The Coalition to Salute Americas Heroes Presents:

Heroes Freedom Weekend 2019

Thank you for your interest but registration for 2019 has now closed! Look in this space going forward for news about the next Heroes Freedom Weekend!

November 1 – 4, 2019

Heroes Freedom Weekend 2019 is a 4-day getaway ADULTS only event for married couples that will take place in Colonial Williamsburg, VA.

This event will give you the chance to bond with your spouse, build veteran friendships and tour some of our countries most famous historic and honored landmarks.

Application Criteria:

This program is designed for a disabled veteran and married spouse only and you must be a current member of our Veterans Circle program. Please note that if you are selected no children are allowed to attend. You will need to make your own arrangements for any dependents prior to accepting the invitation to attend.

Program Details:

The Coalition will provide transportation to Williamsburg, VA and back to your home airport and will cover all program costs, accommodations, food, entrance fees and tours. Any gifts or incidentals you wish to purchase will be at your own expense.

An application does not guarantee your acceptance to this event. A representative from our team will be contacting you via phone to conduct an interview if you meet the criteria and are chosen by our selection committee, so please provide a current phone number for us to reach you.

MORE DETAILS:

The Heroes Freedom Weekend is a 3-4 day relaxing marriage enrichment retreat for combat wounded veteran couples. The primary goal is strengthening the bonds of marriage for Veteran couples who have so much additional stress in their lives due to physical and mental wounds from war.

Along with the couples who attend, we see so much value in the efficacy of our program, helping to avoid situations that include divorce, custody battles, depression and often suicide or attempted suicide. A strong marriage acts as a pillar of support in the life of a wounded veteran, to allow him/her to survive, recover and rebuild.

A recent study showed that suicide rates in the military were highest among people divorced or separated — with a rate of 19 per 100,000 — 24% higher than troops who are single. It also showed that relationship problems are a common occurrence preceding suicide. showing that 39.5 percent of suicide attempt cases had experienced a failed relationship within 90 days of the suicide event. Primarily these involved romantic partners, but also included close friends and family.

The HFW19 implements the Warriors to Soulmate Program which:

Warrior to Soul Mate (W2SM) is a program that:

Aids in helping Warriors reconnect with their spouse.
- Works to help spouses understand the emotional toll military service can take.
  - Improves communication techniques to reduce conflict in a healthy manner.
  - Helps to restore the bond between soul mates.
  - Teaches couples how to reclaim the love they once shared.
  - Provides a plan for how to renew a life together.

Due to the success of our previous marriage retreats and other programs, we are stretched thin with our number of wounded veterans applying for help. With support from donors and sponsors, we’re working to bring in 12+ Wounded veteran couples to help strengthen and enrich their marriages.

The retreat will take place from Nov 1-4 (Fri – Mon) in Colonial Williamsburg Virginia.

This event would also give us a great opportunity to update the face of the invisibly wounded veteran family, which make up 90% of the 200 applications we’re now getting each month.

For more information regarding supporting this events, we are still in need of sponsorship, gift-in-kind donations and volunteers. Please contact ddaugenbaugh@saluteheroes.org to learn more.