The Valley VFW Posts initiated this flagship project, uniting 12 posts in the Shenandoah Valley with a mission to engage younger veterans and crucially support Boulder Crest Retreat (BCR). We're honored to host this ride, raising funds for BCR's commendable cause. So far, we've successfully donated $121,500 to BCR. Read on to discover BCR's mission, vision, and beliefs in their own words.

 

Why We Exist

We exist to solve the mental health crisis and to heal our military members, veterans, emergency responders, and their families dealing with PTSD and combat-related stress, so they can live productive, fulfilling, and service-oriented lives at home.

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OUR MISSION

To provide free, world class, short-duration, high-impact retreats for combat veterans and their families.

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OUR VISION

To revolutionize a strength based model of healing, founded on Post-Traumatic Growth, that integrates evidence-based therapies, a safe, peaceful space, world-class experts, and unparalleled customer service to improve the physical, emotional, spiritual, and economic
wellbeing of our nation’s combat veterans and their families.

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The Problems We Are Solving

In the aftermath of 19 years of war, more than 900,000 combat veterans, and 1.8 million family members, are battling the invisible wounds of war. The current mental health system, with its reliance on a one-size-fits-all approach of pharmaceuticals and talk therapy, has proven ineffective and ill-equipped to address the nature and scale of the challenges facing combat veterans and their families. These service members, veterans, and family members deserve and require strength and growth-based training so they can bring their unique set of skills, experiences, and strengths to bear here at home. 

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What We Believe

• We believe that a privately-funded model is the only way to generate the innovation, flexibility, and individualized care required to solve this problem. We believe that combat veterans are the strongest among us, and that they only require training to thrive at home. We believe that times of struggle can serve as the fuel for transformation and growth.

• We believe combat-related stress is contagious, therefore, to heal combat veterans, you must focus on the entire family.

• We believe that a calm, rural setting is a key component of the healing process.

• We believe that strong, capable, and trained military mentors, working hand-in-hand with therapists and training experts, are the key to fostering an environment of trust, openness, and safety.

• We believe that life is full of ups and downs. Successfully dealing with struggle requires mentors, strong support networks, and wellness practices.

• We believe that a comprehensive wellness model encompasses Mind, Body, Spirit, and Financial elements. 

• We believe that those best equipped to train others to achieve post-traumatic growth are those who have experienced posttraumatic growth in their own lives.