Camp hosts veterans and their families for free retreat

NOBLEBORO, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were treated to a free week-long retreat to help them reintegrate and reconnect with their family and make new friends. 

"They all hurt, " said Dick Kennedy, a veteran of the Korean War and an organizer of the retreat.  "You can see the hurt with some of them more than others and what they need is confidence to get back on their feet and get back into civilization, and they need friends who have had similar experiences."

So the staff at Camp Kieve and Camp Wavus, which normally host boys and girls camps in the summer, opened their doors and invited veterans and their families for an all expense paid week of fun activities and fellowship.

"We've got kids running around here who haven't got to spend much time with their daddies or their moms and so to bring them all together so they can really have that valuable time and space without a lot of distractions," said program director Maria Millard.  "The idea is that through experiencing activities together that is what builds the connection."

"Service members leave and they go through tremendous experiences, but so do the families left back at home," said Ken Solorzano, a volunteer who regularly works at Camp Keyes in Augusta.  "When the service member comes back, there is attention that is given to them, but not to their families."

Ice fishing, rock climbing, and pottery classes were just some of the offerings available to the thirty attendees of this first ever veteran's camp.  Another forty are expected for next week's session.  The organizers say it has been so well received they are already looking to expand the program next year so more vets and their families can get away and enjoy the peaceful setting on Damariscotta Lake.

If you would like more information on the Kieve-Wavus Veteran's Program, you can find it by clicking here.