Local non-profit receives $20,000 grant to help military families

Project Sanctuary, a Granby-based non-profit that provides therapeutic programs for military families, recently received a $20,000 grant to help provide more families with the resources they need to handle deployment, transition and reintegration.

The non-profit received the grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation to help serve some of the more than 2,300 families on Project Sanctuary’s waitlist. This year’s grant is double what the organization received last year.

“These funds are crucial to our efforts to help more families across the country find the strength they need to heal,” said Heather Ehle, CEO and founder of Project Sanctuary. “It’s really all about connectedness. By restoring the connection between service members, their families, and their communities, we restore hope, and – ultimately – restore purpose.”

According to the website, the organization focuses on reconnecting service members with loved ones and their communities to help combat issues with substance abuse, suicide, domestic violence, child abuse and unemployment.

Project Sanctuary offers a two-year therapeutic program that combines coursework, counseling and recreational activities to help military families transition back into civilian life. The program is one of the few programs to address the mental health needs of the whole family and it’s designed using input from the families themselves.

The organization also provides therapeutic retreats and crisis intervention.

Since the start of the organization in 2007, it has helped over 1,200 families with its programs and retreats. This year, Project Sanctuary will host 30 therapeutic retreats in eight states, including Colorado, Texas, California and New York.

“(The Disabled Veterans National Foundation) is proud to support Project Sanctuary as they continue to make a positive impact in transitioning military service members from battle ready to family ready by providing therapy that addresses mental health challenges,” said the organization’s CEO, Joseph VanFonda.