History

Beginning in 2015, Face It began offering an annual three day retreat to the men that use our programs.  Each year, approximately 20 men would get together for activities, preparing meals and fellowship.  For most, they had never done anything like this before.

Face It has over 200 men that attend groups and other activities each month.  With the success of the yearly retreat and being limited to 20 men, a second retreat was added each year to accommodate the demand.  Over the years, over 250 men have attended a Face It retreat

Northwoods

In September of 2022, the leadership at Face it decided to expand the annual retreat program.  After getting board approval, the search was on for Face it’s very own retreat facility.  In January, 2023 Face It – Northwoods became a reality.  After the purchase was complete, a renovation plan was put into action.  As with many projects of this size, there were many obstacles along the way, it became a bigger project than anticipated.  Four days after closing, the heat/cooling system stopped working and was not repairable and needed to be replaced.  Speaking of not repairable, within three weeks into the project, the 30 x 40 pole building collapsed under the weight of the excessive snow! 

With all the ups and downs that we were facing and with many of Face It men volunteering their time, the renovations are complete and Northwoods turned out better than we could have imagined.

The Future

Face It – Northwoods is a 4000 square foot facility.  It has 6 bedrooms (sleeps 13), 3 bathrooms, an activity space along with a media room.  All of that is situated on 22 wooded acres of land with multiple trails for walking, hiking, snow shoeing and more.

With Face It – Northwoods, we are no longer held to one or two retreats a year.  Now that we own our own place, our goal initially is to start with 10 – 15 retreats that will accommodate at least 150 men a year.

The bonding that takes place at these retreats is one big reason for us to offer Face It – Northwoods as an excellent way for men to feel less alone and encourage them to keep moving forward with their mental health journey.