Military Families and Veterans Initiative

Spouse and Caregiver Listening Session Recap

The Sierra Club’s Mission Outdoors hosted an amazing group of military spouses, caregivers, service members and veterans, as well as Sierra Club volunteers at YMCA of the Rockies on April 13th and 14th. We conducted listening sessions across the country begin learning about we needed to do as the Sierra Club, to better serve the military and veteran community. This was our final of three listening sessions this past year.

A series of final thoughts and reports on what we learned at the listening sessions and what we plan to do will be coming out in the next few weeks. For now, we’ll focus in on what we learned at the military spouse session.

First of all, one should never be surprised at the level of commitment and grace our military spouses and caregivers have for their service members, and yet, surprised we were. We intended to focus on military spouses. How could we, as the Sierra Club, support military spouses and caregivers? Yet time and time again, our participants kept bringing up ways in which we could work together to support the service members or military kids. Eventually we got down to the brass tacks of how we could provide support directly to caregivers and spouses, and that meant getting down to the brass tacks of supporting service members, veterans, and military kids. Not just their own families, but also all military families.

Three key themes came through loud and clear:

1. Empathy, not sympathy. Our military families, care givers, service members, and spouses are strong, resilient men and women. None of the men and women we met asked for sympathy or wanted sympathy. They wanted empathy, understanding, and support. It can be a fine line, but it’s one we need to walk carefully.

2. Opportunities, not hand outs. It has been said many times over by many other organizations and individuals more articulate than me. It does not need further explanation here.

3. Cultural differences. The cultural differences and how people live, ‘inside the gate’ and ‘outside the gate’ or in uniform and out of uniform are different and real, but not insurmountable.

Our facilitator, the indomitable Suz Hartung of Shifting Gears, Inc., instructed us to come up with a list of words that represented the positive things about the community or organization they represented: committed, passionate, patriotic, dedicated, service, hard working, strong, cooperative, leaders, and teamwork. We were surprised that we shared common language representing both communities. The room was charged up, people were laughing and felt good.

Next, we were asked to do the same thing, but with words we had associated with negative stereotypes of the groups we represented. The room became dark, people’s voices changed and words like unstable, broken, entitled, and angry came out of both groups. One of the military spouses, who would later in the weekend teach us that when working with service members who may have post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, the key was to use an ‘extra measure of grace’, pointed out that:

“The good words are how both sides are every day, that’s the norm. The bad words represent only the extremes, and usually only the extremes of someone’s really bad day.”

For the rest of the weekend, as we sat and saw the late spring snow powder down amongst the Rockies, we kept those words in mind. We were far more similar than we were different and we knew we could get our mission done. It is an important lesson for the rest of America. We had a great weekend and our special thanks go to the YMCA of the Rockies who provided free lodging for our amazing guests; Blue Star Families, and Project Sanctuary who helped us recruit so many of the amazing spouses; and the Rocky Mountain Outings Group and staff who gave of their weekends to make not only the weekend happen, but future outings with our military and veteran community.

Finally, a big thanks to Larry Frederick, Chief of Interpretation and Education at Rocky Mountain National Park for spending time with our team and for 40 years of service to the American people and our lands.

 

~Stacy Bare, OIF Veteran

Military Families and Veteran Representative to the Sierra Club

"Helping America's Military and Veteran Community experience the freedom of the land they defend"

 

Ft. Ord becomes a National Monument!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 20, 2012 Contact: Virginia Cramer, 804-225-9113 x 102 Sierra Club Praises Designation of Fort Ord National Monument Washington, DC: President Obama today will designate the nation’s newest national monument, Fort Ord National Monument in California. From 1902 to 1994, Fort Ord served as a unit garrison site and basic training base for Army soldiers who served in America's conflicts from the Spanish-American War to Operation Desert Storm. The newly named Fort Ord National Monument is a reminder of the service of over a million troops who trained on these lands and a recognition of the area’s continuing historical and natural importance. "We applaud President Obama for using his authority to protect this important piece of America. His decision will ensure long term protection of a piece of the past and lasting enjoyment for future equestrians, mountain bikers, hikers and nature lovers," said Michael Brune, Sierra Club executive director. Fort Ord's public lands contain 86 miles of trails through some of the last remaining open space in the Monterey Bay area. Thousands of bicyclists, hikers, trail runners and horseback riders use the trails each year and enjoy sweeping views of Monterey Bay and the Salinas Valley. The grassland hills and the area's rare plants and wildlife also draw photographers and nature enthusiasts of all kinds. "In addition to honoring the men and women who served our country at the former Fort Ord, the establishment of the Fort Ord National Monument will help preserve 44 rare, threatened or endangered plant and animal species. Among these species are the peregrine falcon, snowy plover, Smith's blue butterfly, Monterey spineflower, and sand gilia," said Dr. Tom Moore, Fort Ord committee chair for Sierra Club's Ventana Chapter. "The National Monument area is rich in wildlife, magnificent views and military history." The establishment of Fort Ord National Monument is supported by county supervisors, city council members, recreation and conservation groups, and local communities. "President Obama's announcement today reflects broad support among Americans for protecting public lands for future generations. We hope he will continue to heed the call to permanently protect our wild legacy," said Brune. ###   Sierra Club 85 2nd St. San Francisco, CA 94105 sierra.news@sierraclub.org www.sierraclub.org/pressroom

1st Anniversary of Joining Forces

This morning, thanks to the generosity of our good friends and close partners, Blue Star Families, Mission Outdoors had the privilege to attend the 1st Anniversary Celebration of the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden's Initiative, Joining Forces. Despite the blustery April morning, it was a fantastic event and I had plenty of shivers down my spine, not from the wind, but from hearing about the many stories of strength and resiliency from our military and veteran community, including the families of our service members.

We are also very proud of our partners at Project Sanctuary, who were selected as one of the top five Joining Forces Community Partners of the Year this year. 

Tom Brokaw and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, spoke along with the First Lady, Dr. Biden, and Moranda Hern, an Air Force Academy student who started the organization the Sisterhood of the Travelling BDUs.

It was a great morning and a strong reminder that military families and supporting troops are not a partisan issue. We can all do our part and at the Sierra Club are proud of the work we have done and will continue to do to ensure our military and veteran communities and families can all get outside to experience the freedom of the land they defended! It was also good to see so many old friends and meet new ones who are all working hard everyday to ensure that the sacrafices of our service members and their families is honored in meaningful ways by a country that welcomes our troops home!

Enjoy the photos of today's festivities on the White House lawn and we look forward to seeing you out on the trail!

~Stacy Bare, OIF Veteran

Military Families and Veteran Representative to the Sierra Club

"Helping America's Military and Veteran Community experience the freedom of the land they defend"

 

Project Sanctuary, Retreat #22

Our Future Is So Bright, We Gotta Wear Shades.

Veteran families find reconnection, renewal, hope in the outdoors. Project Sanctuary retreat #22

Granby, Co, March 2012. 

Project Sanctuary’s therapeutic retreat #22 started off pretty much like most.  Twelve stressed out military families arrived Friday night, wide eyed and not sure what to expect for their six day adventure.  For this particular retreat we had partnered with Sierra Club (they understand the benefit of outdoor recreation). 

“Military children serve too, and we’ve found that connecting these children with the outdoors allows them to not only have fun, but gives them and their families a sense of resiliency,” said Stacy Bare, Sierra Club Mission Outdoors Military Families and Veterans Representative.  “The outdoors heals.”

This March in Colorado is officially MUD season, so planned snow activities like tubing and Horse drawn sleds were nixed.  YMCA of the Rockies and the PS staff quickly added new activities like Horse Back riding, Yee Haw! Our twelve families came from all over the county to enjoy, not only horses, but wagon rides, hikes, snow mobiles, Healthy Marriage Classes and Financial Peace classes.  We even had an acupuncturist show up for free evaluations and services.  Cups and needles galore!!  Country Music Singer, Barry Michaels, provided our families with an intimate private concert!  Kids were singing “Don’t’ Uncountryfy Me” for the rest of the week!

Our families were a mix of active duty, Veterans, some with physical wounds, but most with invisible wounds.  Two of the families were “dual”, meaning both mom and dad serve.  And one very special family was divorced.  With a deployment for dad looming in the next few days, this family came together for their three kids. 

TBI stands for Traumatic Brain Injury.  It is one of the”invisible wounds of war”.  When a service man or woman is near an explosion or for whatever reason their brain gets rattled, the injuries can be lifelong.  One of the common problems is sensitivity to light.  Most of the “guys” wear dark glasses to keep from getting migraines.  So picture a beautiful Colorado day, and we have a professional photographer, Steven Willis, lined up to get those family portraits, outdoors……..

One of the first families to show up is a young Veteran, Chris , his wife Allison and their two small girls.  He is donning really dark sunglasses.  As they are poised on the log, the wife whips out her sun glasses and puts them on.  Hey? What is going on? She doesn’t have TBI and it certainly isn’t bright? Steven snaps away.

Then the next family shows up.  Again, this Soldier is wearing dark sun glasses and so is the wife.  And then the third family, same story.  As we watched the silent service and support that these spouses portrayed, we had chills.  This is their life.  To them living with TBI is part of their new normal.  And heck, doesn’t everyone wear dark glasses in their professional family portraits? 

As the retreat progressed we heard from many of the “sunglass wives” that the retreat was life changing.  That this was the first time in many years their husbands were not only being social, but enjoying it! Being outside and getting stuck in the mud is a spontaneous group bonding activity.  And is actually therapeutic!  Anything to get these families engaged, outdoors and with others! 

The kids had a blast, swinging in the fresh air, connecting with other kids.  We never saw an iPod, phone, game system or heard a child complain about the lack of TV.  They were too busy PLAYING and just being kids. 

Now we don’t proclaim to fix marriages or save lives.  There is no magic and no purple Kool-Aid.  What Project Sanctuary does is provide a safe, loving place for these families to heal.  They do all they work.  For Retreat #22, it seems the families did extra work.  There were lots of tears during check out, families trading emails, making plans for after;  just what we love to see.  A drastic contrast to the reported 18 Veteran suicides that happen every single day.

The email I got following the retreat is a testament to the strength and resilience of our military families.

The subject line was “NEW PURPOSE IN LIFE”.  Chris, our young Veteran in Dark Sunglasses, is moving to Florida to take care of his Grandfather.  Because like most military families, they step up to the plate.  But because of TBI and Post Traumatic Stress he had lost grip on his personal goals.  His wife Allison and their two daughters were always there and exemplified support and just how the families serve every day. 

In his email he outlined a new direction, a new passion, HOPE, and a future.  Chris wants to give back and help other Veterans through raising livestock.  Yep, help other Veterans.  Chills.  So yes, this family’s glasses may be dark, but their future is, once again, bright. 

-Heather Ehle, Executive Director and Founder of Project Sanctuary

Thank You to all our partners who made April 1st great!

The Celebration of the Military Child Outdoors marks Sierra Club Mission Outdoors program inaugural event. All of our programs (Building Bridges to the Outdoors, Inner City Outings, Local Outings and Military Families and Veterans Initiative) worked together with dozens of partners to offer a free day of fun in the outdoors to military kids and their families at Prince William Forest Park near Marine Corps Base Quantico. On a beautiful and mostly sunny day, hundreds of children hiked learned how to kayak and cast a fly rod.

Colonel Daniel Choike, Commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico, kicked off the day by thanking the families for coming and telling parents they should give their kids two days off from school for their service – April Fools!

National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis joined us to share a bit about the shared history of the military and our National Parks. Did you know that some of the first protectors of our National Parks were the Buffalo Soldiers?

Our own President of the Sierra Club Board of Directors, Robin Mann (a military kid herself), was also on hand to kick things off by announcing the Sierra Club’s renewed commitment to connect all people with the outdoors. Mann announced Sierra Club’s commitment to fund $675,000 (from The Sierra Club Foundation) to the National Military Family Association, Armed Services YMCA and the YMCA of the USA to provide outdoor experiences to military children. We know that the outdoors heals. We hope this funding will help provide some real opportunities for military kids, who often experience greater stress and anxiety, by giving them a chance to connect with the natural world and just be kids.

So, why are we doing this? We wanted to have a day that celebrated the sacrifices our Nation’s Military Children are asked to make every day with one or both parents in the military. We wanted to share with the military community the outdoor activities available in their own backyards. And, we wanted to share with the military a day of good fun and even some skills training so they could get outside on their own following our celebration.

This event would not have been possible without Laura Cohen and the amazing team from Prince William Forest Park, who honored the kick off the month of the military child, by declaring April 1^st a fee free day. A BIG THANKS to all of our co-hosts, partners and volunteers for not just talking about supporting our troops, but really doing it! our co-hosts - Blue Star Families, the Armed Services YMCA, National Military Family Association, and the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, Washington DC Inner City Outings (ICO) Group and Potomac Regional Outings Group, and partners, Active Network, Alice Ferguson Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, Children & Nature Network, Glen Echo Park, Leesylvania State Park, National Wildlife Federation, NatureBridge, Raptor Conservancy of Virginia, Team River Runners, Trout Unlimited, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

Also, a special thanks to the Mission Outdoors super intern, Sally McGuire, who did a fantastic job coordinating our three dozen volunteers (from the Washington Internship Institute, Marine Corps Community Services and many individuals) and handling much of the ground work for the event!

The Month of the Military Child is being celebrated all month around the country. We’ll be on hand to celebrate military kids in San Diego at the end of the month. But, don’t wait for us! Do your part by picking up a fishing pole or finding a trail and take a military kid outside!

More stories and photos will be posted about this event and the Month of the Military Child on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Be sure to follow us there – and if you are getting a military kids outdoors this month let us know on our Facebook page!

~Stacy Bare, OIF Veteran

Military Families and Veteran Representative to the Sierra Club

"Helping America's Military and Veteran Community experience the freedom of the land they defend"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Martin!

Tuesday morning we woke up to a new era at the Sierra Club’s Mission Outdoors; an era without the leadership of Martin LeBlanc. It was a weird feeling for all of us coming into work on Tuesday knowing none of us would be calling out to Seattle for our various weekly check in call with Martin, no e-mails coming in over the weekend following up on our latest brain storm about how we could get more people outside or tell the story of one of our amazing volunteers to a larger national audience.

For the last ten years, Martin has spearheaded successful policy, advocacy, granting, and service provision programs at the Sierra Club. His contributions to the movement of getting all of America outside have been significant, as were his travel miles and hours away from home. At conferences and on trails throughout America, Martin not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.

He was responsible for the creation of the Building Bridges to the Outdoors and the Military Families Outdoors programs. Through his leadership, Martin has helped connected literally hundreds of thousands of underserved youth, military kids and their families and veterans with the great outdoors. In Martin’s final year at the Club he oversaw the formation of a new entity, Mission Outdoors, which aims to unite Sierra Club’s programming and advocacy work to get all of America outdoors. He has set the foundation for the rest of us to really build the program in the coming months and years.

We can look around the Mission Outdoors team, and the broader Sierra Club and see different imprints of Martin and how his time at the Sierra Club has left a positive impression and the foundation for a lasting legacy. The good thing is, we will not have to look far for outside the Sierra Club to find Martin. He is taking over as the Vice President at IslandWood; a beautiful place of respite and environmental education on Bainbridge Island, just west of Seattle.

IslandWood has been the host to a number of Sierra Club programs and retreats in the past, and no doubt will continue to be a place we can call home in the future. Martin, we congratulate you on your work with the Sierra Club and thank you for giving us a chance to do the work we love. We wish you all the best in the future and no doubt, we’ll see you out on the trail….after all, as we lose a director, we know we stand to gain a volunteer!

Celebration of the Military Child Outdoors--Photo Recap!

Hey Sierra Club Nation,

We just got done with an amazing day with our Nation's Youngest Heroes, our military kids, at Prince William Forest Park! We had a great day with all of our partners and co-hosts including the Outdoor Alliance for Kids, Armed Services YMCA, Blue Star Families, National Military Family Association, and the National Park Service!

A HUGE thank you to our fantastic volunteers from the Marine Corps Community Service at Quantico, the great outings leaders from Inner City Outings and Outings programs in and around Washington DC, and all the other great organizations that made the event happen! We were thankful for COL Choike, Marine Corps Base Quantico's Commander, and Director of National Parks, Jon Jarvis, for spending time with us and sharing their thoughts on the importance of the outdoors for our military families.

And of course an even bigger thank you to our fantastic military families who came out to spend a day outside with us! We had giant tigers and polar bears, fly fishing, kayak demonstrations, hiking, invertebrate watching, tree identification, visitors from the Virginia Raptor Conservatory, and a lot of fun outside!

You can look forward to a longer write up of the event coming this week, but for now, enjoy the photos and we hope to see you out on the trail soon!

April is Month of the Military Child

CELEBRATION OF THE MILITARY CHILD OUTDOORS

Hundreds of military children gather to kick off Month of the Military Child!

TRIANGLE, VA - April 1^st marks the start of the Month of the Military Child. The Sierra Club, Armed Services YMCA, Blue Star Families, National Military Family Association, Outdoors Alliance for Kids and the National Park Service are kicking off this month with an outdoor celebration for hundreds of military children and their families at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia. Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, will speak about the importance of connecting military children with the outdoors. 

“Military children serve too, and we’ve found that connecting these children with the outdoors allows them to not only have fun, but gives them and their families a sense of resiliency,” said Stacy Bare, Sierra Club Mission Outdoors Military Families and Veterans Representative.  “The outdoors heals.”

The outdoors allows children to “unplug” and connect with other military children. Military families and veterans have found that time in the outdoors helps them reconnect with families and friends, and regain positive aspects of their military experience.

“The Celebration of the Military Child Outside event will strengthen family bonding and give our military families healthy tools to help make military life easier. We are proud to partner with the Sierra Club and other non-profits on this great event and year-round,” said CEO Mike Landers of the Armed Services YMCA.

Children of deployed military families are twice as likely as those from nonmilitary families to report elevated anxiety and experience significantly higher rates of behavior problems than their peers.

“Our military children face many challenges right now,” said Mark Smith, Executive Director of Blue Star Families. “Between moves, school, and deployments, military kids really need a chance to get outside, play, and explore. That’s why we’re excited to join these military-serving organizations to celebrate military children outdoors.”

Hundreds of children with active-duty parents will get to enjoy a day of hiking, learn how to cast a fly rod and pitch tents. These types of outdoor experiences give children an opportunity to relax and reconnect with each other.  

“The National Military Family Association has long shared the belief in the healing powers of the outdoors.  After more than 10 years at war, events like this that bring families together outside to make new memories are so important,” Joyce Raezer, National Military Family Association Executive Director.

Children spend an average of 7.5 hours a day connected to electronic media, and less time getting outside.  

"Kids aren't getting too many opportunities to just be kids these days," says Jacqueline Ostfeld, Chair of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids and Sierra Club National Youth Representative. "OAK is proud to stand with military children and their families to celebrate their service and give kids an opportunity to decompress from the daily stresses they face by getting their hands dirty and enjoying some quality family time in the great outdoors." 

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About the Sierra Club Mission Outdoors

Mission Outdoors is Sierra Club's initiative to provide access to outdoor experiences to people of all ages and backgrounds.  Through direct programming, advocacy and education, Mission Outdoors aims to give all Americans a meaningful outdoor experience. Read more at http://www.sierraclub.org/missionoutdoors

About the Armed Services YMCA

The Armed Services YMCA is a nonprofit organization designed to make military life easier. We provide support services to military service members and their families all over the world, with a particular focus on junior-enlisted men and women — the individuals on the front lines of defending our nation. At its 14 dedicated branches, the ASYMCA offers essential programs such as childcare, hospital assistance, spouse support services, food services, deployment support, emergency support, computer training classes, health and wellness services, and holiday meals, among many others.  Visit http://www.asymca.orgfor more information.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families. In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Membership includes military spouses, children and parents as well as service members, veterans and civilians. Read more at http://bluestarfam.org

About the National Military Family Association 

Military families serve our country with pride, honor, and quiet dedication. The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. We provide families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, work to get them the benefits they deserve, and offer programs that improve their lives. Our more than 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation's leaders. To learn more, visit www.MilitaryFamily.org.

About National Park Service’s Prince William Forest Park

Prince William Forest Park is an oasis of natural beauty and human history located only 35 miles south of Washington, DC. 37 miles of hiking trails and 21 miles of bicycle-accessible roads and trails traverse this 15,000 acre piedmont forest. Beneath its canopy lies evidence of human history reaching back to 8,000 B.C. http://www.nps.gov/prwi/index.htm.

About the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK)

OAK is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in expanding opportunities for children, youth and families to connect with the outdoors. OAK believes that the well-being of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors. OAK brings together more than forty national organizations across the nation. Find out more on our website: http://www.outdoorsallianceforkids.org.