nature connection retreat for veterans

Hello everyone, my name is Ethan Smith, a proud veteran and founder of High Speed Holistix, a wellness retreat for veterans. After serving for ten years in the army I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure connected to chemical exposure on a deployment. After  leaving the  military I struggled to find purpose in my life and I felt disconnected from myself and those around me. I am not alone. Too many of our service members find themselves struggling with mental dilemmas that if left untreated lead to mental and/or physical illness or worse...  much worse. 

Desperate for a change, I took a solo trip into the wilderness with whatever I could fit on my motorcycle. During my journey, I found solace amongst the mountains of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. I was able to reconnect to myself through nature and developed a sense of purpose as I acquired new skills in back-country camping, bushcraft, and wilderness survival as  well as emergency and holistic medicine. Most importantly, I became happy again, which for so long felt out of reach. I know now that my goal in life will be to help facilitate this process for my fellow veterans. This is what inspired High Speed Holistix, an opportunity for veterans to reconnect to themselves through wilderness activities and mindful holistic practices.

With a team of other holistic professionals, psychologists/counselors and primitive skill instructors, we will show each veteran that they can form their own purpose after the military. Our mission is to reignite self-worth and awareness for veterans who find it challenging to integrate into the civilian world. Whether it is caused by an unstable career or family life, Maybe just have difficulty communicating with and understanding those around us that we love so much. These retreats will take place on a beautiful property two hours south of YellowStone National Park surrounded by 1300 natural lakes and some of the most awe-inspiring mountains, most within a 2.5 million acres nature preserve.This is an ideal location to facilitate healing, find community and learn techniques to inspire real and lasting change.

To officially launch this wellness retreat and change the lives of the brave men and women who served our country, I need your help. I want to offer a Wyoming wilderness adventure, free of charge to five veterans, complete with; back-country camping, bushcraft, high altitude lake sailing, wildlife tracking, horseback riding and mind-full holistic practices. These 5 nominated service members will have three weeks of impact-filled experiences and will be sent home with a new set of tools to use for personal growth. 

This is hopefully just the beginning of something so much bigger. I have filed for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit business and hope to develop this retreat into a program for transitioning veterans struggling with finding purpose and happiness in their everyday life. Our goal of $25k will allow $5k to be delegated to each veteran in order to cover all expenses including travel (to and from), lodging, food and supplies. Any left over funds will go to start-up costs for the nonprofit.

Help me help my brothers and sisters in arms. Any donation is greatly appreciated.

If you would like to personally sponsor or nominate a veteran please reach out directly to me.