News Archives - 2008

The Augsburg College StepUP program will celebrate its first decade as a collegiate recovery community with a dinner gala and silent auction on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Andrew Zimmern, Twin Cities chef and host of the Travel Channel's hit series "Bizarre Foods" will be the emcee, and the keynote address will be given by producer and director Peter Bisanz. The program will also include stories of experience, strength, and hope from current StepUP students and alumni.

StepUP is a nationally known and respected program that supports students in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. In its first 10 years, StepUP experienced an 84% abstinence rate, and currently students maintain a 2.9 mean cumulative grade-point average. The program has grown from 23 students in 1997 to 64 students in this current year.

Students in the program learn how they can become positively connected to others while maintaining sobriety.  As one student put it, "If treatment was the place I learn how to be a sober individual, StepUP is the place I learn how to be a sober member of a community."  Through the program, chemically dependent students are given the opportunity to develop the skills and abilities that positively affect their communities, their employers, their families, and society.

The gala and silent auction are open to those interested in recovery and college issues. Tickets are $100 for the general public and $50 for Augsburg College faculty and staff. To request tickets, contact Ericka Otterson at 612-330-1405 or otterson@augsburg.edu.