CreatiVets Competitors

Project Healing Waters – More Than Just Fly Fishing For many Veterans, the hardest battles don’t happen downrange. They happen when the uniform comes off, in the quiet moments, when the mission is gone, and the weight of service lingers. At Project Healing Waters, we don’t just teach fly fishing. We rebuild purpose. We reconnect Veterans to a community. We get them back in the fight. Fly fishing isn’t just a hobby, it’s a tool. A tool for healing, for connection, for finding peace in the places that once felt unreachable. PHW provides hands-on instruction, gear, and outings, all free of charge, so Veterans can get back to something real. Something that pulls them out of isolation and into the wild, surrounded by people who understand. We work directly with VA hospitals, military bases, and community partners across the country to reach Veterans where they are. Whether it’s a warrior transitioning from service, a Veteran battling PTSD, or someone just looking for a reason to get outside again, PHW is there. This isn’t just about fly fishing. It’s about saving lives, restoring confidence, and proving that the best days aren’t behind us, they’re still out there. Veterans, donors, volunteers, there’s a place for you here. Let’s get to work.

The War Horse is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom that educates the public about military service through journalism, public forums, and writing seminars. Since our Kickstarter campaign in 2016, The War Horse has published more than 200 personal reflections, taught more than 50 veterans and military family members during four writing seminars, published reporting that has influenced five laws, and received five awards for excellence in investigative reporting, multimedia storytelling, and business innovation.

As an active DOD Skillbridge location offering transitioning service members support, space, mentoring, arts practice, the overlap of public health, policy, advocacy and access to a expanded wellness opportunities through the force impact of creativity. The Veterans Art Project (VETART) is a community based arts organization serving Veterans, Active Duty, Spouses, first responders, dependents, their caregivers, and the community through the process-driven, Deep Arts Engagement, D.A.E.(c) with art therapy options provides a process-intensive arts encounter proven to promote health and wellness. By providing an avenue for Veterans and Active Duty (some with post-traumatic stress, TBI, or MST) to find their voice and work through the life-changing process of transitioning from military to civilian life. Through on-site community arts classes, demonstrations, exhibitions across the state of California supported through a multi year MHSOAC, INNOVATION contract for Veterans mental health and wellness through pop up arts cafes. VETART educates and advocates for expanded community arts activities through out San Diego County and the country. VETART provides space for Veterans to connect with others and discover an outlet to express their experiences through the art-making process. Connecting service families and support systems through community art programming, VETART offers free classes in the process-heavy art disciplines of Ceramics, and Glass casting. VETART facilities build relations between military families and civilians through sharing art-making in a culturally-competent, safe, welcoming, relaxed, and fun environment. Classes are held within state of the art facilities and taught by artists of all cultural/social backgrounds and M.F.A. instructors. We provide artistic support and development, and a dignified display of completed artworks. These dignified displays help engage the broader civilian community through artist/participant presentation.