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Institute for the Health and Security of Military Families

Marineland Florida Military Support Retreat

In June 2013, we were invited to Marineland, FL to partner for the very first Marineland Military Support Retreat. Briana Goff and Kali (Orrick) Summers attended from the Institute. Similar to the Flint Hills Retreat held by the Institute in October 2011, the retreat consisted of 16 Veteran and Caregiver pairs, which included not only Service Members/Veterans, but their primary caregiver as well, including spouses and parents. The participants included both Veterans (who had all served post 9/11 and were from Northeast Florida) and Active Service members from all branches of the military. The purpose of the retreat was to “promote community based non-profit integrative intensive retreats for service members and their primary support persons and to inspire long-term plans to create a wellness/healing restoration center for military personnel in the Town of Marineland.”

Gratitude America, a non-profit organization based in Florida, hosted the first ever retreat in this region with the hopes of it becoming an annual occurrence. The mission of their organization is “to champion an alliance of service & support organizations that partner to provide comprehensive community resources for veterans their families, and the families of the fallen. These American heroes are owed a debt we can never fully repay, but we are passionate about making a significant difference in their lives.” More information on Gratitude America is at: gratitudeamerica.org

The Institute’s role at this retreat was to conduct research and to assist with the small group sessions. Events for the retreat included group education sessions, as well as several local events, kayaking, boating, equine therapy, a nature walk, a visit to the Marineland Dolphin exhibit, and tai chi. The weekend retreat concluded with a community forum to provide an opportunity for the participants and community members to communicate about the needs in their area. Five Gold Star Families were also honored at the community forum.

The Institute gathered pre-post data with the participants who completed the retreat. The results indicated significant improvements in relationship satisfaction scores from pre to post-test (3 days!) and a trend toward improvements in trauma symptoms. The Institute is currently conducting follow up data collection and developing a manuscript on the model and data from the Marineland retreat. The participants from the June 2013, retreat have had 2 reunion events as well as several informal meetings and continue their ongoing support and collaboration. All of the June Retreat alumni are assisting with the planning and implementation for the next Marineland Retreat, which is scheduled for February 2014. In addition, a second Flint Hills Retreat is currently being planned for Fall 2014.

Below are comments from participants who attended the retreat:

“It’s opened up more of a communication between my wife and myself.”

“Loved everyone sharing.  People were very open and nice, formed a great camaraderie!”

“We had a lot of great discussions!”

“It was a great experience!”

“So much love and kindness.  Everyone was extremely passionate and caring!”

“The entire program is amazing!”

“The staff was great! They really put their hearts and soul into this event!”

Because the purpose of the event included a community forum, the event was featured in several local news stories:
Marineland Retreat News Articles:

Jacksonville News

St. Augustine News

News Journal Online

Palm Coast Observer

Gratitude America

 

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