Embrace A Vet participants, with the assistance of Kieve-Wavus staf,f climb on Kieves indoor climbing facility on the Nobleboro campus.
Kieve-Wavus and Embrace A Vet will host the first of a planned series of collaborative retreats at The Kennedy Learning Center on the beautiful lakeside grounds of Camp Kieve on Damariscotta Lake, Nov. 10-14.
Founded in 2012 by Joy Johnson, Topsham-based Embrace A Vet, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing direct and supportive services to Maine veterans, and their families, living with post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury. Embrace A Vet offers, without charge to participants, three life-changing programs: healing and wellness retreats, caregiver peer-support groups, and Paws for Peace, a service-dog training program.
After observing the transformation of veteran couples during several Embrace A Vet retreats held at its facility, Kieve-Wavus will apply its 90 years of experience running summer youth camps and recreational retreats for veterans and their families in partnership with Embrace A Vet and provide administrative support for three veteran/caregiver retreats annually. This will allow Embrace A Vet’s all-volunteer staff to focus on recruiting veteran couples for the program and guiding them through five days of education and training in energy psychology, self-care techniques, and other alternative therapies such as yoga, acupuncture, massage, mindful meditation, and Native American healing, as well as seasonal recreational activities during the retreat.
“We are so pleased and excited by Kieve-Wavus’s interest in supporting our retreats. It feels like a natural partnership and a win-win for both organizations” said Deborah Farnham, president of Embrace A Vet.
Kieve-Wavus has been offering camps to support deployed veterans and their families for the past seven years at both of their campuses on Damariscotta Lake. Kieve-Wavus Executive Director Henry Kennedy said, “We are very pleased to be able to enhance our healing and supportive veteran camps with this new Embrace A Vet partnership. Our exceptional, energetic staff and volunteers provide each participant unconditional love, kindness, and respect, which leads to a great deal of personal growth, reflection, and renewed family cohesion.”
Kieve-Wavus facilities are perfect for these retreats as there are numerous activities that veterans and their families can engage in, including indoor rock-climbing, an outdoor adventure course, pottery, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, and many other camp-related events.
For further information about the retreats or other Embrace A Vet programs, go to embracavet.org, email info@embraceavet.org, or call 449-9149. Kieve-Wavus Education can be reached at 563.5172 and kievewavus.org.
