Horticultural therapy for war veterans.
Adam Burke is a man with a mission, to help war veterans returning to the United States after tours abroad, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, that have struggled to reintegrate with society. This may be due to PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), physical injuries, such as disability, or a sense of a loss of purpose after the harried action of a war zone.
Burke himself is an Iraq veteran and injuries sustained during his time there have left him reliant on the use of a cane. He received a Purple Heart for surviving the mortar attack, but with his role in the army complete he needed something else to keep him occupied and going back to his farming roots seemed the obvious choice.
Adam Burke was raised on a blueberry farm in Sumpter County, Florida. He thought that, since getting back in touch with the land had helped him, it might help other veterans as well. He teamed up with the Farmer-Veteran Coalition and other not-for-profit groups to raise money and buy 8 acres of land in Jacksonville that he plans to turn into his second Veterans Farm.
The first Veterans Farm, which was also established with the help of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, is in Webster, Sumpter County and its 2.5 acres provide work and a living for six veterans who have permanent work there. In addition to earning a living and having a purpose, the veterans also heal and learn to cope with their injuries or disabilities.
“It is horticultural therapy for veterans,” said Burke in a May telephone interview with Jacksonville news provider, Jacksonville.com.
These two farms established by Burke are the only two of their kind in Florida and the Veteran Farm being developed in Jacksonville will fill a definite need for the city.
In large cities like Jacksonville, clinics and support centers run by the military to help army veterans are overwhelmed, around 36,000 soldiers were badly injured in 2009 and around 20% of them suffered serious brain or spinal cord injuries, a further 30% suffer extreme PTSD.
It can take two to three months to see a psychologist or psychiatrist and some veterans, having survived a war zone, end up taking their life in despair as they become lost in an overwhelmed system.
Domestic violence, alcohol consumption and other ills have all increased in some military families since the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Once I got on the farm and started working, I knew the healing effects and I knew I had to share it with others,” Burke said of his experience with the first Veterans Farm, which is what led him to believe other veterans might experience the same effect.
“When I brought them on the farm, it was amazing the turnaround they had mentally and physically,” he said of the handful of veterans who now earn a living on the first farm.
Burke’s ideology is one shared by the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, a group involved in finding agricultural jobs in which returning veterans can earn a living, acquire new training and gradually heal from the effects of war.
As the statistics show, the job is a staggering one and they need help. Anyone in Jacksonville who is in a position to lend their manpower should contact Adam Burke through his website: http://veteransfarm.giving.officelive.com/default.aspx
Volunteers are needed to help clean up the 8.5 acres of land, removing garbage and disused equipment in order to clear the land for a blueberry ranch, which Adam hopes will be ready by summer. The community response has already been impressive with some equipment and a tractor already donated to the project. A further $49,000 is needed to rebuild the barn and construct a packing shed (Picture courtesy Veterans Farm website).
Comments
More Jacksonville News
RSS-
Deputies Man in construction hat robs bank
Deputies said he displayed a handgun and shoved a customer out of the way and demanded money from the clerk. The suspect fled on foot and was last seen heading northwest. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at ...
-
Hotline Miami 2 Officially Announced Teaser Trailer Released
Hotline Miami took the gaming world by storm. The game ended up on many best-of 2012 lists for its fast-paced ultra-violent gameplay and its mesmerizing 80s soundtrack. ...
-
St. Petersburg police killer Nicholas Lindsey may be resentenced next month
LARGO -- Nicholas Lindsey has been given a tentative July 26 court date for his attorneys to argue that he should be sentenced to less than life in prison for killing St. Petersburg police Officer David S. Crawford. The Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender's Office will represent Lindsey, 18, in his re-sentencing hearing, and attorney John Swisher asked for three months to prepare. State ...
-
OfficeMax wants tax breaks to stay in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- OfficeMax Inc. is asking the state of Illinois for tax breaks to keep the company's headquarters in-state after the office supply chain's merger with Office Depot Inc. is complete.OfficeMax CEO Ravi Saligram and state Sen. Tom Cullerton made their pitch Tuesday during a hearing on the state's pension crisis. Cullerton is a Villa Park Democrat and is ...
-
Former north NJ man charged in infant sons death
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- A former northern New Jersey man stands accused of causing his infant son's death last year.Bergen County prosecutors say 32-year-old Michael Marrara Jr. was charged with aggravated manslaughter, child endangerment and hindering apprehension. A former Fort Lee resident who now lives in Boca Raton, Fla., Marrara turned himself on Tuesday.The charges stem from the death ...
-
Fla. group seeks to build support for gay marriage
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A group that supports same-sex marriage in Florida isn't confident an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling will nullify the state's gay marriage ban and is preparing a public opinion campaign while waiting for the court to decide.Equality Florida said it is starting a new effort to increase support among Floridians for gay marriage. Executive director Nadine Smith ...
-
Police SW Florida man shoots stepson in face
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Police say an 87-year-old man in North Fort Myers shot his stepson in the face for being a "moocher."The Fort Myers News-Press (http://newspr.es/11O9XPm) reports that William Calvin Crow faces murder and weapons charges after shooting at Craig Barton, who survived the June 11 attack. Crow told investigators he was tired of Barton being a "moocher" and was ...
-
Judge reads charge against George Zimmerman to jurors
A Florida judge read the formal charge against George Zimmerman on Wednesday to 40 potential jurors who could be selected to decide if the neighborhood watch volunteer committed murder when he shot an unarmed Trayvon ...
-
Amazon May Bring 3000 Jobs to Florida
Amazon has a saying it teaches all its new employees: Work hard. Have fun. Make history. But working hard at one of the retail giant's "fulfillment centers" isn't always all that fun, according to news reports. It can be physically grueling and mentally stressful. Some warehouses don't have air-conditioning. Several reports have described them as sweatshops. State ...
-
Duncan and Ginobili mourn Game Six defeat to Miami Heat
"Bad. Very bad. It's a tough moment. We were a few moments from winning the championship, and we let it go. I have no clue how we're going to be re energized. I'm devastated but we have to. There's no game eight afterwards. We're going to have to play our best game, even better than today. Shoot better, better defense, less turnovers in my case, but yeah, ...
-
Program allows Eastside High to offer AP computer science
In this Feb. 22, 2013 file photo, students stand outside Eastside High School in Gainesville. A new Advanced Placement STEM Access program will allow EHS students to take AP computer science in the ...
-
I-75 northbound lanes briefly blocked by traffic crash
The northbound lanes of Interstate 75 were briefly closed at Mile Marker 387 - south of Northwest 39th Avenue - because of a traffic crash late Wednesday ...
-
Residents facing foreclosure have more time to get legal help
Low- to moderate-income residents have until July 31 to seek help from Three Rivers Legal Services through the program funded by a $25 billion settlement between the five largest banks and attorneys general in 49 states with the federal government.Three Rivers, a nonprofit corporation serving 17 North Florida counties, is able to help with foreclosure defenses, alternatives to foreclosure and ...
-
Fatal crash shuts down northbound Floridas Turnpike
ORLANDO -- A fatal car crash has closed the northbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike in Orange County. John Mulhall, a spokesman with Orange County Fire Rescue, said a car was rear-ended on the Turnpike just north of the Beachline, which is also known as State Road 528. One person is confirmed dead. Flames have also fully engulfed a car. Stay with News 13 and cfnews13.com for more on ...
-
Synthetic marijuana purchased in sting near Lake Co. school
16927 Lakeside Ave. During the investigation undercover, detectives purchased several packages of illegal synthetic marijuana, also known as K-2 or spice. Officers searched the property and seized over 100 packages of the drugs. They also found dozens of glass pipes, digital scales and containers with hidden compartments. They said MD Hasan was selling the drugs within 1,000 feet of a ...
-
Main Street Bakery at Disneys Magic Kingdom reopens
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- The Main Street Bakery at Disney's Magic Kingdom Park is back open and for the first time at a Walt Disney World Resort, you'll now find Starbucks drinks on the menu. The bakery reopened Tuesday and now offers Starbucks drinks including coffee, espresso, and Frappuccino blended beverages as well as Disney cookies, brownies and cupcakes. Starbucks will also be ...
-
Help name Brevard Co. Sheriffs Offices newest police dog
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office is holding a contest on their Facebook page to name the newest member of their team -- an 8-week-old Blood Hound puppy. (PHOTO/Brevard County Sheriff's Office Facebook ...
-
Bicyclist seriously injured in St. Cloud collision
A bicyclist was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a vehicle at 13th Street and Old Hickory Road in St. Cloud -- Tuesday, June 18, ...
-
Man who killed neighbor over barking dogs gets life sentence
Paul Miller, 66, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday. (PHOTO/Flagler County Sheriff's ...
-
Analyst George Zimmerman trial juror questions to get more personal
Legal analyst Jaya Balani said we can expect more specific, personal questions regarding each juror in this next round of the George Zimmerman ...
-
Depression expected to become storm
MIAMI - Forecasters say a tropical depression crossing Mexico's Bay of Campeche is getting better organized and is expected to become a tropical storm before making landfall along Mexico's Gulf ...
-
Depression Becoming Better Organized
Tropical Depression 2 was becoming better organized, and there is a strong probabilty that it will bcome a tropical storm later Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center ...
Jacksonville News Digest
-
Horticultural therapy for war veterans.
There are still Vietnam veterans living in poverty or on the street in the United States today, everyday many commit suicide from despair. Since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, suicide rates among veterans have spiked again as sufferers of a range of mental and physical injuries fall through the net. Veteran Farms are one way in which these veterans can be helped.
Adam Burke is a man with a mission, to help war veterans returning to the United States after tours abroad, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, that have struggled to reintegrate with society. This may be due to PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), physical injuries, such as disability, or a sense of a loss of purpose after the harried action of a war zone. Read more
News from around our Network
