ROME — The Travis Mills Foundation seeks volunteers for its veterans retreat, which provides an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid, barrier-free experience for post-9/11 veterans and their families in the Belgrade Lakes Region.

Year-round volunteer opportunities in Rome include serving meals, housekeeping, yard work, family and children’s activities, fishing, boating and snowshoeing. For more information or to fill out an application, visit travismillsfoundation.org or email Volunteer Coordinator John Romac at john@travismillsfoundation.org.

Born and raised in Vassar, Michigan, Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne is a recalibrated veteran, motivational speaker, author and an advocate for veterans and amputees.

On April 10, 2012, Mills was critically injured by an improvised explosive device during a routine patrol on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. The explosion blew off portions of all four of his limbs, and he is one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive.

While recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, family was a crucial component to Mills’ healing. His wife, Kelsey, their daughter, Chloe, along with both their families, spent 19 months at Walter Reed, recovering alongside other veterans and their families.

Mills maintained his lifelong mantra of “Never Give Up. Never Quit,” and credits Kelsey and Chloe (then six months old) as the driving force behind his positivity and persistence to overcome the challenges of his new normal.

After his recovery, Mills attended an adaptive sports camp in Colorado and realized the need for a such a place where veterans and their entire family could relax and connect. Born out of this idea, Travis and Kelsey founded the Travis Mills Foundation.

Since 2017, the Travis Mills Foundation has hosted a total of 90 weeks of programming, serving 627 veterans, 724 families, 2,087 people (including 772 children) from 43 states (plus Washington, D.C. and Canada).

To learn more, visit travismillsfoundation.org.

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