We are thrilled to be a part of sharing Operation Black Hills Cabin a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a comfortable, peaceful and supportive respite to qualified, combat-injured veterans and their families, from the Iraq/Afghanistan operations, in their rehabilitation from their traumatic and stressful experiences while serving the interests of our Nation.
Operation Black Hills Cabin was founded in 2011 by a retired military couple. OPERATION BLACK HILLS CABIN is located just outside of Custer SD, in the beautiful Black Hills. Their purpose is to offer a week’s vacation to qualifying wounded veterans and their families, from the Iraq/Afghanistan campaign, at little or no expense to them.
From the founders: When a service member is permanently injured, the whole family is injured . The entire structure of the family unit is forever changed with the wife and children often becoming the around-the-clock caregivers. Their "family time" takes a back seat to the recovery process. "TIME" is the word we hear over and over that is of the utmost importance to the families. What we are offering is quality time - whether it is time spent on an outing such as visiting the patriotic ambiance at Mt. Rushmore or sharing quiet times on the deck watching the abundant wildlife of the Black Hills.
Our one-week respite in our 1,200 square foot, 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom, fully furnished and fully handicap accessible cabin includes no television or computer; only board games, puzzles, playing cards and outdoor games that our families can enjoy together. In addition, they are provided with coupons for free meals, free admission to many popular Black Hills attractions and many other recreational opportunities due to the generosity of our many partners. They are able to enjoy as many, or as few, activities as they would like or as their injuries allow. These families can not bear the burden of all the planning or expense to put together an outing such as this. We offer them the opportunity to reconnect, have some "fun" and create priceless memories of their quality time together.
To qualify for a vacation, the service member or veteran must:
Have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation New Dawn.and Have been Combat Injured at a minimum of 30%. Or a Medal of Honor Recipient or Warrior Transition Unit members. Copies of Award Letter and DD Form 214 OR current PCS orders are required with application.
Apply to stay at Black Hills Cabin
How you can help
They are a 100% volunteer 501(c)(3) organization with no paid staff. They rely on the continued generosity of many donors, grants and fundraisers. Their on-going expenses include maintenance of our cabin, utility costs, insurance and basic supplies, snacks and food that we provide to each family. Their out-of-pocket cost to accommodate an average family of five in our permanent cabin for seven days/six nights runs approximately $500.00 per family. From May through September, they are able to host 20 families each year.
Operation Black Hills also relies heavily on their volunteers to make all of this happen. There are endless volunteer opportunities. To learn more about different ways in which you or your business can help out, click the link below.
One last way in which you can help is by spreading the word on Operation Black Hills and their mission in hopes that more wounded veterans will learn about this program. With privacy laws it makes it very difficult for the non-profit to reach those who could benefit from their program. They also have an Ambassador Program for those that could share the story of Operation Black Hills Cabin. Learn more about ways in which you can help spread the word below.
OPERATION BLACK HILLS CABIN
PO BOX 855
CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA 57730
605-517-1830
www.operationblackhillscabin.org
operationblackhillscabin@gmail.com
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