About
Mission:
To provide a free, first-class rural retreat for America's seriously wounded warriors and their families to reconnect and recover.
Vision:
To create a sustainable non-profit model where wounded warriors and their families can reconnect and recover among the beauties of the natural world and where other established non-profit organizations can offer their programs for veterans free of charge.
The need:
Boulder Crest Retreat for Wounded Warriors is founded on the premise that there is no greater duty as an American than to provide for those men and women who have given everything but their lives (mind, body and soul) to serve and protect us. They went so we would not have to and their service has allowed us to maintain our freedom and continue to live the peaceful lives we know today. The real story of what happens to our wounded soldiers is frightening.
349,000 of our soldiers have suffered serious lifelong injuries:
In the United States, we have about 24.5 million veterans and about 2.5 million combat veterans. Our military medical facilities are stretched beyond their capacities and can provide only bare minimum care. While technological advancements have increased battlefield survival rates, the result is a new breed of wounded veterans with lifelong injuries, including amputations and sever brain injuries. Since 2002, over 40,000 of the more than 2 million deployed have sustained lifelong injuries, including over 1,600 major amputees. Another 600,000 are estimated to be suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Warehouses of despair and the challenging path forward:
Our nation's wounded warriors (typically 24 years old and making $2,000 per month) come from communities all across the United States and often end up in military hospitals around Washington, DC. Once released from inpatient care, they are then assigned to outpatient Warrior Transition Units (WTIs), often spending up to three years in rehabilitation. These transition units, while appreciated by the wounded, have been described as warehouses of despair leaving damaged service men and women feeling isolated, depressed, and unclear about how to move forward with their lives. The realization of lifelong injuries extends to and puts immense pressure on families, spouses and children.
Taking care of our own:
Our wounded soldiers deserve a place where they can be with their families to decide where they will live once they are released, how they will meet their financial needs, where and how they will purchase a handicapped vehicle, how their children will adjust to having a handicapped parent, etc. Tragically, they have to do so within the walls of crowded hospitals and rehabilitation facilities while their spouses and children are living in temporary quarters and struggling to cope with a future full of uncertainty.
Capital need:
We need an additional $4 million to complete construction of the retreat. The land has been purchases and infrastructure has been laid with a current investment of $1 million. We also need an additional $6 million to cover operational expenses for the first five years. Our wounded warrior population needs and deserves our help. You can help them by funding this project that will serve our injured soldiers for many years to come.