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Phoenix Outdoor Opens Base Camp and Operations Center Near Asheville, North Carolina

ATLANTA, April 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Phoenix Outdoor, LLC today announced the opening of the company's permanent base camp and operations center for its wilderness treatment program for teens in crisis. The Phoenix Outdoor facility is nestled on the side of Glade Mountain in western North Carolina, 30 minutes west of Asheville. The camp houses the field and clinical department offices, as well as a dorm facility for students. The Phoenix Outdoor program provides comprehensive crisis intervention and assessment for families with teenagers ages 13-17.

"The base camp serves as both an operations center and an emergency evacuation site in the event of severe weather," said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO and founder of Phoenix Outdoor. "Students visit the camp between wilderness treks for one or two days every week. While in camp, they live in heated dorm rooms complete with bunk beds, showers and toilets. Each student is re-supplied with food and equipment, take showers, wash their clothes, and prepare for their next wilderness trek. They also receive medical checks, visit with their therapist, and participate in group sessions."

"The Phoenix base camp is a very special and unique facility that offers the isolation needed for effective wilderness therapy coupled with opportunities for students to engage in projects and team building activities," said Dr. Robert Hanna, Executive Director of Phoenix Outdoor. "Formerly the site of a spiritual retreat, this property is calming, isolated, and full of possibilities for our students. The land has spiritual significance to the community and our hope is to continue in the tradition of seeing this camp as a place of healing and rebirth for the students and families who come to Phoenix Outdoor for help in a time of crisis."

The base camp features a fully functioning bio-dome greenhouse for year-round gardening, along with expansive organic gardens filled with grapes, fruits and vegetables, natural springs, and an energy wheel constructed from magnetic rock. To maintain the wilderness experience, students and staff work together at the base camp in an outdoor cooking area to prepare meals. The campfire provides a communal gathering place for the group to engage in discussions, plan for upcoming treks, and enjoy each other's company. Once students leave the base camp, they participate in five day treks in the western North Carolina mountains. Wilderness treks immerse the student in nature as they hike and camp in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.

"The routines necessary to live outdoors in a small group challenge and encourage students to develop healthy relationships with each other," added Bradfield. "Structured time in a tranquil environment offers the child the opportunity to reflect, examine their lives, become accountable for their behavior and discover their hidden potential. The natural beauty, unique gardens and bio-dome at our base camp are all part of a new generation of wilderness programs that provide growth-oriented experiences, allowing a child to face challenges designed to encourage responsible, caring, and empowered behavior."

Phoenix Outdoor will begin accepting students in late April and will be holding an open house for industry professionals on the property from April 15th to June 1st.

About Phoenix Outdoor

Phoenix Outdoor is a therapeutic adolescent wilderness program that provides comprehensive crisis intervention and assessment for families with teenagers ages 13-17. Headquartered in Atlanta, with its base camp and wilderness operation in the mountains of western North Carolina, Phoenix Outdoor is engineered to be a safe means to help teenagers stop harmful behavior and motivate more positive choices in their lives. Phoenix combines proven and innovative treatment strategies with significant family support.

Phoenix Outdoor has assembled the most experienced and professional staff in the industry that are dedicated to bringing about positive change for students and their families. Doctorate and master-level therapists oversee the needs of students who participate in weekly individual and group therapy, and a core values curriculum.

Unlike "boot camp" models, Phoenix is an adventure-based program designed to offer adolescents healthy physical exercise and challenge, a core values curriculum, and supportive peer groups to optimize opportunities for success. For more information visit www.phoenixoutdoor.com or call 888-868-8233.

CONTACT:  Phoenix Outdoor, LLC
          Press Contact
          Bruce Ahern 
          770-650-8233 Ext. 322
          bahern@phoenixoutdoor.com