What it Takes to Relaunch a Life
- FarmerKarl
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Partners in Growth: Farming for Recovery and Renewal (YouTube video: 4:52)
What does it take to truly relaunch a life? Behind every story of recovery and transformation is a team of people, a safe environment, a structured program, and a community willing to believe someone can stand again. At Eden Streets, Grow Ogden exists to provide that exact pathway—using the power of farming, purpose, and structure to help individuals rebuild their futures.
This blog takes you behind the scenes of how the farm-based job-training program works, what it costs, and how every donor dollar directly supports a person fighting for a new life.
The Real Cost of Life Transformation
Not everyone will work directly with farm interns—but anyone can help make their transformation possible.
Through two years of operating Grow Ogden, we’ve learned the true cost of sustainably relaunching a life. To support eight farm interns through a 16-week course—working 11 hours per week at $12 per hour—it takes a scholarship of $9,400 per participant.
Why $9,400? Because it funds:
A small, high-touch team
A structured, 16-week curriculum
On-farm work that is both therapeutic and professional
Real, transitional employment
Life coaching and individualized support
A work environment designed for healing
Eight interns per session creates the “critical mass” needed for a work crew—supported by three essential staff roles:
Job Training Supervisor, leading daily job development
Farm Manager, providing instruction and setting standards
Intern Advocate, meeting individually with each intern weekly
This is a minimum-viable program—lean by design, but powerful in impact, giving participants space to heal, reset, and prepare for long-term employment.
It Takes a Person Willing to Try Again
Of all the components required to relaunch a life, the most important is the intern’s commitment. Each participant must be willing to:
Show up every day, on time
Work outdoors in the soil
Learn to work as part of a team
Take responsibility and grow their skills
No one arrives fully ready or perfectly prepared. As one Job Training Supervisor says:
“Grace is allowed—especially in the beginning. But the goal is to prepare them for the rigors of full-time employment. No excuses needed.”
Recruiting begins 60 days before each session. Each candidate is selected not because of perfection, but for a sincere desire to change—and a readiness to work hard to make it happen.
A Farm Designed for Healing and Growth
Grow Ogden operates on an urban farm easily accessible to people exiting homelessness or recovery. The environment is intentionally designed for healing:
Quiet spaces, green surroundings, flowers, and benches
Compost piles that teach the powerful metaphor of renewal
A peaceful campus with safety and dignity
Shared meals and “farmily” dinners
Supportive peers who want each other to succeed
Out of this work comes something rare:
A sense of belonging.
When people arrive feeling alone or defeated, working side-by-side to grow food builds trust and community. Many describe it with the affectionate term “farmily.”
Volunteers and partners help prepare evening meals, and once a week interns participate in healthy cooking classes—building habits that lead to stable, sustainable living.
A Farm-Based Job-Training Day
A typical day at Grow Ogden looks nothing like a classroom—and yet the learning is deep.
3:30 PM – Yoga and grounding, reconnecting mind and body
Farm walk – noticing what the plants need and recording tasks
Mission Control board – prioritizing and assigning the day’s work
Farm tasks under the direction of Farm Manager Jake Shelton
20–50 minutes of professional job-skills training, taught by life coach Rachael Dixon
Wrap-up and clean-up
A “farmily dinner”
Behind the scenes, Grow Ogden farm staff meet weekly to tailor tasks and support to each individual—because every intern has unique professional needs and individual obstacles.
When a participant completes the program, they leave with:
A strong work reference
Structured job experience
Training modules completed
A track record of accountability
A foundation for long-term employment
Leveraging What We’ve Learned for 2026
Grow Ogden is refining its design using lessons learned from our first two years. Key insights include:
Ideal intern age range: 25–40 – old enough to have lived through a crash, yet young enough to make lasting change.
Tuesday–Friday schedule, 3–6 PM, providing maximum accessibility for interns emerging from recovery housing.
Partnerships make it possible, including:
Eos Serenity Lodge
Weber Recovery Center
First Presbyterian Church
Catholic Community Services
Weber State University
These organizations help ensure the right candidates arrive ready for the opportunity.
The Structure Behind the Transformation
Supporting a life relaunch takes much more than farm tasks. It also takes:
A farm staff committed to discipline with compassion
A welcoming culture where people are seen, valued, and believed in
A leadership team ensuring every resource is in place
A Board of Directors focused on long-term sustainability and expansion
Our board includes seven leaders from across Utah—six from Weber County—each bringing expertise and a shared commitment to reducing homelessness and helping individuals return to meaningful work.
One board member summarized the vision well:
“Grow Ogden provides the means whereby men and women committed to making a new start in life can be effectively relaunched into a stable job and a welcoming set of supporting friends.”
Looking Ahead: Relaunching 16 Lives in 2026
Because of the collective work of staff, partners, donors, volunteers, and community believers, Grow Ogden is now prepared to relaunch 16 lives in 2026—eight in the spring and eight in the fall.
Not everyone can volunteer or teach or coach at the farm. But everyone can help make a relaunch possible.
Your donation provides:
Job training
Therapeutic work experience
Professional guidance
Community belonging
A pathway to stable employment
A second chance
We are deeply grateful for the many people who have caught the vision and are investing in lives that are ready to rise again.
Donate Today!
Grow a Future: Relaunch a Life!
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