The mission of Freedom Excursions is to provide a fun, recreational, and educational day out on the water for those who know the stress of military life; encourage and inspire them to recuperate, reintegrate, and rekindle relationships.  To replace stress with SMILES!  '

  The veterans are recommended to participate in excursions through our partnership with  MacDill AFB, the Warrior Transition Unit (WT2), US ARMY, and the James A. Haley VA Hospital ranked as one of the best and most efficient medical facilities in the nation in the area of rehabilitation.  It is also the busiest VA hospital in the nation, according to US News & World Report.  Our outings generally incorporate medical professionals from the VA hospital, and these doctors and therapists highly attest that our program is absolutely vital to the therapy disabled veterans receive in their recovery.  Many of the vets have suffered physical wounds while others suffer psychological wounds.  Our recreational opportunities are tailored to the veteran’s physical abilities.  Freedom Excursions pays for all costs for the veterans and therapists for these events.  We take pride in having the distinction of being the “only” organization that can take the “in-patients” as well as out-patients, on outings involving fishing, sailing, and other recreational water sports.

  Many of our guests have never been on a boat or experienced the exhilaration of catching a fish.  Our guests totally relax and enjoy their day of honor not being reminded of their disability or the trauma they endure 24/7.  They leave the war behind, they leave their therapy behind, they say "it takes (their) mind off things (they) shouldn't be thinking about".  Just a short boat ride to an island to walk on the beach will give the rec therapist an opportunity to assess those with traumatic brain injuries (TBI's) for balance issues.  Walking in the sand, the water, bending over collecting shells can be as therapeutic mentally as physically.  These excursions give the veterans an opportunity to relearn simple everyday tasks in a safe environment.  Many will not take the chance to re-earn these tasks with their family for fear they will fail in front of them.

  We encourage the veterans, their spouses and/or family to take the skills they have learned and apply them to their daily lives.  Veteran volunteers assist also by providing a peer-to-peer support network documenting progress.  Because involvement in their community is important, we want to make sure what was learned here continues in their home environment. 

  At Freedom Excursions every dollar donated is maximized.  The number of events we are able to host for the veterans is based on the amount of funding we have. 

  We believe that we owe our nations wounded warriors everything possible to facilitate their recovery. If you are interested in how to help in  "Healing Heroes One Wave at a Time" please log on to:  www.FreedomExcursions.org