Beacon-Based Nonprofit Helping Frontliners and Veterans Heal [Hudson Valley Magazine]
Guardian Revival was honored to be featured in Hudson Valley Magazine for our dedication to supporting military, veterans, first responders, and their families.
The article highlighted Co-Founder Alex Othmer’s story and the development of Guardian Revival & our free, transformative programs — outdoor adventures (primarily offered in the Hudson Valley), companion dogs, music (including our recording studio at GR HQ in Beacon), and peer services (support via group gatherings, direct 1:1 private sessions, and non-crisis talk line).
This Beacon-Based Nonprofit Helps Frontliners and Veterans Heal
Veteran Alex Othmer’s story is like so many others from the front lines: A Navy SEAL, he served for nine years, but when he transitioned out of the military (in 2019), he came home without a mission and with a palpable loss of purpose. “I suffered from mental health issues and had thoughts of suicide at one point,” the lifelong Carmel resident admits.
Having grown up with a dad who was a NYC firefighter during 9/11, Othmer was all too familiar with the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. “PTSD was alive and well in my house when I was a kid,” he says. And although an invisible war was raging within him, Othmer took decisive steps to help himself. “I got a dog right away, I started going hiking with friends and then other vets, and I picked up the guitar.” While the pooch and the hikes eased his feelings of isolation and lack of connection, the instrument offered this former ukulele player an added level of healing. “There’s magic behind music.”
Othmer got himself to a good place, mentally, and began to envision an organization that could support the mental health and overall well-being of fellow veterans and other front-liners who are exposed to mental and physical trauma and stress, including active military, veterans, first responders, law enforcement, EMS workers, fire and rescue, corrections officers, and federal agents. “These individuals are our nation’s guardians,” he says. “There are about 50 million of them in the U.S., and more of them die by suicide every day than in the line of duty.”
Hoping to make a dent in those numbers, Othmer founded Guardian Revival, a nonprofit based in Beacon that aims to bolster mental health, prevent suicide, and create community among guardians and their families through outdoor adventures, companion dogs, in-studio music making, peer-to-peer support, and fun family gatherings—which mirror the activities that revived Othmer when he was at his lowest point. And all of it is free to participants.
See the full article here: