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SUNNYSIDE, Carbon County — On top of a mountain near Sunnyside, veterans are getting the chance to escape the stresses of their lives and their own post-traumatic stress disorder, while bonding with people who know what they're going through.
Creativets is among a handful of nonprofits that host groups there for weeklong retreats. Deputy Director of Creativets Kyle Yepsen said they help veterans heal through art, music and photography.
"There's no out-of-pocket expense for the veterans," Yepsen said. "So really, if they can just say 'yes' to coming and giving art or music a chance, then we'll take care of all the rest."
A group of veterans spent the second week of July focusing on shooting landscapes at sundown and astrophotography by night.
"Taking pictures helps me, I think because it kind of takes me out of the headspace that I'm in," said Stephanie Moore, a veteran Army Medic from Oklahoma. "A whole lot of stress has just been lifted off."
Moore adds that likely an even bigger piece of what makes the experience worthwhile is simply being able to meet and talk with veterans like herself who have experienced difficult things.
'Just be who I am'
"I feel like I can come out here and just kind of be who I am," Moore said. "I don't feel like I'm going to be judged or looked at any different."
Creativets is based in Nashville but hosted one of its programs in Utah for the first time in July. The group's stay at Range Valley Ranch was paid for through The Atlantis Foundation, which strives to give various veteran groups similar experiences through fundraising.
While Yepsen is not a veteran himself, he does understand what it means to lose a loved one who has chosen to serve.
"My brother served in the Marine Corps and was killed in December of 2006," Yepsen said.
He learned about Creativets through the organization's founder, Richard Casper, who served with Yepsen's brother, Lance Cpl. Luke Yepsen.
"Casper was actually struck by four separate IED blasts and that resulted in traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress for him, to the point that he had memory issues and severe anxiety," Yepsen said, explaining how music played a role in Casper's healing. "And after realizing how much that did for him, he decided he wanted to start an organization that could bring those same healing properties and qualities to veterans everywhere."
The impact
Yepsen went through the Creativets music program himself, which he said helped him heal and understand how much the loss of his brother impacted him. Now, after hosting many similar programs in music, art and photography, he said he's always impressed by how much veterans seem to get out of it.
"It never ceases to surprise me how impactful it is," he said.
Yepsen says Creativets will likely bring another group to the Range Valley Ranch next July for their music program, which has country recording artists teach veterans how to share their stories by writing and performing country songs.
