After a busy and decorative holiday season, it’s that time of year when everything that went up, must come down. That’s right—the Christmas tree lights must be boxed and decorations taken down.

But the new year is also a time for renewal. The spirit of recycling is evident in the removal of wreaths and other greenery, sold at Rudy’s Happy Patch Market and used as décor around the campus. First the greenery is separated from decorations and frames. Then the greenery is used for a warm and fragrant fire, as the boughs are placed in the fire pit on the west patio.

As the remnants of Christmas 2020 are packed away, peers celebrate the new year not only with bonfires but an updating of personal goals. Their individual plans will address goals for everything from education to personal health. Attendance is good in the new year, and certified peer specialists work with individuals and groups to pursue safe and productive activities.

“We know that the time of ‘like it was’ has gone,” Perry Wellness Center founder and CEO Stuart Perry explains. “We want to encourage our peers and staff to safely return to a routine.”

In the photo above, peer Connie Rutherford removes the last wreath from the front door of the PWC business office building.