Rebuilding ∙ Refocusing ∙ Redefining

Mission Statement

Assist in the healing of PTSD and prevention of suicide by providing a refuge and events where First Responders defined as Police Officers, Firefighters, EMS, 911 Telecommunicators, Veterans, ER Doctor, Nurses, Civilian Contractors, and their families can come together and heal. "Building and fostering relationships both inside and outside the family". Assisting in preserving their mental health to improve the overall family dynamic using outdoor sports and activities in a safe and structured environment utilizing peer support.

About the Founder

Retreat for Heroes was born from Heath’s passion for service over his 30-year career of public, private, and Military Service. Heath has watched professionals over the years fall through the cracks of their agencies and have nowhere to turn when they start feeling the devastating effects of their years of service as it comes back to affect their lives. This became apparent to Heath in 2021 when these devastating effects came to his life when the effects of his Post Traumatic Stress and a prescription medication overdose of Wellbutrin overpowered his life and he lost his marriage of 25 years and his family. The effects of all of this and other devastation that resulted from this became so overwhelming, and he tried multiple times to take his own life. It was at this point that Heath decided that Retreat for Heroes needed to come alive and become more than just an idea, but a healing destination.
Retreat for Heroes was born from Heath’s passion for service over his 30-year career of public, private, and Military Service. Heath has watched professionals over the years fall through the cracks of their agencies and have nowhere to turn when they start feeling the devastating effects of their years of service as it comes back to affect their lives. This became apparent to Heath in 2021 when these devastating effects came to his life when the effects of his Post Traumatic Stress and a prescription medication overdose of Wellbutrin overpowered his life and he lost his marriage of 25 years and his family. The effects of all of this and other devastation that resulted from this became so overwhelming, and he tried multiple times to take his own life. It was at this point that Heath decided that Retreat for Heroes needed to come alive and become more than just an idea, but a healing destination.
for the last several years, Heath has been researching programs and activities that have a healing effect on Post Traumatic Stress and other things that our Heroes deal with daily. Through this research, he has developed a concept with activities that have been proven through not only the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, but other charities that he has been with in the past and has added other proof of concepts that parallel some of these same activities. Having been involved in peer counseling and support for the last 10 years or so, he has seen an unbelievable amount of success in this concept and realized that this is the best way to work with peers that have anxiety about being labeled with stigmas attached to Post Traumatic Stress.

Our Mission

Retreat for Heroes is an upcoming 501(c)(3) Non-profit organization dedicated to helping Heroes and their family members heal and rebuild the family unit to preserve mental health, with an additional emphasis on preventing suicide.
We provide therapeutic retreats for Heroes and their families or support systems. Due to the life-changing impacts the transitions and injuries (physical, moral, emotional, or mental) have on the Heroes and their entire family, we have designed programs to provide support to the family unit as a whole.
We provide a network of resources and support to Heroes and their families through a variety of programs from our Flagship Retreat program to therapeutic recreational events. We help to build a new sense of purpose, hope, and camaraderie with others going through similar life-changing circumstances.

Retreat for Heroes in its planning stages has already been credited with preventing numerous suicides by inspiring Heroes to live through Peer Counseling. Through Peer Counseling, we have pulled Heroes from the depths of depression, eliminating their suicidal thoughts, and giving them purpose to start living.

The Unspoken Facts

Heroes Suicide, The Hidden Truth
In 2017, the suicide rate for Veterans was 1.5 x the rate for non-Veteran adults. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
In January 2017, the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Point-in-Time Count estimated that 40,000 Veterans were homeless and just over 15,000 were living on the street or unsheltered on any given night. Dept of Veterans Affairs.
Public Safety suicide rate jumped by 35% in 2019
The stigma and fear of career loss attached to PTSD has made seeking treatment for Public Safety Employees a terrifying experience.
Public Safety Employees suffering from Post Traumatic Stress and some contemplating suicide that were interviewed have said that they have not sought out Psychological treatment for fear of losing their career and the devastating consequences that would result from that.
Living With the Sacrifice
When a Hero is killed in the line of duty, the Military, their Agency, Country, and their communities rally to honor them as heroes.
The Fate of critically injured Hero is much different:
Heroes often receive support at the onset of their injury
As days turn into weeks and weeks become months, support fades away.
Heroes lose their sense of identity and mission as their careers leave them behind.
Disabled & Injured Heroes report
Feeling Isolated
Severe Depression
Suicidal Thoughts
Loss of Identity
Our Solution
Walk with Heroes and provide support through:
Group activities that help build confidence
Opportunities to network with other Heroes experiencing similar life changing events
On-going support to Heroes and their families through our Flagship Retreat program and having a property that they can come back to and participate as a volunteer at rotating future retreats.
A safe place to express challenges and ask for help.

RETREAT FOR HEROES FLAGSHIP RETREAT PROGRAM

In the Services, whether it be the Military or Public Safety, we are taught to be of ultimate service to our country and fellow Americans. Leaving that service doesn’t mean we abandon that mission. At Retreat for Heroes, we just redefined that mission focused on our Brothers and Sisters. To utilize all our training and experience to help our community of Heroes and their families heal and mend the family unit from the devastating effects that our careers have had on us.

Since those that haven’t experienced what our Heroes have been through, they cannot comprehend what the effects Post Traumatic Stress have on the individual and even less can comprehend the devastating toll that it takes on the family unit. This can culminate in family discord, substance abuse, alienation from the family unit, divorce, domestic abuse, and in a lot of cases the couple just existing together trying to figure it all out on their own with extreme amounts of stress. Introducing them to peers in a Retreat setting can give them hope by having other families to talk to in similar situations and see other examples of how their families are working through the same issues.

Our mission is still to serve, but now we can do it in a way that can make our community of Heroes better suited to deal with the issues that we all deal with and be able to make a difference in their lives and the lives of their families by providing a safe place and services for them to come and heal.

Our Retreat is a program that will provide a safe and structured environment that will include wellness, peer counseling, outdoor sports, yoga, meditation, massage therapy, the arts, physical fitness, relaxation, and networking programs for our Heroes and their families. Over time as we build the organization, we will continue to add to our programs to include a Service Dog training program with a Kennel and handler housing program and other services.

Retreat Goals

Providing a new mission
Being a First Responder is an identity that’s abruptly stripped away when you leave service. As time and support from colleague’s fade, First Responders can be left with feelings of self-doubt, lack of self-worth and even depression.

First Responders report feeling “isolated and forgotten.” We provide a safe and Structured environment that allows everyone to talk openly and honestly about the personal struggles they face every day. Everyone works together to find solutions and ways to cope.

First Responders report being “nervous about getting out alone.” We encourage these Heroes to challenge themselves as they enjoy the new activities and experiences with their families or support systems. We push them to conquer their fears and continue living their lives. We are successfully getting these Heroes out of their homes and back into living their lives to the fullest.
Our Events
Retreat for Heroes will provide numerous events and retreats each year. We will provide these family friendly events so that the entire family can escape the daily grind of their struggles and connect with other Heroes and families who are in similar circumstances. We will host as many Heroes and families as we can per event and per year so that they can create a long-term support network with one another.

If Heroes or families come to our events broken or struggling, they will leave the event with a renewed sense of strength; empowered to conquer new challenges. They will leave with a solid support network and most importantly they leave as a family.

When our Heroes leave from the retreat, they will have a contact support team through our Sentry Program that will stay in contact with the Heroes and their families. As the Heroes and their families progress through and become Alumni, they will have the opportunity to join the Sentry Team. This ensures that each Hero and their family have the opportunity to remain connected to the organization as long as they decide they want to be. This is how we ensure that Retreat for Heroes becomes a legacy, not just an opportunity.

Camp Concepts

The camp concepts are designed to provide for a modern and a more primitive retreat experience. Retreat for Heroes will tailor retreats utilizing a variety of experiences determined by pre-retreat surveys and other marketing research. Both the main camp and the tent camp are circular and surround a fire ring. That is very intentional as is the reason that the staff housing is separate. We want staff to interact after the program day, however, we want the Heroes and their families to continue to bond and interact as peers to continue that support and networking around the fire ring where we all can agree we can get a lot of peace and relaxation.
Main Camp
The main camp option is the modern camp approach. It will be designed using modern cabins or housing options as zoning laws allow. This option will have the modern comforts of home and will be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. We anticipate this being the most popular option.
Tent Camp
The tent camp has surveyed to be a popular option as a family getaway option to get back to nature and as a popular relaxation option.
Primitive Camp and Survival Course
The primitive camp will be made up of survival shelters made of resources that the Heroes find there. They will build their shelters during the event.

The survival course will be stations laid out throughout the area where the Heroes will learn and demonstrate different survival skills in a 2-3 day retreat. As we have surveyed this concept, we have found that it has been a very popular option amongst the Special Operations Community as a concept that they would enjoy with their children.

Activities

Retreat for Heroes is projecting a partnership with a landowner to build a retreat on 100 acres of land on a river that goes to the Tampa Bay. We will have variety of activities on the grounds, not limited to but including nature hiking, Shooting sports, water sports, adventure activities and archery. With 100 acres, the possibilities are endless.

The activities are a multi-prong project that will provide many opportunities to optimize, enhance and add to the mission of Retreat for Heroes. Through the use of nature, adventure, Brotherhood, Yoga, exercise, outdoor sports, outdoor education, animal contact, camping, pairing physical/mental conditions, guided relaxation and other outdoor activities paired with the ability to be away from the everyday civilization. This will enhance and optimize our suicide prevention mission.

The activities that we can host at the Retreats will include, but won’t be limited to:
Camping
Gardening
Survival Skills
Team Buildin
Scuba Diving
Relationship Classes
Fishing
Archery
Day Events
Wellness Retreats
Yoga
Kayaking
Hunting
Clay Pigeon Shooting
Sponsor Events
Adventure Retreats
Meditation
Massage Therap
Hiking
Target Shooting
Donor Events
Team Retreats
Boating
Healing
We are limited only by our imagination!

Outreach and Growth

Public Speaking
We reach out to the public any chance we get in public speaking opportunities. Most of our public speaking engagements are ones that we have been invited to speak. If you have an opportunity that you would like to invite us to speak at. Please email us at info@retreatforheroes.org
General Outreach
We reach out to the community through outreach such as festivals, one day events, meet and greets, personal appearances, fundraisers, and other miscellaneous events and services.
Memberships
We will be starting a Membership support opportunity that will allow a supporter to become a member of our organization starting at $22.00 a month to signify our mission to end the 22 suicides a day, and other tier levels as well.
Sentry Program
Our Sentry Program will allow us to enroll Heroes into a peer support program that will ensure that they are being contacted by one of our staff on a regular basis for support. Whether it be daily, weekly, monthly, or whatever the need may be until that support is no longer needed. Once a Hero is put into Alumni status, that Hero can become a Sentry and provide support to other Heroes that may need it.

With your continued support, we will continue to develop more programs to continue and further the mission of reducing the effects, of Post-Traumatic Stress on the family unit, assisting in preserving the mental health of our Heroes, and preventing suicide in the Hero Community.