embraced us as an asset,” he said. For many in the room, the evening served as both a milestone and a reminder of the center’s impact.
Every staff member is in recovery or has lived experience with addiction, which informs the center’s approach. Center Manager Barb Alexander said the strength of BWROC’s programming comes from understanding the full range of issues that contribute to addiction. She distinguishes between what she calls “what” meetings, such as AA or NA, and “why” meetings, which focus on deeper issues like trauma, family dynamics or emotional patterns.
“Different pathways hit different areas of healing,” she said.
For many, those pathways provide tools to understand long-standing challenges that go beyond substance use. Alexander said most meetings are open to anyone seeking support.
“The only meetings limited to addicts or alcoholics are NA and AA,” she said.
Meetings, coaching and daily support
BWROC offers 28 meetings each week that cover multiple recovery pathways including AA, NA, SMART Recovery, Co-Dependents Anonymous, Recovery Dharma and Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families. Many of those groups are run by members or volunteers who first came to BWROC seeking help for themselves.
One of them is Miah Hudson, a Port Huron resident who has been sober since July. He said he first heard of BWROC years ago but did not seek help until entering treatment earlier this year. After completing rehab he connected with a peer recovery coach at the center and began attending meetings daily. Hudson soon started helping with events and outreach and now chairs his own NA meeting.
“They saw a person who was an addict for over 35 years and gave me a leap of faith,” he said.
Peer recovery coaches also play an essential role in BWROC’s day-to-day operations. Coaches meet with individuals one-on-one, help them navigate local treatment options and offer ongoing support. Staff say removing barriers such as transportation is a critical part of that work. BWROC operates a transportation program that provides free rides to treatment, court, medical appointments, coaching sessions and support groups. The goal is to ensure a lack of transportation does not prevent someone from accessing help.
Hope, healing and community connection
Donor Relations Assistant Kathleen McIntyre said she sees the impact of that support every day.
She credits the center’s peer-based approach for helping people feel understood in moments of vulnerability. “All of us who work there were once the people we serve,” she said. McIntyre said the center tries to meet people at whatever stage they are in. “Where there is life, there is hope,” she said. “And BWROC gives hope to those who need it most.”
Staff work with local businesses, schools, churches and nonprofit organizations to reduce stigma and connect people with recovery resources. The center also hosts weekly events, including a Monday Family Dinner, and provides a warming center on Fridays. Many of those efforts are aimed at reducing isolation, which the organization describes as one of the biggest challenges for people in early recovery.
As BWROC prepares for another year, Alexander said the center remains grounded in a simple belief: recovery is possible for anyone, and no one should have to navigate it alone. “We reach back into the fire and pull other people through,” she said.
Blue Water Recovery and Outreach Center is located at 617 10th St., in Port Huron. More information can be found on their website or by calling (810) 689-4858.
Contact reporter Andy Jeffrey at ajeffrey@usatodayco.com.
