Project Healing Waters

In the world of Project Healing Waters, “Tribe” isn’t just a catchphrase for us. It is the heartbeat of everything we do. When Veterans gather for a weekend on the river, time around a fly tying table, or while building rods, they share more than just fishing tips. They share stories of loss and victory, of sleepless nights and hard won mornings. This fellowship reminds each Veteran that they belong to something bigger than themselves, a community that understands, supports, and uplifts one another. That sense of belonging can break through isolation faster than any therapy session alone. Every time you volunteer as a casting instructor, help pack gear for a new participant, or simply listen as a Veteran recounts their journey, you’re strengthening our Tribe. You’re saying, “I see you. We stand with you.” If you’ve felt the power of this community firsthand, invite a fellow Veteran to join us. If you’ve never been to a PHW event, consider volunteering or joining one of our local programs, because building connections off the battlefield can be the most transformative mission of all. Please consider supporting our mission by donating through our website. #flyfishingsaveslives #projecthealingwaters #veteranshelpingveterans #onthefly

Because of an incredible community, the Bob Popovics Memorial Auction raised more than $22,000 in support of Project Healing Waters and the Veterans we serve. What started as a deeply generous gift from the Popovics family became something far bigger than an auction. It became a way to carry Bob’s legacy forward through healing, connection, and purpose for fellow service members navigating their own journeys home. “We are humbly grateful to the Popovics family who entrusted us to honor Bob’s legacy through this auction. We could not be more grateful for the generosity of all those that participated in order to raise resources to directly fuel PHW’s vision to foster restoration, resilience, community, and lasting connections in the journey towards healing. Bob's wishes to care for his fellow service men and women came true this week...I think he would be proud.” — Josh Christian, Major Gifts Officer From engraved reels and his tied flies to the stories and memories attached to every item, this collection clearly meant something to people across the fly fishing and Veteran communities alike. We are forever grateful to the Popovics family and friends for entrusting Project Healing Waters with honoring Bob’s life and passion in such a meaningful way. To every single person who bid, shared, supported, and helped bring this auction to life, thank you. Your support directly helps build healing journeys for Veterans across the country. #projecthealingwaters #flyfishingsaveslives #veteranshelpingveterans #onthefly

This Memorial Day, we remember. We honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to something greater than themselves, and the families and communities forever changed by their sacrifice. At Project Healing Waters, we carry their memory with us in every cast, every connection, and every conversation on the riverbank. Healing is a way to honor their legacy, by living fully, by supporting one another, and by ensuring that those who survived have the space and support to heal. We invite you to speak their names today. To share their stories. And to remember that freedom was never free. We remember. Always. #memorialday #honorthefallen #projecthealingwaters

Today, on Memorial Day, we pause to remember those who gave everything in service to this country. Not just as service members. But as sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, teammates, and friends. There’s a saying that a person dies twice. The first time when they physically pass, and the second when their name is spoken for the last time. So today, we speak their names. Remember that remembrance is not about a single day on the calendar. It’s about carrying their stories forward for the rest of our lives. As you spend time with family today, as you gather with friends, as you enjoy the freedoms they fought to protect, remember them. Live well. Love your people deeply. And never let their names fade away. Video from RDML J. L. Hancock, US Navy, RET. #projecthealingwaters #veteranshelpingveterans #flyfishingsaveslives #memorialday

There’s a saying that we die twice. Once when we physically leave this earth, and again when our names are no longer spoken. This weekend is about making sure that second death never comes. Today, we honor those stories through the voice of one of our own. A Veteran remembering a friend, a brother, someone whose impact still lives on in the people around them. Speak their names. Tell their stories. Remember the laughs, the grit, the moments that made them who they were. And while we carry the weight of their sacrifice, we also honor them by continuing to live fully. By spending time with family. By getting outside. By appreciating the freedom they helped protect. Because if they were here, that’s what they would want for us. Video from COL Tito Villanueva, US Army RET. #projecthealingwaters #veteranshelpingveterans #flyfishingsaveslives #memorialday

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember the men and women who never made it home, both overseas and the ones we have lost stateside. The stories. The personalities. The dumb jokes. The late night conversations. The people who stood beside us when life was hard. Today’s video is another reminder that the men and women we lost are still with us every time we speak their names and share their stories. There’s a reason so many Veterans hold onto memories so tightly. We carry pieces of those people with us forever. And this weekend gives us a chance to say their names out loud again. Honor them. Remember them. Live in a way that would make them proud. Spend time with the people you love this weekend. Get outside. Take a breath. Watch a sunset. Laugh harder than usual. That’s part of honoring them too. Video from Rick Davidson. #projecthealingwaters #veteranshelpingveterans #flyfishingsaveslives #memorialday

What’s your setup looking like this weekend? Are you sight casting on the salt flats, drifting dries in cold mountain streams, or maybe chasing urban giants in unexpected waters? Wherever you’re headed, we want to know, what rig are you reaching for lately? Drop your go to setup in the comments! #flyfishingsaveslives #projecthealingwaters #flyfishing #onthefly

"When I first came here, I was unsure. Now I find myself teaching other veterans how to cast, how to tie, how to change their lives for the better. It’s humbling to go from needing help to being the one giving it. That’s the power of this program, it doesn’t just heal, it equips us to help others too. Which honestly may be the best part of it all." Every story matters. At Project Healing Waters, we believe in building a cycle of healing #veteranshelpingveterans, one cast at a time. #projecthealingwaters #flyfishingsaveslives #community #flyfishing

“I spent a long time pretending I was fine. Truth is, I was angry at everything. Short fuse. Didn’t sleep worth a damn. I’d sit in my own house feeling completely disconnected from the people I loved most. My wife would ask what was wrong and I wouldn’t even know how to answer her. I just knew I wasn’t the same guy anymore. When another Veteran first told me about Project Healing Waters, I brushed it off. Fly fishing? Didn’t sound like something that was going to fix anything. But he pressured me into it. What surprised me wasn’t the fishing. It was being around other Veterans who understood without needing the whole story. Nobody was trying to impress anybody. Nobody cared what rank you were or what you did overseas. We just stood in the river and talked like human beings again. Somewhere along the line, I started breathing easier. Sleeping better. Laughing more. My wife noticed it before I did. She told me, ‘You finally seem like yourself again.’ That hit hard because I didn’t realize how far gone I’d been. This organization didn’t magically erase everything. But it gave me something I hadn’t felt in years, peace." Anonymous PHW Participant #projecthealingwaters #flyfishingsaveslives #veteranshelpingveterans #onthefly #community

In the Veteran community, mental health still gets treated like some dirty little secret. Everybody says “reach out” now. Everybody posts the hotline numbers. But the truth is, a lot of us still grew up in a culture where shutting the hell up and driving on was the expectation. You keep it buried. You suck it up. You handle it yourself. That mindset gets burned into you over years of service, and for a lot of guys, it doesn’t just disappear when the uniform comes off. The problem is, carrying all that weight alone eventually starts crushing people. Asking for help isn’t weakness. Never was. Some of the strongest people we know are the ones who finally admitted they were struggling instead of putting on another fake smile and pretending everything was fine. Sometimes the first step is just talking to another Veteran who gets it without needing an explanation. Somebody who understands the dark humor, the anger, the isolation, the feeling of not fitting into the civilian world anymore. That’s why communities matter. Programs like Project Healing Waters aren’t really about fish. Never were. They’re about giving Veterans a reason to get out of the house again. A reason to sit around other people who understand. A few hours where your brain finally goes quiet standing in a river somewhere. Healing doesn’t look the same for everybody. Therapy helps some. Community helps others. The outdoors helps a lot of us. But none of it starts until you decide you’re done fighting it alone. #projecthealingwaters #veteranshelpingveterans #flyfishingsaveslives #community