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Join Us! AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk
Please join our team Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation and Register for the Portland Walk 10/1 and also look for us and The Pine Cone at these AFSP walks around the state:9/10
Central Oregon Walk
Alpenglow Park
61049 SE 15th
Bend, OR 97702
9/17
Columbia County Walk
Heritage Park
52469 SE 2nd
Scapoose, OR 97056
9/17
Southern Oregon Walk
Pear Blossom Park
204 N Bartlett
Medford, OR 97501
9/24
Coos County Walk
Mingus Park
725 N 10th
Coos Bay, OR 97420
9/25
Eugene Walk
Alton Baker Park
100 Day Island
Eugene, OR 97401
10/1
Portland Walk
Daimler North America
4555 N Channel
Portland, OR 97217
10/8
Salem Walk
Riverfront Park
200 Water St
Salem, OR 97301
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Stories from the Field: Liz Bounds' Interview
Financial Help for Wilderness Therapy Treatment, Part 2
The cost of wilderness therapy treatment is expensive, yet several organizations will help. In this second of two episodes, we hear stories from leaders of non-profit organizations that help families by providing funds to help pay for wilderness therapy treatment. We talk with John Hunt from Jason William Hunt Foundation, Liz Bounds from the Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation, and Derek Daley from the Loa Fund. We will hear about the history of the organizations, how to apply for funds, and other resources.
Organizations in this episode have specific guidelines for funding. Please check their websites and donate if you can.
The Jason William Hunt Foundation provides funds for wilderness therapy for teens and young adults from all over the country.
The Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation provides funds for young people ages 10-30 who live in the States of Oregon and Washington for wilderness therapy treatment all over the country. Liz's interview starts at 23:30
The LOA Fund provides funds for young adults (ages 18 to 30) to attend wilderness therapy treatment.I would like to Donate!Are you a Fire Starter, a Camper, a Walker, a Trail Blazer, a Hiker, a Trekker, a Climber, a Summiter, or a Sherpa?
We welcome your generous donation in any amount.
The Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation is a
GuideStar Silver Transparency NonProfitSupport Wilderness4Life!There are numerous ways you can help- including ways that help you save money while you shop online.
Amazon Smile will donate a small portion of your purchase amount to help us provide scholarships for youth in-crisis to wilderness therapy programs.
Find out more here: Amazon Smile
PBJ Wilderness4Life Meet Ups - Bend/RedmondContact Ricky Becker
ricky@integrativeapproachtx.comPBJ Wilderness4Life Moms Support Group & Meet UpsContact Emily Vanderipe
emily.v.wilderness4life@pbjf.orgPBJ Wilderness4Life Dads Support Group & Meet UpsContact Bret Vanderipe
bret.v.wilderness4life@pbjf.org
MISSION
Families in Oregon and Washington who have financial need are eligible to receive support that we are able to provide through generous donations.
“Wouldn’t it be ‘tight’ if we could send just one kid a year to Wilderness?”—Parker
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How Do We Help and Who Do We Help?
- We provide financial assistance to Northwest families for their children in-crisis so they may receive care and healing through wilderness therapy programs.
Our grants are designed to help families with financial need so that their child may benefit from the programs and services of our partnering wilderness therapy programs.These are young people ages 9-26 who are struggling with mental, emotional and behavioral challenges.
Our program partners will match our grants 100% for those families that demonstrate financial need and as funds are available. Our goals are to promote the proven effectiveness of wilderness therapy, highlight programs that meet highest standards of quality in the field, advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention and to create a supportive community that encourages a healthful lifestyle and connection with nature. -
What is Wilderness Therapy?
- Wilderness therapy or more formally termed--Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare--is a highly comprehensive therapeutic treatment that uses individual therapy, group therapy, adventure therapy, and a family involved approach with immersion in nature as the setting for supportive healing.
It is proven highly effective in the immediate, short and longer term, it is turning young lives around and helping our young and their families heal using newly learned tools and coping strategies that promote self care, self confidence and hope. It is saving lives, saving families and saving our communities, one child at a time -
Why is Wilderness Therapy Needed?
- There is a crisis in our communities within our young population that we must come together to help solve.
Families need real support to help their children. Current data (see www.obhcenter.org) shows an alarming number of kids are suffering from underlying feelings of depression and anxiety at not-seen-before levels. There are many reasons for this, and here are the most compelling you have undoubtedly seen on the news, heard about in your community, or experienced in your own family.
Our young are being exposed to very powerful substances that have become widely available and many are self-medicating with these dangerous and addictive street drugs and too-easily-obtained prescription medications. Many kids isolate alone in front of a computer for hours playing highly addictive and numbing video games while their families watch them withdrawal from social connections and activities they used to enjoy.
Our kids are attempting to self-soothe with destructive behaviors such as cutting and other forms of self harm. Our teens may be struggling with gender identity. They may be acting out in response to the torment of being bullied. Or they may become the bully as a way to hide their pain of feeling powerless. They may be having difficulty staying in school, not able to maintain a job or are facing related problems with the legal system. Many are trapped in addictive behaviors without access to tools and effective support to overcome. And they are dying by overdose.
The opioid crisis is real. And sadly, research shows, that the risk of suicide in young people is higher when addiction is involved. What you hear on the news is not an exaggeration. And it affects us all. -
What’s More?
- Our kids may even be suffering the adverse and frightening mental health symptoms from undiagnosed traumatic brain injury caused by concussion while perhaps playing for years the sports they love while we parents innocently watched on.
And we all know, too, the overachievers, the straight A students, the star athletes, the life of the party, the empaths, or everyone’s best friend who may be hiding their struggle because of stigma and shame. Perhaps most heartbreaking of all is the tragic suicide death of young people in our own communities.
These are our kids who need our collective support to overcome their heavy challenges so they can prosper in life. -
Why did we begin Wilderness4Life?
- Our son Parker is one of those bright lights among us who battled for his life against depression, anxiety, mental health challenges, substance abuse, addiction and the probable damage of multiple sports concussion injuries.
He took his own life to find relief from his suffering at the young age of 23. But in the devastating wake of his death and our profound grief, we are inspired to honor Parker’s legacy and deepest wish by helping other struggling young people and their families--so they may find healing and hope. It was in his heart to always want to help others.
Upon his graduation from an excellent wilderness therapy program, he proclaimed that “...every kid graduating from high school should go to Wilderness.” He went on to say that “...even adults should go!” Then he said, “It saved my life.”
We believe it gave us 5 more years with our son that we would not have had. Wilderness gave him 5 more years of hope.
During one of our last family Sunday dinners, he said, “Wouldn’t it be ‘tight’ to send just one kid a year to Wilderness?”...“Let’s do this--let’s start a foundation.”
And so we did.
The Pine Cone
The Ponderosa Pine is a tree that grows taller than all others in climates that would seem unable to support such life. In our recent history, these trees were landmarks of hope and encouragement to many pioneers coming west on the Oregon Trail.
This pine cone fell from the branch of a mighty Ponderosa growing in arid earth under the central Oregon high desert sun.
The cone's scales follow the same spiral curves as those observed in sunflowers, seashells, and the arms of our Milky Way. This beautiful recurring geometry is described mathematically by the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Numbers, which can be observed within our own bodies and throughout our natural world.
Its symbolism has inspired humanity through time and across civilizations. From ancient Rome to ancient Mesopotamia, it is found in art, architecture, and spiritual symbolism. Osiris--The Egyptian god of transition, resurrection, and regeneration--carried a pine cone staff, and many Hindu deities have been depicted holding a pine cone in their outstretched hand.
The pine cone has been historically associated with enlightenment, spiritual awakening, and the "third eye." The pineal gland is thought to be the physiological center of the "third eye", and resembles a tiny pine cone itself.
A single cone contains seeds that could potentially grow a whole forest of Ponderosa Pines. It opens with the warmth of the sun and closes with the saturation of rain, waiting patiently for favorable conditions.
May the pine cone's beauty and mystery inspire wonder, curiosity, strength, and the sensation of interconnectedness between you and the natural world like is has inspired me.
Breanna B Johnson
Artist
—Breanna Bounds Johnson, Artist
Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation
PO Box 1989
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
A GuideStar Silver Transparency NonProfit
If you or someone you care about are in crisis, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
CALL 9-8-8
© 2022 Wilderness4Life.org - a Non-Profit Public Charity 501(c)3 Tax ID#81-3500151