Homeward Bound Adirondacks expands its retreat center
Homeward Bound Adirondacks since 2014 been providing free assistance to veterans ranging from case management, transportation, mentoring and suicide prevention for those in need.
The group also runs a series of popular retreats for veterans that can include hikes, fishing trips and other outdoor activities.
That outdoor component is in keeping with the Adirondacks’ reputation for offering a unique nature-based kind of therapy. In fact, the organization was the brainchild of some local residents and cartoonist Garry Trudeau as a nod to the area’s history of healing.
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Trudeau, as many Adirondackers know, is the great-grandson of Edward Livingston Trudeau who championed the “cottage cures” used here to treat patients with tuberculosis. Garry Trudeau retains ties with the region.
“Saranac Lake had always been a place of healing and wouldn’t it be wonderful if the same Adirondack healing properties could help soldiers,” was the thinking, according to the group’s executive director Valerie Ainsworth.
Homeward Bound has steadily grown since its inception. They have a staff of nine full-time employees and several part time volunteers. Ainsworth is a social worker who also serves as executive director of the Mental Health Association of Essex County.
Healing in the great outdoors
The outdoor retreats are free to any veteran who wants to come. While many come from northern New York, they’ve also hosted veterans from Buffalo, New York City, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Participants need only to provide their own transportation to the area.
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Participating veterans share in a number of activities – ice fishing or snowshoeing in winter, or fishing kayaking or hiking in the summer.
While the retreats are not technically considered to be therapy, there are opportunities for veterans to talk and share their experiences. That is helpful, since some may suffer from PTSD as do many veterans who served during the Iraq or Afghanistan periods.
“It’s a time to get away from the world and meet with fellow veterans,’’ Ainsworth said.
“A lot of them haven’t really been with other veterans since they left the military. They love the camaraderie, the joking and the banter,” she said. “What we frequently hear people say it was life changing for them.’’
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A permanent home for retreats
They have run the outdoor retreats year round since 2015, initially using a variety of spots including Camp Dudley and the 4-H Camp Overlook, as well as Paul Smith’s College. Finding spots during the busy summer season has been a challenge, said Ainsworth.
Because of that, three years ago they acquired property with a series of ponds near Lake Titus in Malone.
Last summer they ran camping retreats at the ponds and they are now working to build cabins and a lodge for a permanent retreat center.
“We’ve been doing this in phases,” said Ainsworth.
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So, far they have done some landscaping and have gotten wells dug and installed electric power. A utility building is almost finished, which will serve as a lodge and “base camp” until the other structures are up.
They would like to have two cabins built by the end of this summer. That would help with winter retreats, which draw a lot of participants.
Ainsworth says that’s because people, at least in the Northeast, may experience more isolation being indoors during the cold months.
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Continued support through various funding sources
Funding has come from a variety of sources including including the United Way, Adirondack Foundation and Stewart’s Shops.
The American Legion contributed as well.
The state’s Regional Economic Development program has also awarded Homeward Bound $100,000.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also has provided their financial underpinning through a three-year $750,000-per-year grant for staffing. The ends in September and Ainsworth is hoping to extend that by another year.
That money comes through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention grant program.
Ultimately, Homeward Bound, and especially the retreats, aim to provide veterans a way to connect with their peers.
“What we frequently hear people say is that it was life changing for them,” remarked Ainsworth.
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