For years, 4510 Macleod Trail was a dingy old hotel adjacent to the Back Alley and over a decade ago, a place for C-list bands to stay while playing the club and a place for partygoers to gather on weekends.

The Ho-Jo, as it was known, was a crumbling building in need of extensive work and a good refresh and makeover.

Instead, it was bought and turned into an oasis of goodwill, offering a fresh start for many Calgarians who had made bad decisions and turned to a life of addiction and despair.

The Calgary Dream Centre was born and stands to this day.

It’s not just an addiction treatment centre but an education centre, where they change people’s lives and start them on the road to recovery and a new life to reconnect with society, family and friends, and then live in the community with a purpose.