TMF Kids enjoying ice cream at Lakeside Scoops thanks to our friends at Scoops for Troops!
Our third year of Summer Programming is in the books and it was a big one! Since May the Travis Mills Foundation has hosted 88 recalibrated veteran families at our retreat in Rome, Maine. To date, we have now hosted more than 300 recalibrated veteran families at the retreat!
The summer was filled with a lot of exciting moments, from kids catching their first fish to roller skating for the first time. Families enjoyed precious moments together as they encouraged each other on the ropes course, paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, and so much more!
For many of our recalibrated veteran families, the bonds that are made at the Travis Mills Foundation are cherished for a lifetime. We are so fortunate to be a part of the special moments that we see happen at the retreat. Most recalibrated veteran families who come to the retreat together do not typically know each other but by the end of it, they leave with everlasting friendships.
Recalibrated veterans at the Learn to Shoot program thanks to Honored American Veterans Afield
Having the opportunity to be a part of the connections that are made at the Travis Mills Foundation is something that is unimaginable. But of course, making these memories and having these opportunities to connect wouldn’t be possible without the support of our volunteers, partners, and donors.
This year we were fortunate to continue our partnerships with Ballard Farms for equine therapy, Project Healing Waters for fly fishing, Waterville Country Club for golf instruction and playing, and Veterans Adaptive Sports and Training for archery!
We also joined forces with other programs this year and were able to offer a two-day shooting course made up of adaptive trainers thanks to Honored American Veterans Afield. Additionally, Team 43 athletes and their families joined us from the George W. Bush Presidential Center for two separate weeks of programming this year! Achilles Freedom Team also joined us for hand cycling!
Recalibrated veteran families take a pause for a picture at the top of one of the local mountains.
While the summer program weeks are over, we have four weeks of programming beginning next week dedicated to the husbands, wives, daughters, and sons of the recalibrated veterans who have played a critical role in supporting the recalibrated veteran to live their daily lives. Caregivers are a crucial part of the recovery process for the recalibrated veterans. We host the Caregiver Weeks to help them rejuvenate and create support systems with others who have experienced similar obstacles. We are so thankful so many of you help support the recalibrated veteran caregivers who help ensure our recalibrated veterans are able to live life to its fullest.
We also could not have done all of our programmings without our dedicated 600+ volunteers. Not only do they show up every day to help, but they are so welcoming and will help with ANYTHING! Thanks to their belief in the mission, we are able to continue hosting more and more weeks each year, and we look forward to the years to come. Thank you to the volunteers for helping us continue this mission in helping recalibrated veteran families–we couldn’t do it without you.
Thank you to our amazing donors who help to ensure every recalibrated veteran family who attends the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat never incurs a cost. We can’t thank each and every one of you enough for believing in the mission and supporting America’s recalibrated veteran families!