By: Necoia Shavers, Military Outreach Coordinator – First Coast YMCA and U.S. Army Veteran
For nearly 120 years, the First Coast YMCA’s Camp Immokalee in Keystone Heights has been a retreat for people of all ages in Northeast Florida. Its scenic setting on the banks of Lake Brooklyn is the perfect backdrop to forget about the stresses of daily life and connect with your fellow campers. Recently, a group of veterans came together for a weekend retreat, one that helped facilitate a sense of camaraderie that is so important to anyone who has ever put on a military uniform.
Among the activities the group participated in were ziplining, kayaking, archery, shooting BB guns, and socializing by the campfire. As the weekend progressed, you could see connections being made and friendships being formed. If anyone was on their phone, it was to take a picture or to capture someone’s contact information. It was an authentic fellowship between veterans who were, in some cases, 40 years apart from each other. But that didn’t matter – there’s a special bond between veterans that’s different from civilians.
A unique moment of the weekend was a presentation by a representative from the Stephen A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone in Jacksonville. The Cohen Clinic is one of the best resources we have here in Northeast Florida, as they’ve helped countless veterans with a variety of high-quality mental healthcare services. The group at camp appreciated what was being shared, as some of them had already participated in the programs at the clinic.
That presentation is a perfect case study of the importance of providing resources to veterans and active-duty service members. When you’re in the military, you’re trained to push through difficult times, but we all know that sometimes you need assistance. That’s why the First Coast YMCA offers dedicated resources to active-duty military and veterans – like the retreat – so they can live a healthy life. The transition out of the military can be difficult, and the more we can provide services to help those men and women integrate back into the civilian world, the stronger our community becomes. We’re fortunate to have such a strong network of organizations that are aligned with our efforts to do so here, and the veterans are truly appreciative, especially the older generation. When they returned home from conflicts like the Vietnam War and the Gulf War, there weren’t nearly as many programs to help them assimilate back into everyday life. But there are now, and we’re going to continue to expand our services to make sure nobody is left behind.
Chances are, you or someone you know served in the military, as we have the third-highest veteran population in the country here in Florida. If that’s you, thank you for your service. If that’s someone that you know, please thank them for sacrificing their time and effort to ensure we have the freedoms that we enjoy today. For all veterans, service members, and their families, please get connected with us at the First Coast YMCA. We have dedicated programs and services for you, many of which are free or at low cost. We have people on staff like myself who know the challenges active-duty and veterans face, and we’re here to help you and your family navigate through those. For more information on all of our programs or services, please visit our military outreach webpage or stop by your local branch today.
