40 Years as GLRC
November 4th, 1983 marks the official date in which the origins of Great Lakes Recovery Centers (GLRC) began as the Shiloh Family North program in Marquette. While there was a collection of independent half-way houses in Marquette that date back to the 1970’s (the Nuway House for Men and the Joan Curto House for Women), it was the Shiloh Family North program for adolescents that came to the U.P. as an extension of Project Rehab in Grand Rapids that set the stage for many integration opportunities that melded programs in Marquette and the Soo together. If we look back on our timeline, these important milestones helped to define GLRC’s early days:
- 1983: Shiloh Family North Program begins in Marquette
- 1984 Shiloh Family North Program moves to 241Wright street
- 1985 Nuway House and Joan Curto merged with Shiloh Family North to form Project Rehab North
- 1987 Nuway and Joan Cutro move into the newly constructed Adult Residential Center on 241 Wright Street
- 1992 The New Hope programs in the Soo merge into Project Rehab North
GLRC became independent from Project Rehab in 1993, to officially form Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Inc.
The November 4, 2023 date marked our 40-Year Anniversary. What started out with humble origins as a child caring institution (CCI) serving adolescents with substance use disorder (and our partnership with the intermediate school district for an in-house school), set the stage for a series of events that continue to impact thousands across the Upper Peninsula and State of Michigan.
GLRC is a unique culmination of many entities, all of which have their own histories and identities. These entities, in one shape or form came under GLRC’s umbrella with the hope to keep services alive in many communities throughout the U.P…..this history spans the integration of the Nuway House, Joan Curto House, Shiloh Program, Chippewa County Half Way Houses, Dickinson-Iron Substance Abuse Services Agency, the Silver Street Counseling Agency (Hurley, Wisconsin), Bell Hospital Behavioral Health Services, the LMAS District Heath Department SUD programs, and the Western Upper Peninsula Substance Abuse Services Coordinating Agency (WUPSAS). All of these entities help to make up the pieces of our collective soul and mission of GLRC.
We will be recognizing and honoring our 40th year throughout the course of the year to come. We will be planning a few events in several communities to help commemorate this milestone as well as providing a larger July luncheon celebration along with our annual run/walk, as well as other items.
As GLRC continues to write a new chapter in its shared history, we take a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate 40 years of unwavering service to helping others overcome the challenges in their lives and providing diverse recovery opportunities for many to find a new path forward.
These two quotes might best sum up what GLRC helps to teach and remind me every day …
’The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity,’ Leo Tolstoy, and…
‘For it is in giving that we receive,’ Saint Francis of Assisi
I am so proud of this agency, our staff, our clients, and the sacrifices they make each day to help others heal. Thank you for helping to make it to 40 years and beyond!
Greg Toutant, CEO
