The military homecoming is a rush of joy and emotions—the battle has seemingly ended. But has it?
Those who serve don’t always escape the battlefield when they arrive safely home. The battle continues…and sometimes it gets harder. Repeated deployments, extended deployments, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other wounds visible AND invisible take a toll on the service members AND their families. These factors contribute to depression, addiction, divorce, anger, abuse, anxiety and in far too many cases SUICIDE.
THE HOMECOMING TRUTH
Once the homecoming “happy” tears and hugs are over, the real battle often begins. It’s back to family schedules, money challenges, marriage stressors and family obligations. How do the service members have time to adjust to the pace of being home, of being full-time family members instead of service members, and how do they cope with the invisible wounds they carried home—the ones no one seems to understand? How do the military spouses, kids and other family members learn how to adjust to the service members BEING home? How can they reestablish connections, heal wounds and move towards a better life? This can’t be done in an hour or even in a day—but it can happen.
OUR MISSION
We know how tough it can be for military families to heal, reconnect and overcome their challenges in the middle of their chaotic lives filled with distractions, stress and at times volatile emotions.
They CAN heal, reconnect and overcome in the “right” environment!
“Our two-year program starts with retreats, but the retreats are just the beginning. The two years of continuing services and support we provide after the families leave their retreats are key to ensuring that they thrive for many years to come.”
~Heather Ehle, founder and CEO of Project Sanctuary
We have a two-year program that begins with our six-day, outdoor, therapeutic military family retreats. These retreats provide a “sanctuary” for military families to reconnect and heal through recreation, education, and counseling. Then the program continues with TWO YEARS of ongoing support and services.
The retreats take military families out of their routine lives and put them into environments that are fun, casual and peaceful. After a few days, the walls start to come down, the communication opens, and in the quiet moments, families begin to put themselves back together. Real change happens.
Our mission is to do more than just help our military families: our mission is to TRANSFORM military families, giving them the tools to make the transition successfully and to thrive moving forward. Our military families deserve it!
