Swim With A Mission awards grants to 3 veteran service organizations in Lakes Region

MANCHESTER — Swim With A Mission is excited to announce the distribution of three substantial grants to veteran service organizations in the Lakes Region. The total of $227,500 in funding will provide essential support to programs dedicated to improving the lives of veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.

Camp Resilience — $200,000

The Patriot Resilient Leader Institute, known locally as Camp Resilience, is a nonprofit founded in 2014 by a group of veterans and local citizens. Since 2014, Camp Resilience has welcomed hundreds of participants to rediscover their health and wellness. The organizational leadership consists of a diverse group of individuals with backgrounds in business, military, public safety, mental health, and nonprofit sectors.

Camp Resilience recognizes those who have served their country and communities often need a helping hand to recover and maintain their mental and physical health. By running Camp Resilience retreats for service members, veterans, first responders, and their loved ones, Camp Resilience does its part to help those who have served bounce back in mind, body, and spirit.

Camp Resilience serves about 200 participants a year offering three- and four-day retreats in the beautiful Lakes Region, which provide veterans, and in some cases their spouses and caregivers and their families, with peer-to-peer counseling, life skills workshops, and outdoor activities.

Lakes Region Veterans Coalition — $2,500

The Lakes Region Veterans Coalition is comprised of local veterans and community leaders working to implement the Together With Veterans suicide prevention program. This program, funded by the VA Office of Rural Health, focuses on helping rural veterans connect with their communities and access vital mental health resources.

The Together With Veterans program is a five-phase process to support rural communities in developing a local action plan to prevent veteran suicide. The five phases guide the community through identifying veterans and other key partners; learning about suicide prevention and specific community strengths and needs; and developing and carrying out an effective local veteran suicide prevention action plan.

“In New Hampshire, veterans make up 9% of the adult population. Understanding their unique culture and recognizing the signs of veteran suicide is crucial, even though it’s a difficult topic. Encouraging people to ask the right questions and acknowledge the problem is key to reaching out and offering support,” said Chris Peirce, vice president of LRVC.

At Liberty CONNECTIONS — $25,000

At Liberty CONNECTIONS was founded in 2023, by veterans, for veterans, with the mission of helping those who have been impacted by trauma and are struggling with life's challenges. The organization offers transformative events and retreats at independent horse farms, such as UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Goffstown, and The Ladd Farm in Bridgewater. These retreats are specifically designed to help veterans, their families, and others affected by trauma reconnect with themselves, each other, and their communities. Through hands-on equine-assisted activities, participants are provided with a safe, healing space to process their experiences and promote emotional well-being.

“Serving in the U.S. Army for 25 years was my greatest honor, but it didn’t come without personal sacrifice. It wasn’t until years after my military retirement I experienced a transformative equine-assisted session. This powerful healing process helped me overcome severe depression and anxiety. Now, I’m passionate about sharing this experience with other Veterans and their families, helping them find healing, connection, and a renewed sense of hope,” said Dr. Kathleen Roth, founder of At Liberty CONNECTIONS.

These grants reflect SWAM’s ongoing commitment to supporting veterans in the NH Lakes region and beyond. Through its partnerships with local organizations, SWAM continues to help improve the lives of those who have served our country.

To learn more, visit swam.org.