About
Mission
To provide recreational therapy opportunities to Veterans pursuing mental health improvement by means of counsel and sponsorship.
Vision
Veteran Recreation Corporation strives to assist veterans in their journey to find positive coping mechanisms in the recreation industry. We hope that supporting beneficiaries of this program financially will eliminate barriers that prevent them from being able to create a lifestyle change for the better.
Objectives
Work to create a reliable network of Veteran Service Organizations and Veteran owned companies for effective communication and collaboration.
Ensure every veteran who reaches out receives optimal support even if VR cannot single handedly support the request.
Which includes, but is not limited to:
helping with planning, preparing, and/or locating products and services to support an individual's goals.
general outreach (emotional support, encouragement, lending an ear, etc.)
connecting veterans with similar interests.
referring veterans to other opportunities within the VSO network.
Provide/help seek out additional mental health resources for veterans and military service members.
Promote recreation as a healthy coping mechanism for improving mental health.
About the Founder
Lindsay is a mental health advocate who lives for exploring in the outdoors. She started hiking in 2016 to work through some grief (more about that on the blog) and the mountains really became a place where she thrived. Realizing the healing powers of nature and physical activity, she began using social media as a way to show the world her journeys and preach the benefits of outdoor recreation. While hiking 2021 miles in 2021 to raise money for mental health programs for veterans, the idea to start an organization to encourage more veterans to get outdoors was born.
After moving to the mid-west and realizing hiking wasn't as easily accessible, she decided to take on more hobbies to expand her own skills. In doing so she discovered she would be able to connect with other veterans with different interests. In addition to hiking and running she now enjoys mountain & gravel biking, gardening, photography, fishing, hunting, and paddle boarding.
She has also expanded travel nationally, now having visited 46 states and summiting the state high points of 40 of them. She has also visited 23 of the 64 national parks, and isn't stopping there.
The world IS her playground. With Vet Rec, she looks forward to helping other veterans find a hobby and/or a place that is special to them, so that they may find a safe haven that makes them feel whole.