Welcome
Dear Friends of the National Center for Healthy Veterans at Valor Farm,
We are humbled by God’s grace and provision over the last nine months to move us from ashes to action, from mourning to joy, from a day of tragedy to a day of triumph. You should have your “Day After” invite by now, inviting you to our Arena Ribbon Cutting and Reveal Dinner on September 12 at 6 pm. If you have not received an invitation, you can go directly to The Day After Registration page. As with our original ribbon cutting in November 2020, we will have a gathering of NCHV supporters from near and far. I encourage you to reserve one of the limited spots now.
You may have already recognized that “The Day After” theme is very relevant for the day after 9/11. Although not the same magnitude of tragedy, our barn fire represented a “9/11” for us. Yet for both our Nation and Valor Farm, God provided the resilience to bounce back quickly. God truly can and does turn mourning into joy. We are grateful.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
Jeremiah 31:13
Here are a few snapshots from a very dynamic and productive month at the National Center for Healthy Veterans:
Plays of the Day – Program Graduation, Tunnel to Towers Partnership, Village 2 Progress, Arena Progress, Produce in Market
Meet the Team – Benny Stoltzfus, Construction Project Manager
Diving Deeper – New Arena by COO Jake Corwin
In The Media – WSET and LHOV Stories, Arena and Barn Flythrough
Prayer Points – Join us in prayer as we continue to support and empower Veterans.
Thanks again for your encouragement, your volunteerism, your gifts-in-kind, your financial donations, your referrals of Veterans in need, and your prayers.
Blessings and gratitude to each of you,
Robert F. Dees
Major General, U.S. Army, Retired
President and CEO, National Center for Healthy Veterans
YOUR encouragement and generosity
have made these amazing things happen at Valor Farm. We certainly welcome and need your further support on behalf of Returning Healthy Veterans to America!
Join our Healthy Veterans Community!
Plays of the Day
Program Graduation – We recently celebrated a powerful milestone as three of our Patriots completed the full NCHV program. Graduation marks the culmination of months of hard work, healing, and personal growth. Each graduate leaves equipped with the tools to thrive in civilian life and reengage with purpose. It is moments like these that remind us why we do what we do—to Return Healthy Veterans to America.
Tunnel to Towers Partnership – After months of collaboration, we are proud to officially be recognized as a service provider with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. This partnership has already led to a strong increase in the number of referrals we are receiving. The population we serve often does not seek help on their own. It is up to us to find them, and this new connection significantly strengthens our ability to reach more Veterans in need of healing and restoration.
Village 2 Construction – Progress at Veterans Village 2 is accelerating, bringing us closer to completion with each step forward. Interior work on all 12 homes is nearly finished, and sidewalks and landscaping are next on the list. Meanwhile, the Community Center is taking shape with walls up, the roof completed, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems now being installed. Exciting momentum continues to build as each milestone brings us closer to welcoming more Veterans home.
Arena Construction – The new arena is nearing completion, and it already stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and renewal. This space will not only support equine therapy and horsemanship training but also serve as a gathering place for the broader community. As we prepare for our grand reveal in September, we are filled with gratitude for everyone who has helped make this rebuild possible.
Produce in the Market – Our gardens have flourished more than ever this year, allowing us to grow enough fresh produce to nourish both our Patriots and the broader community through our on-site market. This increase in volume is a meaningful step forward in our long-term sustainability plan. For the men in our program, tending the garden offers more than just vocational training. It gives them the chance to witness the fruits of their labor from seed to harvest. Stop by the market to pick up fresh Valor Farm tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and much more.
Meet The Team
Ben Stoltzfus – Construction Project Manager
Hello, my name is Ben Stoltzfus. I’m married to my wonderful wife, Martha, and we have a 17-month-old son, Asher—with another baby on the way! Our family loves living in the Nelson County area and spending time outdoors hiking, camping, and enjoying nature together.
I was raised on a 150-acre organic dairy farm in southern Lancaster County as part of a traditional Amish family. We milked around 90 cows and used horses for both farming and transportation. That upbringing taught me the value of hard work, adaptability, and finding solutions when challenges arise.
At 19, I transitioned from farm life and began a career in construction with Quarry View Building Group. A few years later, I was honored to become a partner in the business. In 2024, our family made the move to Nelson County, where I currently serve as a Project Manager. I oversee the construction of Village 2, the new barn and arena, and several other regional projects.
It’s a privilege to be part of the work happening at the National Center for Healthy Veterans. We are proud to help create spaces that offer healing, restoration, and renewed purpose for Veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country.
Diving Deeper
New Arena – Jake Corwin, COO
The construction of our new riding arena has been progressing at a breathtaking pace, and we are eagerly anticipating the completion of the project later this month! Our team showed remarkable resilience following the fire last November – overcoming many challenges and getting “outside the box” to continue normal operations when nothing was normal at all.
One of those challenges was analyzing our old facility and deciding what we would re-build based on our current needs and plans for the future. Because the old barn housed so many functions of our operation, this quickly turned into a redesign of our entire master site plan, and we are so excited about the opportunities that have “risen from the ashes.” Our new equestrian facility maintains the essential functions of the old barn, but with some very intentional changes that reflect our operational goals.
The arena itself is roughly 30% larger, includes elevated spectator seating for up to 200 people, a climate-controlled viewing room, bathrooms, and an audio/visual control center, which will double as a podcast studio for future NCHV broadcasts. The entire facility is wheelchair accessible and the elevated seating platform doubles as a stage area for larger events such as our Veterans Day celebration, where seating on the arena floor can accommodate 800-1000 attendees.
Conversely, the stable is 45% smaller than its predecessor, and is a streamlined, simple, and efficient space that will accommodate the needs of our program horses and any visiting clinicians or presenters. In addition to the main barn complex, we plan to install relatively inexpensive, covered, remote stall complexes with water and electric hookups for campers and living-quarters trailers, which will accommodate participants and their horses for multi-day events, which are a key to our sustainability model and our veteran outreach going forward.
The new facility as a whole is designed to meet the needs of our Patriot and Equine Training programs, as well as filling an economic gap in our area by providing an enclosed space for mid-level, single or multi-day events that do not require the amenities of larger facilities, but are too large for smaller, private facilities. Our entire equine team is “chomping at the bit” to start hosting these events that will raise awareness for our mission, provide opportunities for veterans and civilians alike to experience the blessings of God’s amazing horses, and help us reach our goals of self-sustainability!
- After the Fire: Rebuilding and Resilience at the National Center for Healthy Veterans
- Hats Off to Growth: How Horsemanship Creates Community with NCHV
- Valor Farm’s faith-based program rewires the brain and fights isolation for veterans
- Healing and Hope: Altavista’s Valor Farm helps rebuild veterans’ hearts and futures
- Horses help veterans find peace and healing at the National Center for Healthy Veterans
Calendar
- Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. Scheduled Tourscontact@healthyveterans.org if interested.
- First Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. Community Campfire at Valor Farm
Come join us for fellowship!
- Hillcats Military Appreciation Game: August 2
Link to buy Discounted Tickets:
https://www.gofevo.com/event/Nationalcenter7 - Community Campfire: August 7th
- Volunteer Saturday: August 16th
- The Day After Event: September 12th https://secure.qgiv.com/for/nationalcenterforhealthyveterans/event/thedayafterribboncutting/
- NYC Healthy Veterans Reception: October 16th
- Dalton Darnell with 3:10 Ranch Life: Ranch Roping Clinic in New Arena – October 23-25
- Annual Veterans Day Commemoration at Valor Farm Arena: November 11 at 4:00 pm
- Volunteer Appreciation Dinner: April 18th, 2026. Details to come
Prayer Points
- Pray for transition of leadership in Washington D.C., and for national security at home and abroad.
- We give thanks for the visible and invisible signs of healing and restoration in the lives of our Veterans. May these transformations continue to blossom, a testament to Your love and the dedication of those who serve them. Amen.
- Without mentioning specifics, pray for the many Veterans and their families in our midst who have financial issues, health crises, relational dysfunction, and suffer from mental and emotional challenges. May God bring wellness to Veterans throughout the land. May we together, “Return Healthy Veterans to America”
- Join us in praising God for the beauty of His Creation — horses, rivers, cattle, valleys, chickens, the fruit of the land, the beauty of the fields, the wonder of His Creation.
- Pray that the work of the National Center for Healthy Veterans would rapidly advance to provide help, hope, and healing for our nation’s Veterans and their families.
