This is a really special blog post for me! I was invited by Mark Landon of the Nature Corps organization to photograph an event where three agencies came together to support our veterans and our national parks! These three agencies collaborated to create an amazing work retreat focused on supporting healthy marriages in the veteran community! Such a great connection with healthy forests and healthy marriages...planting, supporting, raising, growing strong roots! So symbolic of love and life! We are all better for having experienced this event.
Borrowing the words from Mark Landon of the Nature Corps–here is a description of the weekend!
"Our veterans have sacrificed so much, and for many that includes their marriages. Unfortunately, the divorce rate among veterans has reached an alarming 80%. Imagine the heartbreak of returning home from combat only to find yourself in a marriage that is in utter turmoil. This campaign is our opportunity to help veterans preserve what is most precious to them, their marriages and families.
In support of initiatives to address the high divorce rates, Nature Corps, in collaboration with the Veterans Administration and the National Park Service, have developed the VIP (Veterans in Parks) program. This rewarding program gives veterans and their spouses the practical “tools” they need to preserve their marriages.
All this takes place in the magnificent setting of the National Parks. It’s here that couples come together to preserve their marriages while at the same time volunteer to preserve our nation’s most cherished natural treasures.
This past September the Nature Corps hosted veterans and their spouses in Sequoia National Park. The goal of the event was to bring healing to the veteran’s marriages as they volunteered to restore one of the world’s rarest habitats-the giant sequoia groves."
After reading this post, maybe you'll consider giving to this organization's GoFundMe page to allow them to continue to provide this type of support to our veterans and the giants in the forest! Thanks for reading friends! Your support makes a difference!
https://www.gofundme.com/preserving-veterans-marriages
