SHALAM MINISTRIES LTD

"Meeting the needs of the traumatized, drawing them closer to God" is the overarching mission of Shalam Ministries. We are a faith-based Christian non-profit organization that serves survivors of severe trauma (over four hundred individuals served to date). We are currently expanding our services through building Hero's Rest, a retreat center providing "wilderness therapy" for the mental health needs of U.S. first responders (including law enforcement, fire and rescue, dispatch, etc.) and military veterans.

The Trauma Peer Support Program serves and supports adult survivors of severe trauma, such as parents who have lost a child, adult survivors of child abuse, and victims of sexual and domestic abuse. Utilizing in-person and electronic communication allows us to help clients locally, nationally, and even globally. There is a gap in care for trauma survivors. To begin counseling and then to continue striving for emotional and mental health, survivors need more than a single counselor. They need a community of support.

Shalam Ministries' Trauma Support Program is filling this gap for survivors of severe trauma. Shalam Ministries' trauma support program provides a community of support for survivors that encourages, guides, and celebrates. We engage in crisis intervention, host mile-stone celebrations, provide resource education, and offer ongoing support. Shalam Ministries' trauma support staff provides encouragement and guidance through the healing process and emotional and physical assistance to make healthy decisions.

The Hero's Rest facility and program addresses a major need to mediate the extreme stress experienced by first responders and military members in their jobs. To meet the need for rest and recovery that first responders and military personnel face, Shalam Ministries, Ltd. presents Hero’s Rest; a place to serve our nation’s heroes (firefighters, law enforcement, EMS, military etc.) through camping retreats and healing engagement with the outdoors. In 2020, we acquired 56 acres in the Missouri Ozarks and Hero's Rest is now in it's construction phase. We plan to open for guests in 2024.

First Responders and Military can experience more violence, bloodshed, and death on an annual basis than most people see during a lifetime. As a result, these individuals and their families are constantly "on" whether they are on duty or not. That constant experience of always being alert and vigilant takes its toll over the years. Without ways to rest and recover from the trauma they regularly encounter in their work, they are at risk for major adverse effects, including burnout, addiction, divorce, and suicide. (See The Yellow Ribbon Report by I.A.F.F.)

Hero's Rest, provides an opportunity to “rest and reset” through wilderness therapy, giving them the support they need to continue serving with excellence. All stays will be gifted to our guests at no charge, with an opportunity to pay-it-forward to future guests. These regular retreats will provide preventative mental wellness care, helping them to stay active at work longer and be more effective in their jobs – reflected in improved personal and professional decision-making and greater job (and overall life) satisfaction. Learn more at www.herosrest.org