Local charity group holds walk for veterans, first responders in Williamsburg over the weekend

Kerstin Colliver, who is one of the founders of Horses Healing Heroes, noted that the 2.2 mile walk that the group held in downtown Williamsburg late Saturday afternoon may sound like an odd distance, but it was chosen intentionally as a reference to the frequently quoted statistic that 22 veterans and first responders die by suicide each day.

About a dozen people turned out for a 2.2 mile walk in downtown Williamsburg late Saturday afternoon to raise awareness about veteran and first responder suicide rates. Whitley County’s Horses Healing Heroes organized the walk and is hoping to do more to help struggling local veterans.

“You see 22 everywhere. The thought was to let people know what we were doing we wanted to surround things with the number 22. We did it on June 22, and it is a 2.2 mile walk,” Colliver said.

“The point is we are driving home that 22 number and we want to decrease that and we want to save our vets and our first responders. We want to make sure that they have resources they need. There are resources there that they may not know about.”

(While the 22 figure is frequently quoted, she added that the number of suicides per day has unfortunately increased to about 41 per veterans and first responders.)

Horses Healing Heroes got its non-profit status approved in April.

“We are a 501(c)(3) that provides equine therapy to veterans and first responders, who are disabled or have PTS (Post Traumatic Stress), pretty much any vet that wants to step on the property can at no cost,” Colliver said.

Colliver, who has been around horses since she was five years old and has a natural ability with them, got the idea for the program because of her brother, who served nine tours in Iraq.

“When he was an emotional mess it kind of made all of us an emotional mess, and I decided that I needed to change something with it. I took him out and we went horseback riding. He got to save me that day because I was riding a horse in training,” Colliver said.

During that ride, Colliver got to see her brother smile, which was something she hadn’t seen him do in three or four years.

“He had slumped shoulders. He didn’t seem like he was constantly looking for danger. To see him physically relax, I said, ‘I’ve got something here.’”

Colliver, her husband, John, and her neighbor Stephanie Keim in Lexington sat down one night, decided that life was too short and started the program.

It was a fluke that they ended up in Whitley County though.

Keim worked as an airplane mechanic lead at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport.

They were initially looking for place in northern Kentucky.

“I found this place. I fell in love with the pictures and made the appointment. We got in the car and we were going south. I said, ‘what did I do?’ We went Williamsburg not Williamstown. We got down here and everything felt like home. It was meant to be,” Colliver said.

Colliver, who works at home for UK Healthcare, and her husband moved from Lexington to Whitley County about four year ago. They started with Two Angels Horse Farm LLC, which provides lessons and training for children and adults.

“All of the proceeds from that will go straight into the non-profit to take care of the horses that we rescue, and to keep the veterans program completely free,” she said.

The farm is located off Red Bird Road near the McCreary County line.

Keim had to wait a little longer before she could move down. First she had to transfer to Knoxville to work.

“It eventually worked out and here we are. One day I will be able to quit my full-time job and she will be able to quit her full-time job, and we can just focus on doing what we like and giving back,” Keim said.

Groups that took part and set up booths for Saturday’s event included: the Brick Oven, VFW Post 3167, Bethany’s Hope, Shale Oak Wine Tasting, Clover Hollow Farm, Horizon Health, and the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky.

“We look forward to doing more things like this,” Colliver said.

Colliver gave a special thank you to Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison, who came down Saturday at 9 a.m. setting out barrels, trash cans and helped with overall set up for the event. She also thanked VFW Post 3167, who she had known for less than 24 hours before they made Saturday’s largest donation, $200.

For more information about Horses Healing Heroes email the group at horseshealingheores@yahoo.com. Kerstin Colliver can be contacted at (859) 913-6621 and Keim can be contacted at (859) 816-8167.