The Washington Island Recovery Retreat
July 14, 2012
For over ten years, every summer, people gathered on Washington Island, Wisconsin, for a four-day recovery retreat. My own involvement lasted about five of those years, serving on the board and helping organize everything that made the weekend possible. It was not a casual, show up and see what happens kind of trip. This was a real retreat. It had a board, a budget, speakers, schedules, and a few dozen people counting on us to make it run smoothly. On a good year we had close to 100 people. On a light year we had around 60. Either way, it was big enough that if the planning was sloppy, everybody would feel it. So we learned to run it like an event.
How it started every year
A few months before the retreat, usually late winter or early spring, the board would meet. There were usually five or six of us. Everyone had a role. One handled money and registrations. One handled programming and speakers. One handled food. One handled the campground logistics and talking to Washington Island Campground. One was kind of the all around person who filled the gaps. Sometimes we swapped roles, but the work was the same.
The first thing we always confirmed was the date with Washington Island Campground because if we did not get the group campsite, there was no retreat. That group campsite was important. It had room for tents and small campers, it had the covered shelter area with picnic tables, it had restrooms and showers nearby, and later on they even added that little pond pool and the mini golf. That made it easier for people to bring families or sponsees or newcomers who had never camped before.
What was included and what was not
The retreat fee covered the group campsite spot (if you camped there), the programming for the weekend, the speaker gifts, the printed schedules, and the meals we were providing, which was usually one group breakfast and one group dinner each day we were all together. People were responsible for their own ferry cost to get out to the island and any extra food or snacks they wanted during the day. Some people preferred to bring their own coolers and eat in their own campsites. Others joined the group meals. We had to make that clear on the registration sheet so we were not scrambling to feed 90 people when we only prepped for 55.
Stage 1: Pre-planning and signups
Book the group site with the campground.
Create or update the retreat flyer with date, cost, what is included, and ferry info.
Open registration and start collecting checks or cash. We always had a list of who paid, who was bringing their money with them, and who needed a partial scholarship.
Track housing. Some people stayed in cabins at the same campground, some stayed in tents, some brought RVs, and some stayed off site in their own rented cottages on Washington Island. We kept a list anyway so we knew who was on the grounds and who we might have to text or go get.
Reach out to speakers. For every year we needed a mix of long timers and newer people. We usually had one or two main speakers in the evening, one or two for morning meetings, and then slots during the day for topic meetings or specialty meetings.
Stage 2: Building the schedule
The schedule was a whole thing. We had to put it in writing because people wanted to know what was going on and when. We usually printed it on one sheet and handed it out at check in.
A typical day looked like this:
7:30 am Coffee on at the shelter
8:00 am Morning meditation or quiet meeting
9:00 am Open time/Island time (people explored, biked, went to the store, showered, or just sat)
11:00 am Topic meeting at the shelter or in the shade near the group site
12:00 pm Lunch on your own
2:00 pm Workshop or speaker
4:00 pm Free time
6:00 pm Group dinner at the shelter
7:30 pm Main speaker meeting around the campfire or at the shelter
Later Fire, fellowship, music, card games, or just talking under the stars
We would mix in special meetings like a women’s meeting, men’s meeting, grief meeting, or a step study. We also sometimes added a campfire meeting, which people loved. There is nothing like hearing recovery stories outdoors with the island breeze and the smell of the campfire.
Stage 3: Food and supplies
Food was always a big chore because we were not in the city. You cannot just run to a restaurant and order 65 plates. We had to plan it.
What we usually provided:
One hot breakfast during the weekend. Something simple but filling. Breakfast burritos, pancakes and sausage, or egg bakes and fruit. Coffee was on every day.
One hot dinner. Usually something like spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread. Or grilled brats and burgers with sides. We chose meals that could stretch if 10 extra people showed up. Because some years they did.
A dessert night if someone donated. People from the group sometimes brought pans of bars, rice krispie treats, or cookies.
Food crew jobs:
Shop and pack all the food that was going over on the ferry.
Assign cooks and helpers for breakfast and dinner.
Make sure there were disposable plates, napkins, forks, coffee cups, and big coffee urns.
Keep coolers iced. That campground store had ice, but we had to stay on top of it.
Set up the serving tables at the shelter.
Clean up the shelter when we were done because we wanted to be invited back.
Stage 4: On site coordination
Arrival day was the busiest. People are rolling off the ferry, finding the campground, asking where to set up, asking when they pay, asking where the meeting is, and asking if they can bring someone else. So we always had a check in table at the group site.
Check in covered:
Your name
Paid or pay on site
Camping or staying off site
Need scholarship
Any food allergies
Do you want to help (food, cleanup, set up chairs, lead a meeting)
We also used that time to hand out the schedule, give directions to the bathrooms and showers, and tell people what time the first meeting was. Because if you do not tell people, every person will ask individually.
Stage 5: Meetings and speakers
The speakers did not just magically show up. We had to confirm them. Most years we had people from the island, people from Door County, and people from our own home groups on the mainland. We tried not to repeat the same person year after year unless they were really loved. We also made sure leads were spread out so people were not telling heavy stories back to back. Recovery weekends need rhythm.
We also had to set up chairs for every single meeting. That meant:
Make sure there were enough folding chairs.
Make sure they were dry.
Make sure there was shade if it was hot.
Make sure there was a backup plan if it rained. That shelter saved us more than once.
Stage 6: Money and fairness
Because it was a recovery retreat, we always had a soft spot for people who could not afford it. But we still had to pay the campground. So we did it this way.
Full price for most people.
Reduced price or pay-on-arrival for people who asked.
Scholarship slots that were quietly covered by people who donated extra.
A list of everyone and what they paid so no one argued later.
We also had to be clear that the ferry was on them. We put it on the flyer, we said it during signups, and we said it again the week of. Getting to Washington Island costs money.
Stage 7: All the little campground things
This part is the stuff nobody thinks about but it matters.
Firewood. We could not just cut down trees, so we either bought it there or prearranged it.
Quiet hours. We had to respect the campground rules so we did not get booted.
Garbage. We always made sure trash was bagged and taken to the right spot.
Showers. We told people where they were and what hours they were open.
Kids and families. Some people brought kids, so we had to make sure the day meetings were in a spot where other campers would not be disturbed.
Stage 8: The fun parts
This was not just meetings. This was also a getaway. People swam in the pond pool. Some played mini golf. Some rode bikes around the island. Some sat in lawn chairs all afternoon and talked about life. Some went to town to get fudge and come right back. It was recovery, but it was also rest.
Stage 9: Closing it down
Cleanup was a thing. We did not leave on Sunday morning and pretend the dishes disappeared. We had a cleanup list.
Wipe and stack tables at the shelter.
Take down any signs or schedules we posted.
Police the campground for cups, water bottles, plates, and wrappers.
Return borrowed coffee pots, roasters, or big cooking pans.
Make sure the group site looked better than when we arrived.
Final money count.Notes for next year. What worked, what did not, which speakers were strong, which meal ran out, who needs to be on the board next time.
Why it mattered
Being involved with that retreat for five years taught me a lot. It taught me that recovery people will show up if you give them a place to go. It taught me that planning four days for 60 to 100 people is doable if you divide it into jobs. It taught me that you can mix fun and sobriety. It taught me that a ferry, a campground, and a covered shelter can turn into a spiritual weekend if somebody is willing to do the work behind the scenes.
And behind the scenes is the part people forget. Someone had to make the flyers. Someone had to answer the phone. Someone had to keep track of who paid. Someone had to call the campground. Someone had to make coffee at 6:45 in the morning. Someone had to listen to people who were nervous about coming. Someone had to welcome the newcomer who showed up not knowing anybody.
That is the part I want remembered. It was not an accident that the Washington Island retreat ran for years. It ran because people cared enough to organize it.
Written By: Shelley Iverson