A Presque Isle resort is the host site for outdoor recreational therapy for veterans and first responders and will be part of a TV show.
The group "Healing Patriots" is bringing veterans to the Sunrise Resort. Supporting partners include the Winegar American Legion Post 480 and Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce.
President of Healing Patriots, Ed Garza, says the group was formed to help veterans in their recovery and give back to those who have served. He says they have five-day expeditions of fishing or pheasant hunts in a fall. He says they will be at Sunrise Resort May 12 through the 16....
"...hopefully, if the ice is gone, spend a little time out on the water and then we'll have our opening ceremony at the American Legion Post on Saturday, May 12, at 7:00 p.m. One of the unique things that we have is American Heroes Outdoor TV who will be coming to spend 2 1/2 days with us to capture a little of the events we do during the day, the fishing, then capture some of the stories of the heroes that are coming on this trip with us...."
Garza says the veterans really enjoy the outdoors...
"..they've had a fantastic time and we've had some trips in the previous years and we noticed there were some positive changes for the folks we brought out. We were like, 'this is something we have to continue to do'. We have veterans and first responders coming from three different states to join us. We're very excited about having them join us for five days on this expedition...."
Garza says the local businesses and American Legion have been greatly supporting the experience, and he looks forward to more visits to Presque Isle. Healing Patriots, a non-profit organization comprised of an all-volunteer team of veterans, fishing professionals, and community leaders have made it their mission to serve injured veterans and first responders with multiple day outdoor expeditions as a form of recreational therapy.
