Creative Lab

Thrive!
ADVOCATE IS A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF AIM HOUSE
Creative Lab
SPRING, 2012
cially since I haven’t really done anything with
jewelry since high school when my friend
Elizabeth and I used to make earrings in our
spare time.
by Emily Dearing
THE AIM HOUSE
Where Actions and Intentions Merge
Here at AIM House, one way we de-stress is by
Another project that I saw a participant, Kristi,
channeling our emotions into creativity. Once
working on, was homemade cards. These cards
a week the girls of AIM House head over to The
are made from watercolor paper and torn to give
Factory, where a great space and art supplies
a vintage feel. My favorite one has part
are ready and waiting. While the girls
of a candle on it and says, “You Ignite
sometimes help Sam out with specific
Me” on it. The creativity that is shown
projects for The Factory, it is usually up
here is amazing, and it shows anyone
to each girl to let her creativity loose
can create art if they find a medium
in whatever outlet she wants.
they love and get excited about.
There are supplies for projects from
In the coming weeks, local Boulder
mixed media art to jewelry making to
artists are going to come to the
even knitting. Whatever your passion
Factory during creative lab to teach
is, the tools are most likely there for
the girls different mediums and ways
you to create with. And don’t be afraid
to make things. I am excited to learn
to do something out of the ordinary,
Emily at the creative lab
about new activities like screen-printuniqueness is encouraged.
ing and I may even learn some better jewelry
Whenever I go to The Factory for creative lab, my making techniques if I am lucky. The great minds
favorite thing to do (at the moment at least) is to and hard work of the people at the Factory make
make jewelry. For the past few weeks, I have been creative lab something I really look forward to
working on a pearl and gold chain bracelet. It has each week…who knows, maybe you’ll see my
jewelry in the store one day!
turned out much better than I expected, espe-
W H A T ’ S INSIDE
Creative Lab..........................1
Staff Spotlight..................... 2
A Word From Danny..........3
Academic Lab at AIM
House..................................4,5
Shout-out to the Men's
Program.................................5
Gratitude...............................5
How Did I Get Here?......6,7
McLean creating pottery in the creative lab
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AIM HOUSE, LLC
WWW.AIMHOUSE.COM
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Staff Bio: Don Thompson
Don brings a lot of passion and a heavy dose of truth the
guys he works with. He’s not afraid to call participants
out when needed, holding a high bar for the young men.
Don shared, “I have a quote on my desk from NOLS that
reads, ‘People thrive when challenged.’ I take that to heart in
my life and my work every day.” Don is a very supportive
mentor and helps the guys see their potential. Although
guys can get frustrated with Don and his high bar, his
work is done out of love and a true goal of helping the
AIM House participants come to understand that they are
capable of so much more than they would ever know.
Don holds a lot of compassion for those who struggle
with addiction. With his past experience in the wilderness programs, he really understands how the guys come
into AIM House so clear, and then how hard it can be to
hold onto those new tools they have just learned in a
city environment. So, he tries his best to support them
in connecting back to the woods, mountains, as much
as possible in daily life. He likes to take them on activities like climbing so they can reconnect to the feeling of
challenge and accomplishment on a physical/immediate
level.
by Charlotte Bouscaren
Don Thompson is a lead mentor at the young men’s AIM
House program. Don grew up
in South Georgia on the coast
in a rural, small town. He attended Mercer University and
graduated from University
of Georgia in 1998. He later
graduated from Southwest
Acupuncture College in 2010.
Don has a unique and experienced background, which is a great asset in working with
the AIM House participants. He was trained as an ecologist
in undergrad, which led to working at Americorps, restoring
watersheds. Doing this work, Don realized that although
he loved working in the wilderness with colleagues, he really wanted to work in the wilderness in a different regard,
helping young people. Don began running after-school
groups for at-risk youth in Oregon, and eventually read the
book, "Shouting At the Sky," which motivated him to become
a wilderness guide just a few months later. Don worked
at wilderness programs and residential programs for some
time. Before AIM House, Don worked at another transitional program called NorthStar in Bend Oregon, which he
loved. He ran the weekend activities and got to expose
young men and women to the wonderful world of eastern
Oregon.
In Don’s free time, he enjoys biking, hiking and climbing in
the warm weather, along with some yoga when he gets
the chance. Don loves to spend time with his family; he
has a newborn and a preteen stepdaughter. He said he
experiences more walks to the playground and sledding
than snowboarding these days, but he enjoys it all. Don
has been an exceptional part of the AIM House team and
we are lucky to have him.
Don came out to Boulder for graduate school and eventually found AIM House. He said the philosophy and the people
involved were what really drew him to the program. Don
shared, “Kelly Corn has been one of my favorite bosses ever–
open and caring, and wanting to connect with participants
as well as staff alike–he invites you to bring your passion and
share it constantly.” Don said he has rarely worked somewhere that even as a part-time employee, he could make a
difference in the day to day running of not only the lives of
the guys, but the company and it's philosophy as well.
Don is constantly building strong connections with the
young men at AIM House though his compassion and innate wisdom. “I enjoy getting to know guys right out of a life
changing process like a wilderness program, sharing Boulder
with them and all it's quirks and getting to see the little a-ha
moments when things click or they land they're first job,”
shared Don.
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A WORD FROM DANNY
SPRING, 2012
Greetings Friends,
I would like to dedicate this to my sister Shannon, who is bravely fighting breast cancer that has
metastasized to her brain as I write this. Many of you have wished my family and me well over
the past month. For this, I am truly grateful. One of the gifts that comes from illness and other
unexpected life circumstances is that we are reminded how wonderful our friends are. I am truly
blessed to have so many great people in my life. Thank you so much for your support.
I was joking with Shannon that I wish we could go back to the problems we thought we had
before she was diagnosed. Then it hit me! That's what I want to write about for this newsletter.
Why do we all have so many problems? Have you noticed that any worry we have is usually
quickly replaced by another? The second we resolve a problem that we believed was a big deal, another pops up like a
noxious weed. Can you even remember the problems you were experiencing exactly a year ago? What are problems? Is
thinking the root of our problems? Thinking there is something wrong is like a hobby for most of us; we are so used to
focusing on problems that we believe they are real. Are they?
When was the last time you were hungry or worried about where you were going to sleep? Assuming that most who are
reading this do not struggle with meeting their basic needs, I challenge each of us to look at how we focus our attention
and thoughts. Is what we are going to wear or eat a problem? Is laundry? Money? I guess all of these can be viewed as
such, but it seems to me that problems are the symptom of our brains running amuck. They are a distraction from our
actual experience of the moment.
Our true problem may be that we think too much. Our lives are meant to be lived, not analyzed and reviewed over and
over again like a repetitive news loop. When you spend time with people in hospitals who are facing life-threatening
situations or dying this becomes so clear. I would like to maintain that freshness of appreciation in my day-to-day life.
What really matters? If this were the last day of our lives, how would we spend it differently? Would we mince words
while talking to loved ones? Would we worry so much? I think these are important questions to consider.
My little sister Shannon is my hero. We do not know if she is going to die soon or recover. She was in remission for 12
years when they discovered this tumor. She had a double mastectomy just weeks after giving birth to her son Matthew,
who is now 12. She has handled this recent challenge with epic grace and fortitude. I am in awe of her accepting yet
feisty spirit. She is living her life exactly as she wants and needs to today. Can you say that about yourself? I cannot. I
aspire to accept my life and live each day as fully as she is right now. I aspire to embrace truth so fearlessly.
We talk about being afraid of dying. That is a crazy thought when you stop and think about it. We cannot be afraid of
something we have never experienced. We may be afraid of our projected thought of death, but death itself? Perhaps it’s
wonderful–how would we know? It seems to me that in reality, we are afraid of living. We have the opportunity to live a
life only we can imagine. We can live that life on this day, in this moment. That is our choice. This is our gift. Let us choose
to live the life we have wisely.
Thank you Shannon.
You are a wonderful friend, sister and teacher
Many blessings to all of you during this time of spring and renewal. Laugh, love and have as much fun as you can. This is
a short ride.
Daniel Conroy
Founder, AIM House
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ACAdeMiC LAB At AiM hoUse
Academic Lab at AiM house
Earl House Progress Report
Last Semester (Summer/Fall 2011)
• 24 total college credits completed
• A cumulative grade point average of 3.15 in college
• 3 high school diplomas awarded
• 1 GED with an equivalent GPA of 3.70
by Matthew Sullivan
Hello, my name is Matthew
Sullivan and as the Academic
Mentor for the women’s
program at AIM House it is
my job to hold the Academic
Lab. The Academic Lab is
held five times a week and
is a place for participants to
go about the work of their
education. Together we learn
how to survive and thrive as a
learner in whatever academic
path we choose to take. Some participants are finishing
up high school, some working on a degree, and some are
exploring their passions like art or poetry. We also learn the
side of education that often goes untaught: how to advocate for yourself, how to manage time, how to get things
done, how to study effectively, and how to love learning.
As the calendar flips over and a new semester begins, I
thought it would be a good time to stop and take a look
at where we we’ve been and where were going. Here are
some facts from the current academic year:
This semester (Spring 2012)
• 49 college credits underway
• 2 full-time college applications submitted
Note: By the end of the Spring term, in less than one year, the
women at Earl House will have taken enough college credits
as a group (73) to graduate with an Associate Degree from a
Junior College.
Earlier this month, in life skills class, we wrote letters of
appreciation to people in our lives that we felt don’t hear
recognition from us enough. Some participants sent
them to their families, some to their friends, and some to
people who they had been meaning to talk to for a while.
The point of the exercise was to pause our lives and take
the time to appreciate people who are meaningful to us. I
wrote my letter to the participants in the academic lab:
Dear Women of the Academic Lab,
I would like to take this moment to express my outrageous
appreciation for everything that you have accomplished so
far in your academic lives. I am so proud of the things you all
have accomplished and continue to accomplish as a community. Thank you for all your hard work, your passion, and
your continued resolve in your pursuit of the one thing no one
will ever be able to take away from you, your education. It has
been a joy coming to work and knowing that my job is to help
smart and powerful people realize their potential. So thank
you, congratulations, and as always, keep it up.
Sincerely,
Matt Sullivan
Academic Mentor
▼
“My first semester, I took two classes and attended academic
lab everyday. By the end I had two solid grades under my belt
and felt like a whole new student. After a great semester behind me I am now taking a full course load and feel as though
my confidence in school is restored and I am looking forward
to a great new year.“
–Sophie S.
▼
Matt Sullivan and participant Jackie at the Academic Lab
Continued on page 5...
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ACAdeMiC LAB At AiM hoUse, cont’d.
grAtitUde
Continued from page 4...
sPring, 2012
gratitude
“I have learned a good number of skills about how to stay motivated in classes and follow things through with completion
and I must say I am enjoying school more now than I have at
any other point in my college career”
–Anna T.
by Anna Temple
Do you ever have moments when it feels entirely necessary to pinch yourself in order to believe the situation
you are in? I can say that when I was being told that AIM
House was my destination for the next six months (or
more) of my life, I definitely did. I couldn’t believe that
things had gotten so bad that I needed to completely
uproot my life to start a new one; that I needed to entirely
change the way in which I was living my life and adopt
new habits, live with new routines and make new friends.
▼
“Academic Lab at AIM House has helped me realized how
much being on top of my schoolwork and not procrastinating
keeps my anxiety down. With my anxiety down, my grades
will be better. Doing well in school will help me cement being
able to go back to college and begin my life as a real adult.”
– Emily D.
▼
Shout-out to the Men’s Program and Jean Hultkrans (men’s
program academic mentor)
My sense of denial was short lived. Upon coming to AIM
House, I truly recognized that this was absolutely what
I needed. The sense of support that I felt, even walking
through the doors on my first day, was incredible. Every
single staff member is whole-heartedly dedicated to his or
her job, and everyone matters here. From day one I have
never felt like I didn’t belong here; my lead, my therapist
and my fellow participants cared about me every step of
the way.
Taking classes while at AIM
House is a great way for
participants to navigate the
school system while receiving academic support and
mentoring from staff. Taking
classes can mean getting
back to college level work
after leaving college for
rehab, or for some they are
enrolling for the first time.
There are many opportunities in and around Boulder to take college courses at Front
Range Community College or University of Colorado.
There are options to take classes for academic credit, as
well as work towards a certificate in a specific field. We
have seen participants open the doors to a possible career
while at AIM House such as Culinary Arts, Emergency
Medical Technician, or Graphic Design. The academic and
vocational coordinators try to work in tandem to create a
plan that suits each participant’s interests and goals.
Fast forward seven months, I am now a Merge level
participant and am pinching myself quite frequently to
somehow bring some sense of reality to the fact that I am
leaving the program very soon. I find it hard to grasp that
in such a short period of time, my life could change so
much. I am now back in school, I volunteer and I have an
internship through AIM House at our retail store Factory/
MADE. Those things would have never been possible for
me seven months ago. I am by no means claiming that
my AIM House experience has been perfect, it has been
full of ups and downs; but I always come back to reminding myself that bumps in the road are part of the journey
and if it was easy I wouldn’t learn anything or grow from
my experience in the
house.
The men's program has seen a flourish of academic activity of late and currently about 50% of the participants are
in school. Nine participants at The Castle are taking an
average of six credits each. One participant who has just
moved into the Manifest phase at AIM House is taking an
intensive Emergency Medical Technician program at Front
Range, which really has sparked his interest in school for
the first time. There are also a few men finishing up their
high school diploma and taking classes at BYU and Penn
Foster. In the last six months the men's program has had
four participants receive their diploma while at AIM House
and two more are in process. We also have eight men in
the Manifest phase of the program who have been successfully taking classes at CU for a few semesters.
I can’t believe how
different my longterm path looks now
in comparison to
seven months ago,
and I can proudly say
that I am so grateful
and appreciative for
the experience that
I have had here. It
has truly been life
changing and life
saving.
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HOW DID I GET HERE?
How did I get here?
my reality and I just didn’t care. Sometime during my
senior year, I became physically dependent on opiates.
I was most definitely not going to graduate, in a toxic
relationship and in the throes of addiction. To add to all
this, my mom became very sick in March of my senior year.
April 29, 2008 was the most traumatic day of my life when
my mom passed away from congestive heart failure.
By Matt Marlar
My life prior to AIM House was a crazy and unbelievable
journey centering around loss, addiction and illness.
Despite this, I would say I had a fairly typical and happy
childhood. I grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest in an
upper middle class household. My parents were always
very supportive and loving, especially my mom. I was
smart and always made good grades. I played sports, had
lot of friends and felt confident and secure in myself, as
much as a kid can. Things didn’t stay that way though.
This was an incredibly hard time in my life and I began
living like a recluse in my mom’s house alone. Because I
was eighteen, I gained access to her life insurance money
and also some social security money. This would support
my habit for the next few years. That summer, I tried heroin
for the first time and was using it daily by fall of 2008. I
would party to a dangerous and depressing level all day
and night for months; excess became the norm. That next
spring, something happened in my life that was hard to
believe and at the time I was so numb, I didn’t react in a
typical way. I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, cancer of
the lymph nodes. Surprisingly enough, I continued using
daily all throughout my
chemo and radiation
treatments. My cancer
went into remission in the
spring of 2010, and I wish
I could say things got
better with my addiction
but they only got worse.
When I got to middle school, things had begun to
change with how I felt about myself. I felt like I didn’t fit in
sometimes, though looking back, I definitely did. I carried
around this insecurity inside of me all of the time, even
when I appeared confident. Things got better as middle
school went on, but I
always felt some insecurity.
The summer between
8th and 9th grade, my
parents divorced. By
this point, most of my
classmates were drinking
alcohol so I thought it
was only natural that I
should also experiment;
by my sophomore year, I
was experimenting with
almost every substance I
could get my hands on. I
went through phases with
different drugs for periods
of time but soon realized
that I preferred opiates,
namely Oxycontin. As I
went through high school,
my using grew rapidly and
things began to spiral out
of control. I was treating
my mother horribly as she
tried to help me. I began
skipping classes daily and
failing most of them as a
result. This was very hard
for my family since I had
always made good grades;
they didn’t understand. I
had no idea of the trouble
I was getting myself into.
Matt Marlar creating at Factory|MADE
The addiction had clouded
6
I started shooting up
in desperate attempt
to chase the high, and
I started selling heroin
to support my habit.
This went on through
the summer and into
the fall when my family
had an intervention for
me. It was just like the
television show and a
very surreal experience
for me. I accepted their
request and left for rehab
in Florida later that day. I
didn’t want to get clean,
but I knew it couldn’t hurt
more than how much I
already hurt, and I knew
it would make my family
happy. After a month in
rehab, I went back home
and moved in with my
dad and picked up right
where I had left off. This
Continued on page 7...
HOW DID I GET HERE?, cont’d.
Continued from page 5...
Matt M. on an AIM spring break trip in Moab
time, it was much harder though. I no longer had a vehicle
or the money I had access to before. I started pawning
things on an almost daily basis. After a month or so of
that I decided to go back to rehab again. I got out of rehab
and went into a halfway house in south Florida. Southern
Florida is pretty much the pill capital of the world so
it was incredibly hard to stay clean. I relapsed almost
immediately. I eventually got caught and was sent to stay
at free detox and homeless shelter in West Palm Beach
because my halfway house wouldn’t let me stay. I consider
this my bottom now. In a way, I’m glad I had to go through
that.
This is something I’m very proud of. I started working the
facilities internship at AIM House, which gave a lead into
helping with the build out of The Factory, a retail space
that AIM House had bought to be a store and also a
creative lab where participants could make music, paint,
learn carpentry, sewing and many more things. I really
enjoyed this and learned a lot from the job.
I still work at the Factory every weekday as well as go to
school. It’s amazing when I think about where my life
was a year ago and all the things I’ve accomplished since
then. I can’t imagine being able to have done these things
without the support I found at AIM House. Working on
myself has returned a balance to my life that I lost when
I was addicted to opiates. I still feel like I have a long way
to go with working on myself but am hopeful and excited
for the future.
A day or so after I left the homeless shelter, my aunt told
me about AIM House and I was more than happy to leave
Florida. At AIM House, I found and accepted support
that I had been denying for years. I got my high school
diploma, completed all my community service hours (I
had from some legal issues), began exercising and started
going to college at University of Colorado (CU Boulder).
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