Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing

Nationwide Programs for Disabled Veterans

Location: National

Issue Area: Quality of Life

Project Healing Waters Fly-Fishing (PHWFF) has helped to give service members and veterans with a lifelong skill that promotes re-socialization and camaraderie, along with an avenue to heal physical and hidden wounds away from hospital stays and rehabilitation sessions. PHWFF has built a large volunteer network — in 2015, 3,500 volunteers donated over 200,000 hours serving 7,400 individuals nationwide. The Bob Woodruff Foundation grant funds the establishment of an alumni program, background checks on 545 new volunteers, and participation of 700 PHWFF alumni in a national fly rod building program. PHWFF’s strong engagement with their alumni aligns with the military ethos of never leaving a fallen comrade behind.