Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Of the 2.2 million American troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001:
• Several hundred thousand have sustained physical and psychological wounds
• The physically wounded from both wars number more than 40,000
• Roughly 30,000 of these wounded warriors have suffered serious injuries that will have permanent
effects on their own lives and the lives of their families
Then there are the psychological wounds:
• Between 20-30% of deployed troops test positive for depression or PTSD
• More than 100,000 soldiers today are on prescribed anti-anxiety medication, and 40,000 are thought by the Army to be using drugs illicitly
• At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drugThe effect on wives/spouses and children is immense:
• There have been more than 25,000 cases of domestic violence in military families in the past decade
• Problems in family relationships are reportedly four times higher following a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Military Support Retreats
GratitudeAmerica Military Support Retreats are a breakthrough, NO COST, 4-day immersive and intensive experience designed to help combat veterans and their supporters make peace with their past so they can begin planning for their new mission at home. Open to any post 9/11 Veteran who served in combat regardless of discharge status from the Active Component, Reserve, or National Guard, our retreats focus on post traumatic growth. We provide a supportive environment in which veterans can connect with their peers, gain critical coping skills and, interact with licensed counselors to begin healing where needed. Our retreats provide various activities including, nature-based recreation, yoga, breath awareness, kayaking, and dolphin interactions. In many cases our retreats act as a gateway for deeper levels of care.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of veterans with PTSD served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Military Support Retreats
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
As the pandemic unfolded, GratitudeAmerica ceased programs from March to June 2020.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Military Support Retreats
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of female veterans served.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Military Support Retreats
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of military spouses served.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
GratitudeAmerica is a highly respected non-profit organization based in Fernandina Beach, Florida that serves post 9/11 combat veterans. We offer four-day meaningful restorative retreat programs in Florida and Georgia. Our retreats provide a supportive environment in which veterans and their support persons can connect with their peers, resource providers, alternative therapeutic modalities, and interact with licensed counselors to begin healing where needed. Our Military Support Retreats are designed on four principles: relaxation, recreation, reconnection, and restoration. The model, based on post traumatic growth, includes various activities including: nature-based recreation, yoga, breath awareness, equine therapy, kayaking, ropes courses, small group sessions, large group training, music therapy, and dolphin interactions. In many cases our retreats act as a gateway to higher levels of care.
GratitudeAmerica currently offers our retreat programs in various cities in Florida and Georgia utilizing rented facilities and contracted meals. As we plan for increased programs and retreats we have a vision to create a permanent veteran's wellness center for the Southeast United States. Plans for the retreat include: ADA handicap accessible cabins housing up to 15 dyads, staff housing for up to 12, a central meeting space, and commercial kitchen that will be utilized by over 700 wounded warriors and their support persons each year. Non-clinical therapeutic programs will provide opportunities for swimming, kayaking, hiking, biking, ropes courses, archery, a labyrinth, bonfire area, physical fitness area, and equine therapy. The founders and Board of Directors of GratitudeAmerica are working to realize their vision of providing a free, first-class retreat for America's wounded warriors and their families to find respite, relax, reconnect and recover. Our goal is to offer injured service personnel and their families a true healing retreat where they can benefit from a supportive environment and grow stronger. We will be offering optional non-clinical therapeutic and social activities designed to build confidence and hope while providing a sense of purpose.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We employ various strategies during our retreat programs to include:
Peer support “soldiers saving soldiers”
Treat the veteran-family-primary social support as a single unit
Provide resources, education, life skills and training based on empirically supported interventions
Designed around post traumatic growth
Focus heavily on supportive therapeutic interventions, not “therapy”
Used as a gateway to treatment, augment to treatment and post treatment
Focus on “Recreation, Re-connection, Restoration, and Relaxation”
Encouraging help-seeking behaviors
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We employ high quality staff that is trained in non-profit and clinical work. In addition to our small staff we have many volunteers and contractors trained in psychology and social work that aid our veterans in the families throughout the healing process. Our organization has hosted over 30 retreats in the last 5 years serving over 1,000 veterans and their support persons. Throughout this process we have utilized lessons learned and incorporated them into our programs. We continually seek the latest research and consult daily with experts on post traumatic stress and post traumatic growth to ensure that our Military Support Retreats are using the very best evidence based research.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We will continue to seek additional funding to host more retreats in Georgia and Florida. GratitudeAmerica will add additional programming to our curriculum. Specifically, we plan to begin offering Warrior PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Therapies for Healing Heroes) a program created by the Boulder Crest Retreat in Bluemont, Virginia. Warrior PATHH is a breakthrough, 7-day immersive and intensive experience designed to help combat veterans make peace with their past, so they can begin planning for their new mission at home. Available for both male and female combat veterans (separately), Warrior PATHH focuses on four key elements: education, individual and group therapy, resilience tools, and “taking it home.” Boulder Crest Retreat’s founder, Ken Falke has committed that GratitudeAmerica can license its program for use in the Southeast.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Combat Veterans and their support persons. Combat Veterans are described as an member of the US Armed forces, past or present who served in a combat zone as designated by the department of defense. GratitudeAmerica's programs are open to any Veteran who served in combat regardless of discharge status from the Active Component, Reserve, or National Guard. Each Veteran brings a support person to the retreat ranging from a spouse to an adult child or friend. Inclusion of a partner or support person reinforces growth and ensures the Veteran has an advocate as the healing journey continues.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Case management notes,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
In 2021 we received feedback from surveys that participants wanted to see more program offerings at expanded locations. In response to that feedback our 2022 program schedule includes two additional monthly programs at two brand new locations. These changes will make our programs more accessible geographically and will allow us to serve 24 more Combat Veterans in 2022.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
By consistently seeking feedback we are able to make our clients part of GratitudeAmerica's decision making process. We exist because our clients choose to attend our programs so making the Veterans part of the feedback process we ensure that they have confidence in our systems and methodologies. While we have a proven program it is our charge to always be client focused and to allow for feedback to be incorporated immediately when it is good for the program.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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GratitudeAmerica
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
General J.B. Davis
GratitudeAmerica
Term: 2013 - 2018
Jim Jacoby
Jacoby Development, Inc.
Charles Nemeroff
Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
John Parrish
Harvard Medical School Inaugural
Organizational demographics
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Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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