Greener Pastures Recovery’s Story (GPR)

Transforming Lives Through Hope and Connection

No one arrives in prison, jail, or rehab on a winning streak.

Yet at Greener Pastures Recovery (GPR), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we’ve witnessed countless lives transformed over the past decade, we see the miracle happen all the time.

 Through Christ-centered, secular, and evidence-based programs we guide individuals in Colorado and New Mexico correctional and rehab facilities from despair to lasting recovery and purpose.

 Led by GPR Director and CR Inside Colorado State Ambassador Bill Orthwein, alongside 6 committed CRI Regional State Ambassadors, and 85 trained CRI Volunteers, we deliver 90+ weekly recovery meetings across 60+ facilities.

 Each week, we reach around 1,000+ individuals, providing in the ballpark of 50,000 inmate hours of transformative programming annually to combat addiction and mental health challenges.

 Our Mission: From Hopelessness to Freedom

GPR empowers incarcerated individuals to overcome addiction and rebuild lives of purpose through:

• Celebrate Recovery Inside (CRI): A Christ-centered, inclusive program blending Biblical Beatitudes with secular 12-steps to heal life’s hurts, hang-ups, and habits.  Open to all, CRI’s structured approach reduces recidivism and connects inside participants once released to the 30,000+ global fellowships meeting weekly on the outside for post-release support. Though faith based, CRI yields prolific secular benefits, enjoyed by all faith walks, i.e. personal development, emotional healing, supportive community, connnection.
• Journal Your Journey: A secular journaling program leveraging neuroplasticity to foster mental health and reentry readiness.
• Recovery/Reentry Coaching: Personalized peer support for sobriety and community reintegration.
• Motivational Speaking: Inspiring talks on recovery and resilience, tailored for faith-based or secular audiences, behind bars and in the free world.

Our Commitment: Free Access for All

Thanks to our generous donors, all GPR programs, materials and services are free, ensuring universal access to life-changing recovery support in prisons, jails, halfway houses, and rehab centers.

The Power of Celebrate Recovery Inside

Celebrate Recovery Inside (CRI), a cornerstone of our prison ministry, is a Christ-centered, radically inclusive 12-step program open to all—regardless of faith, culture, or identity. By blending Biblical principles with secular strategies, CRI fosters emotional healing, personal growth, and community.

• Reducing Recidivism: While precise recidivism and relapse rates are hard to track due to the transient nature of released individuals and inconsistent reporting, national rates often exceed 50% for inmate recidivism and 80% for rehab grad relapse.
• But the trend is clear: CRI programming helps lower these rates, delivering hope, stability, and community.
• Proven Impact: Now recognized as a First Step Act Productive Activity by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), inmates taking CRI in federal prisons across the country can earn 15 days off their sentence, per month that they attend our program.
• Prison chaplains have estimated that CRI inside graduates, who continue CR post-release, are far less likely to return to prison, (10X).
• Endorsed Excellence: Former Prison Fellowship CEO James Ackerman called CRI “the top existing program in place across the country for successful inmate reentry,” while talking to POTUS in the White House-affirming its transformative power at the highest levels.

   

  Impact Stories: Lives Transformed

• At ADX, the "Alcatraz of the Rockies," Praise Church's Pastor Rob Reyes, recently honored as Volunteer of the Year, regularly unites Muslim, Buddhist, Native American, Christian, and other inmates through CRI’s recovery program. In those settings he meets people where they are by leaning into the more secular 12-step framework, rather than Scripture.  Pastor Reyes fosters accountability, hope, and growth, creating common ground in a supermax setting. His approach proves recovery transcends boundaries, enabling connection and healing among inmates in near-total solitary confinement, from all backgrounds and faith walks. Remarkably, Reyes has seen former ADX CRI participants, once fully shackled, now released, new lives blossoming, regularly attending Praise Church CR meetings and Sunday services, staying connected with their Pastor by speed dial.
• Northeast New Mexico Correctional (NENM): Over 200 men—one-third of the prison—have completed CRI’s 25-lesson Step Study. In the advanced class, the Journey Continues, 45 men closed the meeting by reciting the long version of the Serenity Prayer, like they were saying their ABC's, with joy and unity under Pastor Joey Trevino’s leadership.
• Denver County Jail: In seven months, volunteers Jeff and Erv had 90 women surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.
• Jeffco County Jail: Volunteers Chris, McKlaire, Cathy, and Kelly have guided women to thrive post-release, with five now flourishing in Celebrate Recovery meetings at Grace Church Arvada on the outside.
• Garfield County Jail: In 2015, founders Bill Orthwein and Darren Quintenz (d. 2024) led CRI at Garfield County Jail. One Friday, after a jail closure, they joined the Rifle church CR meeting, 8 familiar faces—former inmates in orange jumpsuits—greeted them warmly, 4 of them now CR Ministry Leaders 10 years later, thriving in Colorado’s prison-to-community recovery.
• Marlene and Michelle at Denver Women's Correctional are averaging 18 participants/week, with many Satisfied Customers attending CR on the outside now after 2 years of programming.
• Major Itule, NE Colorado CRI State Ambassador, has inside meetings running multiple times of the day, 7 days a week.

• Cheryl, volunteer from Weld and Larimer jails, captured it perfectly-sharing at our recent Statewide CR Quarterly Meeting, “this is just all so, so crazy good!”
• This happens all the time.

CRI participants, once released from incarceration or rehab,  continue their journey in the 30,000+ welcoming Celebrate Recovery groups worldwide in the outside free world.

 Our Challenge: Scaling Impact

Over 120 facilities await GPR’s programs, but we need your help to grow.

Just $500–$1,000 per facility annually covers resources and travel, bringing hope to thousands more.

As a fully independent nonprofit, separate from the national CR team and Saddleback Church, we rely on individual donors (96%) and Colorado churches (4%).  We are applying for grants from organizations like Caring for Denver Alternatives to Jail, and Colorado Health Foundation.

Support Our Mission

Join us in transforming lives through faith-based and evidence-based recovery behind bars and in rehabs:

• Volunteer: Lead prison recovery programs in Colorado and make a direct impact.
• Donate: Fund free programs via Venmo/(greenerpasturesrecovery), PayPal/(Greener Pastures Recovery), or mail to P.O. Box 6137, Denver, CO 80206.
• Partner: Connect with us to fund scalable, evidence-based recovery solutions.
• Contact: Bill Orthwein at (970) 379-3179 or [email protected] to learn more.

Please forward our GPR website: www.greenerpasturesrecovery.org to share our mission with any parties you think might be interested.

For more info on Celebrate Recovery, visit www.celebraterecovery.com 

As former inmate John says, “GPR gave me a roadmap to a new life.” Together, we’re cultivating greener pastures through faith, hope, and connection.

Support Our Prison Recovery Mission
Funding Hope and Healing in Colorado and New Mexico