Operation Purple Family Retreats
It is difficult on the entire family when a loved one is deployed, but the time after that father, mother, husband, or wife returns home is often the most challenging of all. Recognizing this, the National Military Family Association is piloting two Operation Purple® Family Retreats. These free, four-day retreats are set in a National Park using nature’s classroom, where families will have opportunities to strengthen and renew relationships, explore their natural surroundings, and participate in fun family-focused activities.
Operation Purple Family Retreat participants will be paired with highly specialized field science educators who will guide families through various activities such as nature hikes, canoeing, campfires, beach exploration, arts and crafts, and challenge activities. Families will have opportunities to communicate, work as a team, and reconnect while exploring and learning about the environment.
Additionally, activities which will highlight areas of strength and resilience in the family and promote family growth will also be provided. Families will work together to strengthen their relationship through problem solving, goal setting, and communication activities.
These retreats are open to service members and their families who have experienced deployment within the last twelve months. Families who attend will receive a $200 stipend upon arrival to the retreat site to cover cost of travel. The retreats are free thanks to support from the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation.
For more information please contact Cynthia Clagg at cynthia.clagg@nmfa.org.
Location and Dates:
Headlands Institute: March 20-23
Located just north of San Francisco in the beautiful Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Headlands Institute partners with the National Park Service to provide residential environmental science education for students and educators, teen leadership programs, summer day camps for kids, and retreat facilities. http://www.yni.org/hi
Olympic Park Institute: March 27-30
Located on the shore of Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park, the Olympic Park Institute partners with the park to provide outdoor science education programs, conference and retreat facilities, professional development opportunities, and Elderhostel programs. http://www.yni.org/opi
Made Possible with Support From:
The Sierra Club Military Families Outdoors: The Sierra Club's Military Families Outdoors program supports organizations that provide military Veterans, Service Members and their families with the mental and physical benefits of outdoor experiences. By sending the child of a deployed parent to summer camp, providing a much-needed weekend getaway for a military family to reconnect, or creating challenging wilderness adventure courses for combat theatre veterans and active duty service members, together we are working to ensure that those protecting our country get to enjoy its natural wonders. http://www.sierraclub.org/military
The FOCUS Project: The FOCUS Project (Families OverComing Under Stress) is a resiliency-building program designed for military families and children facing the multiple challenges of combat operational stress during wartime. FOCUS was developed by the UCLA Child and Family Trauma Service at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in coordination with the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS). http://www.focusproject.org/
Outer Edge Performance: Outer Edge Performance (OEP) offers custom adventure and team-building experiences for individuals, groups, and teams of all kinds. http://www.outeredgeperformance.com/
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