Project Healing Waters Martinez
Project Healing Waters, Inc. (PHW) began in 2005 serving wounded military service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, PHW has expanded nationwide, establishing its highly successful program in Department of Defense hospitals, Warrior Transition Units, and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and Clinics.
Project Healing Waters helps active military service personnel and Veterans in need through a dedicated, developed curriculum of fly fishing, fly casting, fly tying, and fly rod building. In 2023 alone, we helped 6,056 participants comprised of all service eras through the generous work of 6,458 active Volunteers.
We are a leading nonprofit in the area of therapeutic outdoor recreation, using the sport of fly fishing as an intervention. The restorative healing powers of nature and the outdoors are well-documented: for our Veteran and military participants, the camaraderie, connectedness, and community found in our programs, alongside the symbiotic relationship between veteran and volunteer, directly correlate to increased sense of belonging, resilience, and post-traumatic growth.
One of 180 programs across the country, PHW Martinez is affiliated with the Martinez VA Outpatient Clinic and sponsored by the Diablo Valley Fly Fishing (DVFF) club in Walnut Creek. We currently have over 40 active engaged Veterans and active military participants of all genders, ages, races, eras of war, socioeconomic status, and disabilities. Over 30 DVFF Volunteers generously give their time and fly fishing experience to support the program.
Fundamental to the PHW Martinez program are a series of monthly fly fishing proficiency workshops led by DVFF Volunteers. These include Foundational Fly Fishing, Entomology, Fly Casting, Fly Rod Building, Fly Tying, and Water Safety. Indoor workshops and monthly All-Hands Roundups are held on Saturday mornings at the Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall. Monthly outdoor Fly Casting workshops are held Saturday mornings at Pleasant Hill Park.
PHW Martinez sponsors group overnight Fly Fishing Outings scheduled year-round at a number of magical healing waters across Northern California, Oregon, and Nevada. Project Healing Waters HQ also sponsors PHW National Outings at Freedom Ranch for Heroes in Montana and Oak Heart Lodge in Michigan. These outings are the lifeblood of healing for our disabled participants and are only made possible with the generous outpouring of financial support from our community of donors. We depend heavily on major grants, cash donations, and our annual NorCal auction to cover these costs for our deserving Veterans and Volunteers.
Our goal is to provide a lifelong rehabilitative pastime for disabled participants through all things fly fishing. PHW Martinez participants are able to work through their physical and emotional limitations in an environment of patience and camaraderie while learning an engrossing new activity that may give them peace for the rest of their lives. They form lifetime friendships with fellow disabled Veterans, PHW Leaders, and DVFF Volunteers in an atmosphere of safety, trust, and understanding. “We are passionate about those we heal, and that passion is shared by those whose lives have changed forever.”
Contact Brian Miller, PHW Martinez Program Lead, at brian.miller@projecthealingwaters.org.
“My second trip with Project Healing Waters. Both trips have come at critical times when most needed. The fellowship with likeminded folks is lifesaving. I don’t know how else to say this, just a from the heart thank you to all those up in this magic venue. Tight lines and success in such an important cause.”
“It was great to get back out on the water. This was the first outing I have been on since things in my life have calmed down and gotten better. These trips help clear my head but become even more rewarding when my head is in the right place to begin with. Thank you PHW. You have been a big help getting me through life.”