[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 195 (Thursday, November 30, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1622-E1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    BOULDER CREST RETREAT ARIZONA FOR MILITARY AND VETERAN WELLNESS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARTHA McSALLY

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 30, 2017

  Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I had the honor to meet 
with the leadership team of Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and 
Veteran Wellness in beautiful Sonoita, Arizona.
  The 130-acre retreat is nestled in a riparian valley in southern 
Arizona just 60 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. This beautiful facility 
is the second rural retreat established to provide free respite, 
activities and programs for our nation's seriously Wounded Warriors and 
their family members. Boulder Crest provides private accommodations, 
recreational and healing activities focused on the science of 
posttraumatic growth for approximately 700 personnel each year. The 
retreat has much to offer including:
  Three beautiful homes that can accommodate up to six people and are 
available for 2 to 7 night stays;
  A lodge where guests can gather to connect with other families and 
participate in programs;
  Extensive outdoor amenities that include an archery range, nature 
trails, playground, organic garden, bird sanctuary and fishing pond;
  Recreational activities and programs include nature walks, fishing, 
archery, gardening, swimming and kayaking in the nearby Parker Canyon 
and Patagonia lakes, hiking the Arizona Trail; and
  Numerous healing activities for combat stress and first responder 
recovery to include yoga, meditation, journaling, art and music 
therapy, canine, and equine assistance therapy.
  Retired U.S. Navy bomb disposal expert, Master Chief Ken Falke and 
his wife Julia came up with the idea after numerous visits to severely 
wounded EOD personnel at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
  The Falkes founded the EOD Warrior Foundation and wanted to provide a 
place where Wounded Warriors and their family members could escape 
their grueling treatment schedules and find solace outside of the 
hospital.
  Boulder Crest Retreat Virginia has hosted over 3,000 personnel in 
four years since opening Boulder Crest Retreat Virginia and we are very 
excited to bring their success to Arizona. Please also know that a $10 
million gift was provided to make this happen by the A. James and Alice 
B. Clark Foundation in Bethesda, Maryland.
  I would like to take a moment to honor Ken and Julia Falke, the 
staff, the volunteers, and donors for making this idea a reality.
  I am proud to have this remarkable facility in my state. God bless 
our troops and God bless the United States of America.
  I would like to include in the Record the following press release on 
receipt of a transformational $10 million donation from the A. James 
and Alice B. Clark Foundation to heal combat veterans and their family 
members:

                    (From PRNewswire, July 6, 2017)

      A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation Provides $10 Million 
  Transformational Donation to Heal Combat Veterans and Their Family 
                                Members


                 boulder crest retreat expands out west

       SONOITA, AZ.--Today, Boulder Crest Retreat announces a $10 
     million donation from the A. James and Alice B. Clark 
     Foundation. This is the largest gift in Boulder Crest 
     Retreat's history. The gift provides the capacity to expand 
     its programs to the western United States for veterans and 
     families who are healing from combat-related stress.
       After 16 years of war, the longest in American history, it 
     is estimated that 2.1 million combat veterans and family 
     members struggle with invisible wounds. With only 50 percent 
     of those struggling willing to seek help from the mental 
     health system, Boulder Crest Retreat offers a non-clinical, 
     accessible, acceptable, and effective approach that ensures 
     veterans and their family members can make peace with the 
     past, live in the present, and plan for a great future at 
     home.
       The $10 million donation enables Boulder Crest Retreat to 
     double the number of people they serve in their current 
     Virginia facility and expand geographically by helping to 
     support the purchase a newly remodeled 130-acre Apache 
     Springs Ranch just 45 minutes south of Tucson, Arizona in the 
     beautiful town of Sonoita.
       Four years ago, the Foundation provided a donation of 
     $250,000 to Boulder Crest Retreat to build the first of four 
     log cabins in Bluemont, Virginia. One year later, the 
     Foundation donated $1.25 million to construct the A. James 
     Clark Lodge in Bluemont. These donations enabled Boulder 
     Crest Retreat to host more than 2,600 combat veterans and 
     family members to date.
       Halfway through an 18-month longitudinal study conducted by 
     leading psychologists Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Bret 
     Moore, it is clear that Boulder Crest's PATHH (Progressive 
     and Alternative Training for Healing Heroes) programs deliver 
     results that far outpace the status quo, and represent a 
     ground breaking and scalable solution for PTSD and combat-
     related stress.

[[Page E1623]]

       The results of this study led the board of directors at 
     Boulder Crest Retreat on a strategic mission to scale their 
     success nationwide. The Foundation's investment allows 
     Boulder Crest Retreat to expand and work with other 
     organizations around the nation that are interested in 
     adopting the Boulder Crest Retreat Warrior PATHH curriculum.
       ``We are humbled beyond words and honored by the decision 
     of the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation directors. The 
     Clarks are true patriots and philanthropists--I personally 
     know their passion for serving our nation's military,'' says 
     Ken Falke, chairman and founder of Boulder Crest Retreat. 
     ``This gift will change the lives of tens of thousands of 
     military and veteran family members, and allow them to live 
     the great lives they deserve.''
       Boulder Crest Retreat provides combat veterans and their 
     families with a strength-based healing and recharging 
     program. These programs come in two forms--PATHH programs 
     which are based on the science of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), 
     a proven framework to transform times of deep struggle into 
     profound strength and lifelong growth. PATHH programs are 
     free and include Warrior PATHH, Family PATHH, Couples PATHH, 
     and Caregiver PATHH. In addition to its PATHH suite of 
     programs, Boulder Crest Retreat devotes a portion of each 
     calendar year to Family Rest and Reconnection (R&R) Retreats. 
     These free retreats are 2-7 nights in length and provide 
     families with the opportunity to rest, reconnect, recharge, 
     and grow--together.
       The A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, formerly the 
     Clark Charitable Foundation, provides investments to help 
     hard workers with a drive to achieve. The Foundation seeks 
     out grantees that build practical, immediate, and concrete 
     connections between effort and opportunity--from creating 
     scholarships for engineering students, to improving schools 
     for D.C.'s children, to providing veteran reintegration 
     programs.
       ``Our mission has always been to enrich the lives of people 
     in our community and to give back,'' explains Bob Flanagan of 
     the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation. ``Our team has 
     witnessed the beauty, attention to detail, and impact of 
     Boulder Crest Retreat Virginia and is very excited to provide 
     this gift in Mr. Clark's honor to help replicate Boulder 
     Crest Retreat in Arizona.''


            about the a. james and alice b. clark foundation

       We believe in the power of hard work. This conviction 
     enabled our founder, A. James Clark, to grow a local 
     construction company into a national success. And it guides 
     the philanthropic giving we continue in his name today. At 
     the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, we invest to help 
     hard workers with a drive to achieve. We seek out grantees 
     who build practical, immediate and concrete connections 
     between effort and opportunity--from scholarships for 
     engineering students, to better schools for D.C.'s children 
     to veteran reintegration programs. Then we give our grantees 
     the resources and autonomy they need to succeed, holding them 
     to the highest expectations on behalf of the individuals they 
     serve. For more information about the A. James and Alice B. 
     Clark Foundation, please visit http://
www.clarkfoundationdc.org.


 about boulder crest

       Boulder Crest Retreat Foundation owns and operates two 
     rural sanctuaries that provide free accommodations, 
     recreational, and therapeutic activities, and breakthrough 
     combat stress recovery programs to help our nation's military 
     and veteran personnel and their families thrive and live 
     great lives--full of passion, purpose, and service--here at 
     home in the aftermath of war. Boulder Crest Retreat Virginia 
     is a 37-acre facility located in the foothills of the Blue 
     Ridge Mountains in Bluemont, Virginia, just 50 miles west of 
     Washington, D.C. Boulder Crest Retreat Arizona is a 130-acre 
     ranch located just 45 minutes south of Tucson, Arizona in 
     Sonoita. Boulder Crest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 
     and is entirely funded through private donations from 
     individuals, foundations and corporations. For more 
     information about Boulder Crest Retreat, please visit http://
www.bouldercrestretreat.org.

 ____________________