(Ian Gustafson/paNOW staff)

By Ian Gustafson

Fundraising Campaign

River Valley Resilience Retreat receive donations to begin 2022 fundraising campaign

Jan 20, 2022 | 6:00 PM

The River Valley Resilience Retreat is beginning its 2022 fundraising campaign in hopes of reaching a goal of $200,000.

The retreat will be a safe place for first responders to heal and to talk with their peers who are going through similar situations and take a break in nature.

Originally proposed on land in the RM of Duck Lake, the $200,000 will be used to purchase a residence the retreat can operate out of and are exploring more suitable options rather than build the facility on the land.

Jeff Reeder, co-founder of the River Valley Resilience Retreat said they hope to reach their fundraising goal as soon as they can.

“Hopefully in 2022 it’s the year we can officially call a place home and open for business 365 days a year,” Reeder said.

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Feedback on the need for the retreat from first responders has been growing according to Reeder.

“There’s still some stigma out there that we need to educate people that it’s okay to reach out and it’s a safe place for them to get some help. All of the first responder agencies are reaching that burnout and there’s no break there’s no downtime from the exposures we face because it’s hard to turn off. Recognizing that you do need to take a break and where to go and how to access it is the first step in recovery.”

There are a few upcoming fundraisers in the works such as the Nordic Lodge raffle which is a three-day fishing excursion for a couple. They also have the annual First Responders and Veterans Golf Scramble and silent auction happening Sept. 8.

Recently the group received a $500 donation from local resident and veteran Arnold Murphy. As well, on Thursday morning, the retreat was presented a $2,000 donation from Northern Elite Firearms that was raised during a New Year’s Eve target draw.

Melanie Markling, co-owner of Northern Elite Firearms said they donated because she saw the need within the community for this service, especially in her former career in corrections.

“I see there’s a need for an opportunity or resources to help people kind of find their way through a hard time and the hard time being as a first responder sometimes it’s really a lot of weight to bear,” she said.

For the target draw, she said she had 400 shooting range targets on New Year’s Eve for the retreat and sold them in less than 24 hours.

“Our first responders and their families and the experiences that they go through, that needs to be honoured and respected and this is the very least we could do.”

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Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanGustafson12