A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation Provides $10 Million Transformational Donation to Heal Combat Veterans and Their Family Members

Boulder Crest Retreat Expands Out West

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Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness

Jul 06, 2017, 12:30 ET

SONOITA, Ariz., July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Boulder Crest Retreat announces a $10 million donation from the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation. This is the largest gift in Boulder Crest Retreat's history. The gift provides the capacity to expand its programs to the western United States for veterans and families who are healing from combat-related stress.

After 16 years of war, the longest in American history, it is estimated that 2.1 million combat veterans and family members struggle with invisible wounds. With only 50 percent of those struggling willing to seek help from the mental health system, Boulder Crest Retreat offers a non-clinical, accessible, acceptable, and effective approach that ensures veterans and their family members can make peace with the past, live in the present, and plan for a great future at home.

The $10 million donation enables Boulder Crest Retreat to double the number of people they serve in their current Virginia facility and expand geographically by helping to support the purchase a newly remodeled 130-acre Apache Springs Ranch just 45 minutes south of Tucson, Arizona in the beautiful town of Sonoita.

Four years ago, the Foundation provided a donation of $250,000 to Boulder Crest Retreat to build the first of four log cabins in Bluemont, Virginia. One year later, the Foundation donated $1.25 million to construct the A. James Clark Lodge in Bluemont. These donations enabled Boulder Crest Retreat to host more than 2,600 combat veterans and family members to date.

Halfway through an 18-month longitudinal study conducted by leading psychologists Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Bret Moore, it is clear that Boulder Crest's PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Training for Healing Heroes) programs deliver results that far outpace the status quo, and represent a groundbreaking and scalable solution for PTSD and combat-related stress.

The results of this study led the board of directors at Boulder Crest Retreat on a strategic mission to scale their success nationwide. The Foundation's investment allows Boulder Crest Retreat to expand and work with other organizations around the nation that are interested in adopting the Boulder Crest Retreat Warrior PATHH curriculum.

"We are humbled beyond words and honored by the decision of the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation directors. The Clarks are true patriots and philanthropists — I personally know their passion for serving our nation's military," says Ken Falke, chairman and founder of Boulder Crest Retreat. "This gift will change the lives of tens of thousands of military and veteran family members, and allow them to live the great lives they deserve."

Boulder Crest Retreat provides combat veterans and their families with a strength-based healing and recharging program. These programs come in two forms — PATHH programs which are based on the science of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), a proven framework to transform times of deep struggle into profound strength and lifelong growth. PATHH programs are free and include Warrior PATHH, Family PATHH, Couples PATHH, and Caregiver PATHH. In addition to its PATHH suite of programs, Boulder Crest Retreat devotes a portion of each calendar year to Family Rest and Reconnection (R&R) Retreats. These free retreats are 2-7 nights in length and provide families with the opportunity to rest, reconnect, recharge, and grow — together.

The A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, formerly the Clark Charitable Foundation, provides investments to help hard workers with a drive to achieve. The Foundation seeks out grantees that build practical, immediate, and concrete connections between effort and opportunity — from creating scholarships for engineering students, to improving schools for D.C.'s children, to providing veteran reintegration programs.

"Our mission has always been to enrich the lives of people in our community and to give back," explains Bob Flanagan of the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation. "Our team has witnessed the beauty, attention to detail, and impact of Boulder Crest Retreat Virginia and is very excited to provide this gift in Mr. Clark's honor to help replicate Boulder Crest Retreat in Arizona."

ABOUT THE A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation

We believe in the power of hard work. This conviction enabled our founder, A. James Clark, to grow a local construction company into a national success. And it guides the philanthropic giving we continue in his name today. At the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, we invest to help hard workers with a drive to achieve. We seek out grantees who build practical, immediate and concrete connections between effort and opportunity — from scholarships for engineering students, to better schools for DC's children to veteran reintegration programs. Then we give our grantees the resources and autonomy they need to succeed, holding them to the highest expectations on behalf of the individuals they serve. For more information about the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, please visit http://www.clarkfoundationdc.org.

ABOUT BOULDER CREST

Boulder Crest Retreat Foundation owns and operates two rural sanctuaries that provide free accommodations, recreational, and therapeutic activities, and breakthrough combat stress recovery programs to help our nation's military and veteran personnel and their families thrive and live great lives – full of passion, purpose, and service – here at home in the aftermath of war. Boulder Crest Retreat Virginia is a 37-acre facility located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bluemont, Virginia, just 50 miles west of Washington, D.C. Boulder Crest Retreat Arizona is a 130-acre ranch located just 45 minutes south of Tucson, Arizona in Sonoita. Boulder Crest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is entirely funded through private donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. For more information about Boulder Crest Retreat, please visit http://www.bouldercrestretreat.org.

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CONTACT: Ken Falke
[email protected]
(571) 344-2341

SOURCE Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness