MEDIA COVERAGE

Horse ranch will help men get their lives back on track

Phyllis Coulter | Farm Week Now (May 7, 2025)

FarmWeek Now’s Phyllis Coulter explores how Jim O’Connor, a recovering alcoholic and certified counselor, and Erik Christenson, director of operations, are helping men overcome addiction through the Second Story Foundation’s new horse ranch in Crete. The ranch provides a structured and supportive environment where residents in early recovery engage in therapeutic work with horses while building life skills.

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Horse ranch will help men get their lives back on track
Next year, 15 men will find help with sobriety and building a new life when a new horse ranch opens.
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About The Second Story Foundation

The Second Story Foundation helps men in early recovery from severe substance use disorder rebuild their lives with stability, purpose, and community. The organization provides recovery housing, meaningful work, and comprehensive support designed to promote lasting change. Its programs combine structure, employment, and fellowship to restore dignity and independence.

The foundation operates residential recovery homes in Chicago’s south suburbs and is developing the 68-acre Second Story Ranch in Crete, Illinois. The ranch will serve as a residential recovery community where participants live, work, and grow through service, equine care, and skill-based training. The lodge and residences will house up to 14 men and include space for counseling, education, and community events.

The Second Story Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping men build lives of integrity, connection, and hope. Through compassion, structure, and shared purpose, the foundation supports transformation that endures.

Help men in recovery build stable, purposeful lives. Donate today.

© 2025 The Second Story Foundation.

Contact

The Second Story Foundation 2400 E Bemes Rd. Crete, IL 60417

info@support2sf.org

support2sf.org