By Anita Todd
LAKE WALES – When the sign on the side of the busy road quietly changed from the much-loved “Chalet Suzanne” to one reading “Refuge on the Ridge,” people had questions. What happened to Chalet Suzanne? And what exactly was Refuge on the Ridge?
Five years later, those questions have faded. God seems to have been in the details with Chalet Suzanne closing and the need of a facility like Refuge on the Ridge. The facility is now well known throughout the community and has earned a reputation of its own. The faith-based facility is dedicated to helping men find freedom from addiction while restoring their marriages and families.
“The only requirement is that you want to change,” said Pastor Andy Blair, Executive Director, and founder of Refuge on the Ridge.
The online application process takes about 30–60 minutes, providing staff with valuable insight into each applicant’s stage of addiction and readiness for recovery. Blair is involved in every aspect of the program, from meeting each man and talking about their recovery to renovation work, but one of his biggest ongoing challenges is financial. It takes roughly $20,000 a month to keep the facility’s doors open with less than 10 percent of that being labor or salaries.
To help meet that need, Blair organizes two annual fundraisers, a concert and a clay shoot. “Because of the vision God gave me for this place, we never turn anyone away because of their ability to pay. As a matter of fact, it’s close to 0 percent who pay anything to come here,” he said. “We are also very particular about any type of government grants. We talk about God here, that’s the core of what we believe is the key to recovery, and I will never compromise that for any amount of grant dollars or any other reason. All that being said, we are funded by the generosity of individuals, companies, and surprisingly very few churches.”
This year’s concert, A Celebration of Gratitude for Recovery on the Ridge, will feature the Lonesome River Band with special guest Dennis Parker on Nov. 22.
The 10-month residential program serves about 20–25 men at a time, offering a safe, structured environment away from chaos and distraction. Blair said keeping the number small allows staff to build strong personal relationships with each participant and their family.
“The first 30 days are a blackout period,” Blair explained. “There’s a really good chance they’ll finish the program if we can get them centered physically, emotionally, and spiritually during those first days.”
The men begin work each weekday for 3 – 4 hours to help offset the cost of their program. To be partially self-sustaining, Refuge on the Ridge operates several small businesses, including lawn care, mobile auto detailing, a food truck, and a remodeling business. Some participants also work with local partners such as The Care Center and area thrift shops. Recently, the organization was donated a greenhouse that they will eventually use to grow their own vegetables.
“Having jobs makes them responsible and accountable,” Blair said. “Ninety-seven percent of our graduates have gotten full-time jobs when they commenced from the program. We use the word commencement as opposed to graduation. Commence means to begin or to start. To graduate means that you are finished with something – that it’s complete. We believe that recovery is a new way of life, that when you leave here, your life is just beginning, it’s not completed.”
Participants, or “campers,” come from all walks of life. While most are local, some travel from across the country. The program provides everything they need, meals, lodging, healthcare, dental care, and even help obtaining driver’s licenses, ID cards, or resolving probation matters.
Blair understands the fear many feel when they first arrive, because he’s been there himself. He’s been sober for 19 years.
“When they first come here, they are freaking out because they ‘have to’ spend 10 months here,” he said. “The real magic begins when they figure out that, ‘I get to be here.’”
After his rehabilitation, Blair’s journey eventually led him to Lake Wales, where he served as Family Life Pastor at HighPoint Church. While spending quiet time near the lake beside the old Chalet Suzanne property, Blair said God laid it on his heart that the property should become a rehabilitation center.
“After I told the HighPoint leadership in 2020 that the Chalet needed to be a rehab, they asked me if I wanted to do it — and I said, ‘nope,’” he laughed.
“But they told me to wait to see if God was in it.” Eight months later, he resigned from his position and began turning that vision into reality. While Refuge on the Ridge was birthed out of HighPoint Church, Refuge on the Ridge is an independent ministry as a 501c3 organization, with a governing board of community leaders.
“I am extremely grateful for my time at HighPoint and the support they still give us. I just knew that we needed to be independent because we are a ministry for our community, our area, and even our entire country,” he said.
The months that followed were filled with renovations. Every room of the former Chalet was transformed — almost entirely by Blair, two other staff members, and a team of volunteers.
“The only professional we’ve paid to do anything here, as far as renovating, is a plumber,” he said.
Each room houses two campers, creating a sense of accountability and “big brother” mentorship. The entire program, Blair said, was modeled after Dunklin Memorial Church in South Florida, where he trained for four months before opening Refuge on the Ridge.
So far, Refuge on the Ridge has seen 54 men graduate, four marriages restored, and 40 children reunited with their fathers.
“Being faith-based makes all the difference in the success rate,” Blair said. He also credits the small number of residents and the length of the program. “We give them all the tools they need to live a life of freedom from drugs and alcohol, whether they choose to use them or not is up to them.”
Blair said that he knows Refuge on the Ridge is exactly where he needs to be. “There is no greater feeling than to see a child or wife looking at their dad or husband with love and excitement about the changes they see in him. It’s better than any high I ever had. I literally wake up every day and can’t wait to get to work.”
The upcoming fundraiser, A Celebration of Gratitude for Recovery on the Ridge, will feature Lonesome River Band and special guest Dennis Parker. The event will be held Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at HighPoint Church. The Refuge food truck, Gary’s Big Back Burgers, will be on site and tickets are $25 and can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/34r5t8su.
