By Kate Bartlett
Healing For Heroes is a 501c3 legally recognized non-for-profit organization that supports disabled Veterans and the Veteran community. Their Disabled Veterans Retreat and Wooded Oasis, Inc. provides a free, retreat-style stay on their nearly 30-acre property in Bemus Point as well as meals, programming and activities focused on the outdoors and the healing powers of nature.
Tom Nelsen, President and CEO of Healing For Heroes, is a retired and disabled Veteran. After serving in the Marine Corps for many years and multiple deployments, Tom personally experienced the difficulties of returning to daily life after time in service. “Our Veterans deserve better care after serving our country,” says Tom. “I know first-hand how difficult it can be to return to daily life. Many of our Veterans need time to adjust and/or process what happened during their time in service; it is my hope that this space provides some sort of therapeutic retreat for our nation’s finest.”
Tom acquired the property in 2022 with the intention to create a retreat for Veterans. His vision finally came to fruition in Spring 2023 when the property opened its doors to host their first service members. While the property was created with disabled veterans in mind, it is open to all women and men who have served our country, free of charge. Kelly Carpenter, VP of Healing For Heroes is also a disabled Veteran who served in the Marine Corps during OEF in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. He too is highly dedicated to the mission of serving and supporting Veterans at Healing For Heroes. “Our motto is Veterans helping Veterans,” says both Tom and Kelly.
The property consists of nearly 30 acres of wooded land with streams and meadows, providing many areas for quiet reflection. Miley’s Meadow, named after Tom’s late service dog, provides a beautiful green space with rolling hills in the distance, surrounded by various trees including cherry, oak, pine and maple. “The property is stunning in any season, but Fall is especially spectacular with the changing colors of the leaves,” says Tom.
Veterans. His vision fi nally came to fruition in Spring 2023 when the property
opened its doors to host their fi rst service members. The property consists of
nearly 30 acres of wooded land with streams and meadows, providing many
areas for quiet refl ection. The 3-bedroom 2-bathroom lodge was recently renovated
and they have plans to renovate the two-story barn and cabins on the
property in order to provide extra lodging to accommodate more veterans.
(Pictured LTR: Tom Nelsen, Jennifer Nelsen, and Kelly Carpenter.)
The 3-bedroom 2-bathroom lodge was recently renovated and now includes a walk-in shower with stone tile, as well as other amenities to enhance the retreat. During their stay, Veterans have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of programs including ATV trail riding, hiking, boating, fishing, hunting, equine therapy, meditation, yoga, reiki, massage therapy, Pilates and more. “We recognize the therapeutic properties of these programs, as well as the camaraderie of being around fellow Veterans so we invite our guests to participate,” says Jennifer Nelsen, Secretary and Treasurer of Healing For Heroes. “We also respect their privacy and the power of solitude; everyone is different and we invite them to participate in as much or as little as they like.”
Tom recognizes the healing powers of nature. “I’ve always been a nature guy, but it wasn’t until after my time in service that I really realized the therapeutic benefits of the woods and connecting with nature.” says Tom. “Nature provides an incredible space to heal and it’s truly a grounding experience. I find peace and tranquility in the sounds, the smells and the solitude of being alone in the great outdoors. I always knew I wanted to create this space for Veterans to thoroughly enjoy themselves, relax, decompress, disconnect from the daily pressures of life, and enjoy the camaraderie of being around other Veterans, that of which we all long for after separating from service. My intention for the retreat is for it to be fun and relaxing but also to provide healing for those who need it; as it can be critical to their recovery in returning from service. We aim to provide a safe space for Veterans to ground themselves. It’s peaceful, private and serene.”
Healing For Heroes has plans to renovate the two-story barn and cabins on the property in order to provide extra lodging to accommodate more veterans. They cannot achieve this without the support of the local communities and businesses both financially through donations and materials but also by volunteering time to help onsite. Currently, the property can host 3 single Veterans at a time, with hopes of accommodating 8+. They eventually would like to be able to accommodate families of Veterans as well once funding is secured.
Tom is grateful for all the support the organization has received thus far. “The Eagles Club has provided incredible support as annual, and now monthly donors. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received thus far. We’d consider ourselves in the infancy of our program, and we’re looking forward to helping many Veterans for many years to come.”
Anyone interested in supporting Healing For Heroes through financial donations and/or volunteer opportunities can contact us directly through Facebook at Healing For Heroes, email hfhbemuspoint@gmail.com or call (716) 602-5414, (716) 397-2632 or (415) 497-5840 . Any Veteran interested in applying to take part in the retreat program or for more information on the Healing For Heroes Program in general can message us on Facebook or call any of the above mentioned phone numbers. “We encourage everyone to reach out for any assistance, as we aim to be a resource for all Veterans. We hope this is a step in the right direction to help those serving our country receive the care, recognition and respect they deserve.”
Healing For Heroes is actively seeking help with their website, as well as anyone interested in providing programming on site to Veterans.