CENTRAL OHIO BEEKEEPERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

Veterans’ Beekeeping School (VBS) is a two-year program created by Central Ohio Beekeepers Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3). The Foundation is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to provide supportive, educational programming for the interests and well-being of beekeepers and the general public.
GOAL
The goal of VBS is to educate veterans to become successful beekeepers as they are integrated into the local beekeeping community of veterans and civilians. This goal is met by providing veterans with formal and informal educational experiences as they learn alongside established beekeepers many of whom have already successfully gone through the VBS program. Our core value is to promote a veteran-centered community, situated within the larger beekeeping community. VBS hopes to build a sense of purpose by encouraging veterans to meet personal goals of homesteading, farming, gardening, leadership, small business, through beekeeping.
VBS encourages family involvement in beekeeping. Cohort members bring children, spouses, partners, and friends to sessions. Families work together on tending bees, harvesting & selling honey, and developing their property toward sustainability.
Within this community, veterans may find healing opportunities for some of their psychosocial health effects from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). TBI and PTSD are deeply interconnected and disproportionately affect veterans. With support from community-based beekeeping, individuals can improve social functioning.
POPULATION
Ohio has the 6th largest veteran population in the U.S. VBS is the only completely face-to-face program in Ohio, and to our knowledge, in the U.S. VBS builds on the shared value of community across veterans and beekeepers, to create a meaningful new culture of veteran-beekeepers. VBS enhances sense of purpose by providing paths to achieve personal goals, family relationships, and leadership opportunities.
VBS set a cohort size of 20, deeming that was our capacity to recruit, fund, and mentor. We limit the geographic area to a 14-county Central Ohio region, calculating driving time to be within one hour. In the first three years of the program, 54 veterans successfully completed program requirements and received a complete hive set up and a package of bees. For the upcoming fourth year, we plan on accepting 25 candidates.
RESULTS
Success rate of Cohort members over the first three years was 84%. These vets continue to participate in outreach events, beyond requirements and have been mentoring Cohort 3 this Spring.
A survey assessing aspects of mental wellness and general physical wellness was given to Cohorts 2 and 3.. Results showed significant improvement in: anxiety and stress, sense of purpose, social connectedness, and mental well-being. Open-ended comments on benefits from VBS include:
"Sense of community with fellow veterans has helped overall health and well being". "I feel a sense of community around other vets in program and beekeepers. The program provides vets with a place to gather with a common purpose. " "...I have a sense of purpose. I know the importance of our work and I'm proud to be a part of it"
PARTNERSHIPS
In 2025, The Foundation has been fortunate to receive in-kind support from the following community partners: OSU Extension, OSU Military and Veterans Services, Prevention Action Alliance, Whole Foods, Easton Town Center, Broken Limb Apiary, Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, Costco Warehouse, and Fully Promoted Gahanna.

LEADERSHIP
+New leadership opportunities have been created for the Veterans through the VBS Advisory Council. Twenty-four veterans serve on the Council. They make recommendations on improvements for the interview process and make acceptance decisions on the incoming cohort. They serve as mentors for each new Cohort, helping new veterans navigate the beekeeping community. Several Veterans have assumed leadership roles in VBS and COBA, including serving on the COBA Board and directing two of COBA’s six apiaries.

DEVELOPMENT
Development efforts to fund the program have been ongoing. We solicit donations from the Veteran community, COBA members, private and corporate foundations, and individuals. We host an annual Turkey Shoot fundraiser. We deeply appreciate every donor’s belief in Veterans’ Beekeeping School.

FUTURE PLANS
An important design feature is for veterans to assume leadership of the program, with the Foundation only in an oversight role, within the next 5 years. Program directors believe in the importance of including veterans as collaborators in research and recovery, not just as subjects. This process began in 2024 with the Advisory Council, 16 members of Cohorts 1 and 2. They run the interview and selection process. Further, a member of Cohort 1 is leading the VBS research team. Two other members of Cohort 2 have recently established an apiary on their college campus prairie conservation site. A member of the most recent cohort, Cohort 3, has assumed role of FaceBook Administrator. Other leadership positions that will be filled in the next two years include: Cohort Team Leaders, Equipment Support Team, and Program Requirements Annual Review Team.