River Deep Foundation
Healing Lives One Adventure at a Time
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Some 28 percent of veterans living in Colorado also live with some sort of service-related disability. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.) Every day, a minimum of eight military veterans commit suicide in the U.S. In 2022, that number doubled to 17 deaths per day. In Colorado, where we are based, there are a total of 365,440 veterans of the Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan alone. These vets are the most prone to having Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), PTSD, or to have experienced Military Sexual Abuse (MST). We understand that if an individual is in crisis, the entire family is in crisis. Military personnel need a way to acclimate and re-engage in society to help in the healing process and improve their outlook and quality of life. Our therapeutic recreational programming involves the entire family and also creates camaraderie.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Recreational outings
Recreational outings are the cornerstone of our programming. They are funded, planned and organized by River Deep with and serve a vital role in the healing process. These outings and activities are open to veterans and other individuals who have suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, or other trauma. Each outing also provides veterans and their families with the opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoors, network with other veterans and families, experience camaraderie and learn about resources in a supportive environment. River Deep is dedicated to providing the highest quality experiences possible and we work diligently to tailor design events that specifically target the physical, social and emotional needs of our participants.
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 participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Veterans, People with disabilities
Related Program
Recreational outings
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Hours of programing delivered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Veterans, People with disabilities
Related Program
Recreational outings
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, Caregivers, Families, Veterans
Related Program
Recreational outings
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn 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?
Established in 2017, River Deep assists military veterans and others who have experienced life-changing physical, emotional, or psychological trauma as well as their families and caregivers to re-engage with life through adventure, recreation, and a network of support. These year-round outings include fly-fishing, hunting adventures, archery, fencing, equine therapy, art classes, SCUBA, blacksmithing, cooking classes, hot air ballooning, family fun days, and more. Most outings occur along the Front Range of Colorado. At all-day outings, we provide a catered lunch.
We believe in providing an instructional foundation. Our goal is to enable clients to explore new interests, start new hobbies, and have the confidence to build on their experiences. Daily life for individuals with a debilitating injury or trauma can be stressful and isolating, leading to depression, anxiety, hopelessness, despair and, in too many cases, suicide. River Deep is dedicated to providing the highest quality experiences possible and we work diligently to tailor design events that specifically target the physical, social, and emotional needs of our clients.
The goals of River Deep include:
Reducing the number of suicides among active duty military and returning veterans.
Reconnecting those with physical, emotional, and psychological trauma with a community of like-minded people.
Providing an outlet for attendees, helping them enjoy the healing benefits of the outdoors and re-engaging with life.
Reducing feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
Improving self-confidence.
Restoring physical strength.
Recharging physical and emotional energy.
Enhancing the well-being of both mind and body.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our primary strategy is to facilitate the healing of military veterans, first responders, and others with spinal cord injuries through active re-engagement in our recreational outings--the cornerstone of our programming. These are funded, planned, and organized by River Deep and serve a vital role in each client's healing process. These outings and activities are open to veterans and other individuals who have suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other physical, psychological, or emotional trauma. Each outing also provides veterans and their families with the opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoors, network with other veterans and families, experience camaraderie, and learn about resources in a supportive environment.
Opportunities include fishing and hunting adventures, archery, fencing, equine therapy, art classes, cooking classes, family fun days, adaptive diving, blacksmithing, and more.
Link to the outings can be found here- http://www.riverdeepfoundation.org/eventcalendar.html
Our secondary strategy is active collaboration with other complimentary 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations to share resources, knowledge, and ideas to provide more efficient and effective programming and outreach. The River Deep Alliance, http://www.riverdeepfoundation.org/programs.html, is a program under the River Deep Foundation. It was born out of existing relationships between like-minded leaders who saw the need for their organizations to combine strengths to focus better on clients in need. Each organization under the alliance umbrella offers unique stand-alone, but complimentary programs, that all serve to assist in the healing process by helping to re-acclimate, re-enable, and re-engage clients while improving their outlook and quality of life.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
River Deep organizes and implements outings that bring clients and their families from all member organizations together for activities that provide a priceless day of peace, relaxation, camaraderie, and fun in a safe, supportive, and accessible environment. These outings have proven to have a therapeutic effect and facilitate the healing process, greatly improving one's outlook and willingness to reengage in life. The River Deep Alliance funds the logistics of these group outings and provides support to member organizations on an as-needed basis to bolster programs as they grow towards self-sustainment. Alliance participants include:
Anglers of Honor which provides accessible and therapeutic fly fishing opportunities on premier private fly fishing water, restored to allow access for individuals with disabilities. AoH has provided crucial organizational and operational support for the Alliance.
Victory Service Dogs provides service dogs for military veterans. They stand apart from many other service dog organizations because the client and dog train together for the specific needs of that individual.
Craig Hospital is a world-renowned, premier center for specialty rehabilitation and research for people with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.
Operation TBI Freedom- Operation TBI Freedom (OTF) helps the Alliance's outreach to veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries. The Alliance offers ongoing programs that complement the other support services OTF provides to clients.
SCI Humanitarian Outreach Program- As the logistical arm of these programs, the SCI Humanitarian Outreach Program (SCIHOP) brings expertise in organizing the outings, contacts, and resources. The Alliance has allowed the programs and outreach to expand.
Quality of Life Plus's (QL+) mission is to foster and generate innovations that aid and improve the quality of life of those who have served our county - veterans, first responders, and service members.
Belleview Spine & Wellness works with PainFreeMilitary.com, created for our military member (active and retired) and their families. Their mission is to provide accessible musculoskeletal treatment and benefit (VA & Tricare) education.
Denver Adaptive Divers (DAD) provides support, education, specialized training in adaptive scuba diving, and dive travel to qualified individuals with physical disabilities to enable them to become an integral part of the sport of scuba diving.
Comeback Yoga provides free, accessible, trauma-informed, science-based yoga classes to the military community to enhance overall health and quality of life. They are a Denver-based 501(c)3 non-profit that delivers free yoga classes to help military personnel, their families, and supporters develop resiliency.
Ft. Carson Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) was established to ensure that soldiers from all components (Active, Reserve, National Guard) have a safe place to heal and transition back to civilian life.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Year over year, we have seen consistent growth in participation and additional opportunities for our clients. The only exception was during 2020-2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our partnerships within the community have also grown, as has our ability to leverage in-kind gifts. In 2023, we expanded our Board with two new members, John Jugl and Corinna Peters. Both are respected community leaders with great connections.
To measure our progress, we gather feedback from participants and family members/caregivers as well as through a formal follow-up evaluation tool to help us refine and enhance the experiences to continually achieve the greatest impact.
On a scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 3 (Strongly Agree) 2023 participants reported:
They experienced positive interactions with peers 98.3%
They had positive interactions with family members and caregivers 97%
They feel encouraged to try other activities 98.6%
The activities were enjoyable 100%
In 2023, 1058 individuals participated in our programs, for a total of 456 program hours.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, 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 look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
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
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
River Deep Foundation
Board of directorsas of 01/19/2024
Chris Dundas
MarbleTec Systems
Term: 2019 - 2025
Russell MacLennan
Valhalla Hunts
Allan Smith
Invictus Management
Dave Loucks
Opportune
John Jugl
Newmark
Corinna Peters
Accenture
Neil Maday
Greenwood Cabinets & Stone
J. R. LaPierre
Lincoln Hills Cares
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/18/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.