The Phoenix is a hub for sober people in Milwaukee, including its Soberfest on Aug. 3

The Phoenix is an active group of people from all over Milwaukee that offers rock climbing, yoga, volleyball, basketball and more for free. They have just one requirement to join: Be sober for 48 hours.

The Milwaukee chapter is one of many in The Phoenix national sober active community , and is one of the more active Phoenix groups in the Midwest.

In the last six months, The Phoenix Milwaukee has served an average of 800 people monthly, according to community outreach director Byron Thompson.

Thompson and others in recovery from addiction, or people who are sober curious, can be found doing activities around the city — from bouldering at Adventure Rock on the east side, to completing Ninja Warrior obstacles at Legacy Gym in Menomonee Falls, to playing volleyball at Bradford Beach.

"Everybody knows who we are," Thompson said. "We're the sober people."

It started in 2008 when Thompson founded a sober basketball group called Rebound after being in recovery for about seven years. He also was part of a sober softball team. It helped Thompson in his own sobriety.

"If we had a softball game, something like that was on the schedule, it was a reason to stay sober," he said.

Around the same time and about a thousand miles away, Scott Strode in Denver founded The Phoenix as a group that used hiking to combat addiction.

The Phoenix grew to include different types of activities in the ensuing years, and Strode opened a second chapter in Boston.

In 2016 Thompson and Strode met and talked about expanding The Phoenix to the Midwest. It took a few years, but the Milwaukee chapter launched in 2020.

"I'm kind of entrenched in the recovery community in Milwaukee," Thompson said. "I knew how to get this done, so in 2020 I left my job and started bringing The Phoenix to Milwaukee."

Programming for The Phoenix Milwaukee was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he eventually put together his first event that summer: a group bike ride on the Oak Leaf trail.

The Phoenix Milwaukee now hosts about a dozen active programs a week. In addition, The Phoenix sponsors teams in softball and volleyball leagues.

"When I was coming up in recovery, it was like AA or nothing," Thompson said. "The Phoenix opened my eyes. We welcome all pathways of sobriety, whether you're in recovery or taking a few months off. The only requirement that we ask is to have 48 hours of sobriety. We don’t want anybody smelling like alcohol. That’s pretty much it."

Programs are free, thanks to gyms donating space and volunteers hosting classes.

"If you're in recovery, you're probably starting your life over. You might not be able to afford a gym at the pressing time," he said. "They are only thinking about staying sober the next hour, the next day."

Members who join The Phoenix also get together outside of the group's official programming, going to festivals or professional sports games together for mutual support in spaces where alcohol will be present.

In 2021 The Phoenix hosted its own festival to celebrate sobriety: Soberfest. It's part of the group's mission to be sober and proud.

"Soberfest is being sober out loud. We get to be the majority," Thompson said.

This year will be Soberfest IV beginning at 5 p.m. Aug. 3 at Pere Marquette Park, 900 N. Plankinton Ave., sponsored by Bader Philanthropies. The festival will feature live music from Rob Knapp and Soul Patrol, Art of 3 and Faded Places, and food from Lisa Kaye Catering.

To learn more about The Phoenix and its free programs, visit thephoenix.org . To learn more about Soberfest IV, visit its Facebook page .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Phoenix is a hub for sober people in Milwaukee, including its Soberfest on Aug. 3