Non-Profit in the Spotlight

Paul Anderson, Adam McCabe, Dr. Jerry Alpern, and Janice Nark are all involved with the non-profit Huts for Vets. We discuss the two new programs Huts for Vets is taking on. The first is a partnership with Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado, which aims to help veterans enter college life by building relationships with other enrolled veterans. The second program is a women's hut trip, where the focus will be on issues women face overseas and when they come home.

The mission for Huts for Vets is simple: to help veterans adjust to and enjoy civilian life by gaining tools for enhancing mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. The organization takes groups of veterans up to the 10th Mountain Division Huts for three days of hiking, discussion, and reflection. Guests on this show include Paul Anderson, Executive Director, Dr. Jerry Alpern, board member and psychologist, and Adam McCabe, retired combat veteran, instructor, and board member.

Huts for Vets is a new non-profit, founded in January 2013. The organization lead two programs last summer, introducing 15 veterans to the serenity and calm of the wilderness - almost all of whom said the experience changed their life. Paul Anderson is the Executive Director of Huts for Vets and shares about the mission and programs of the non-profit organization. Dr. Jerry Alpern is a psychologist and a member of the board, he shares about the value of Huts for Vets. 

Learn more about Huts for Vets and Huts for Vets programs on their website: www.hutsforvets.org

Sustainable Agriculture - it's one of the new frontiers ACES, or Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, is taking on. Rock Bottom Ranch is one of the properties ACES manages - of the 113 acres, 40 acres are in agriculture production, the rest is kept as wildlands. Jason Smith is the Director of Rock Bottom Ranch and shares the summer programs, kids camps, vegetable gardens, livestock, and restoration projects happening at the ranch.

Jamie Cundiff is the Forest Programs Director at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES). In 2012, For the Forest merged with ACES to create a powerful voice for more than just the trees of the Roaring Fork Valley, but also for those in Colorado and the West. Cundiff explains the actions ACES is taking to ensure the health of the forests in the valley, as well as large-scale projects designed to predict the future of forests and tree species based on different carbon out-puts in the coming decades.