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Our Mission and impact

Our Mission

Healing America’s Veterans through the therapeutic art of fly fishing.

Our Vision

Project Healing Waters aims to foster restoration, resilience, community, and lasting connections in the journey towards healing.

Veteran
participants

Men and women actively healing through fly fishing each year.

SISTERS ON THE RISE

A commitment to honor the voices, experiences, and
needs of women who have served.

Veterans Served Since 2012.

A legacy of service
and transformation.

Active
Chapters

Across 45 States, our reach
continues to grow.

Active
volunteers

Dedicated mentors supporting
Veterans daily.

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. began in 2005 serving wounded military service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, PHW has expanded nationwide, establishing its highly successful program in Department of Defense hospitals, Warrior Transition Units, and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and clinics.

How We Help

We are a leading nonprofit using fly fishing as therapeutic intervention for active military and Veterans. Through our curriculum of fly fishing, fly casting, fly tying, and rod building, participants experience nature’s restorative healing powers while building camaraderie, connectedness, and community—directly increasing their sense of belonging, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. We are actively serving over 7,000 Veteran participants across all service eras with support from almost 4,000 dedicated volunteers.

Ways to Give

Get Involved

Find Your Local Chapter

This journey has been a transformative one for me, especially in dealing with my PTSD as a disabled veteran.

The process of crafting a bamboo rod, the tranquility of fly fishing, and the victories in each catch are my own forms of therapy, healing me in ways traditional medicine couldn’t. It is a respite from my typical solitary existence and a welcome diversion that offers not just a physical activity but also an engaging and rewarding mental exercise.

Mikael Madsen - U.S. Army Veteran