Grace's Garden
Grace's Garden is the social networking website tailored to connecting women veterans with one another and with support services. Grace's Garden has been created by women veterans for women veterans to offer a safe and confidential venue. Women can share common experiences and offer unique peer support for wellness.
A Grace After Fire mission is to help carry the word that the silent wounds of being a women servicemember, both in war and peace time, does not have to be experienced alone. Many of our members have experienced tragedy. We never leave a soldier behind, even after service. When women hurt, women help - women veterans help women veterans.
The Internet creates outreach to the silent homes of those struggling, 24/7. It allows women to confidentially connect when they need to, when they are available, and increases the ability to access services or a friend anytime day or night.
Many women veterans live isolated in urban cities, or in rural communities without any ready access to support. Often, access to mental health services in rural and underserved locations can be strained. Working with all of our partners, Grace is working to develop online pre- and post-adjunct mental health services by using telemedicine. For example, while a woman is waiting to be seen by a VA clinician, Grace can offer online Beyond Trauma therapeutic support services available to her 24/7, overcoming barriers of work, childcare, and transportation. This would allow her to engage in more healthy behavior and begin self-care in preparation and following mental health services, if needed.
Women as a whole are naturally resilient, strong, enduring, and nurturing. Not all women veterans have been hurt, whether silently or physically. Many of the women veterans that come to our sites may be experiencing difficulties with the VA services. Grace's Garden provides an opportunity to reach out to sister veterans and offer a hand, an ear, a story of support, and direction to wellness – together. Here, women veterans share experience, strength, and hope for a strong and bright future for ourselves, and our friends and family.
