Parenting is a tough job. Possibly the toughest job of your life. Imagine how much harder it becomes when you return wounded from active service. Simple things like picking your children up when they fall, helping them tie their shoe-laces, or simply being there for them become tougher than you believed possible.
The trauma of war remains long after the return home, impacting the lives of everyone involved. Physically and psychologically injured personnel face the prospect of months in rehabilitation, and family roles are constantly under pressure. Children wonder why their mommies or daddies have changed so much and why they are no longer like other parents. The pressure to carry on in the face of overwhelming adversity can crack even the happiest families.
While the physical and psychological needs of injured personnel are taken care of, this leads to more time away from their loved ones. Spouses may have to take on a new job to cope with the financial demands when the main breadwinner is unable to provide. Finding either the time or the money to be together as a family and focus on each other in a stress-free environment is often an impossibility.
The Blewitt Foundation
Rich Blewitt, chairman of Josephson Institute’s board of governors, set up The Blewitt Foundation to turn that into a reality.
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Injured Military Personnel and Their Families Attended |
Destination R&R is an all-expense-paid retreat for injured military personnel and their families. Applications are handled by the National Military Family Association (NMFA), a nonprofit group representing the interests of military personnel and their families. Applicants are asked to provide information detailing their combat wounds and physical and mental independence. Additionally, and more importantly, they’re asked how their injuries have affected their family life. One excerpt read “I have been a soldier since I was 17. My children have always seen me as a strong person involved in many sports. I am unable to do that anymore. My boys now see me as being handicapped in certain ways as I am unable to take care of myself.”
This summer, the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, MD, hosted one hundred very important guests. Prior to their arrival, staff attended sensitivity training to help them understand the special considerations required by the injured. How to assist without being over bearing, how to relate without being condescending, and how to ensure the atmosphere was truly recuperative.
An Emotional Thanks
“Never in my 24 years in hospitality management have we had the honor to serve a more well-deserved group,” Pete Mangione, general manager of the Turf Valley Resort, told us in a recent telephone interview. “Seeing people who have made such sacrifices with no regret was an incredibly moving experience,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
In addition to enjoying the resort amenities, the participants were introduced to the CHARACTER COUNTS! framework and the Six Pillars of Character. CC! national director Julie Dwyer said, “CC! permeated the environment and impacted those in attendance in very special ways.” In testimonials written by the children, the predominant experience was one of compassion. “I learned that other people care,” wrote one.
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A Visit to the Orioles Game |
More than 40 youth from 4 to 15 participated. Being with other families facing similar challenges, seeing others helping their daddies move around, watching others coping with how their mommy changed when she was away, and realizing there are so many people they can turn to when they feel at their lowest provided hope. That same youngster explained why it was important to learn that others care: “Because I didn’t feel that people cared before.”
A former Navy journalist, Blewitt knows only too well how the traumas and memories of war linger and intrude on lives just when they are trying to regain normalcy. Destination R&R is “a small token of appreciation to bring fun, hope, and smiles to faces that haven’t had that in a long time.”
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R&R Courtesy of The Blewitt Foundation |
Looking to the Future
The emphasis was on R&R, but there was also a chance to look to the future, something many hadn’t dared to do, struggling as they are with the challenges of the present. University of Maryland University College (UMUC) was on hand to provide computer training, help children set up websites, and offer advice on further education opportunities. Four lucky recipients were awarded a $5,000 education grant at the farewell dinner, and Connections Academy gifted a laptop computer to each family to help maintain the skills learned in Web design.
Too often the politics of war get in the way of the people involved. The Blewitt Foundation has created a program that gets to the heart of the matter by bringing together brave people who have selflessly served their country. You can see for yourself what a difference five days made to this year’s participants by watching The Blewitt Foundation video here.
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Fun and Games with the Six Pillars of Character |
The plan is to continue these five-day retreats throughout the year using the CC! framework to show love and appreciation. We know the efforts of all involved were greatly appreciated, and maybe life will be a little more manageable for the families.
We wish them well. If you would like to donate to The Blewitt Foundation to help them continue these essential and unique retreats, please visit their site.
Donations can also be sent to the Foundation at the following address:
The Blewitt Foundation, 23065 Tail Race Road, Aldie, VA 20105
