After 25 years as a veteran of the United States Army, and countless years bouncing from various positions and universities for multiple degrees, Jason Dickinson has found his passion project – Veterans on the River.
Dickinson is debuting his program for veterans for the first time this year. The organization is a nonprofit, and all supplies have either been purchased by Dickinson or donated by supporting businesses. The first stint of rafting and soft skills training is planned for May 12 through May 26 this year. Dickinson said he still has spots available for veterans who may want to participate.
“I hope everyone in Salida comes to the Scout Wave on graduation day (May 26) to wave American flags for our veterans,” Dickinson said. The veterans should be floating through around noon on that day.
The goal of his program is to use whitewater rafting as a conduit to communication skills that are pertinent to transitioning into civilian life after serving in any branch of the military. Dickinson is currently a leadership instructor for the Department of Defense, and he said he uses some of the leadership skills from his job in the training. During their time on the river and with Dickinson, participants will be asked to have the hard conversations about better communication, empathy and vulnerability, among other things.
Another important aspect of his program is focused on identifying the “why” behind whatever emotional reaction is being experienced in the moment. He said emotional intelligence is very important in civilian life. Dickinson noted that in the military, soldiers embrace their fight or flight response, but once they leave the military need to learn how to channel that reaction into something more conducive to positive conversations.
At this time it costs about $4,000 per veteran to go on the trip, all of which is paid for by Dickinson or through donations. This year he’s budgeted for six veterans to join him, but said if he can get more donations he can accommodate more veterans. He said he hopes to raise $50,000 next year to bring 16 individuals on the trip.
Independent Whitewater has made a monumental impact of getting the program up and running, loaning Veterans on the river rafts, wetsuits and allowing them to camp on their property. Local restaurants Casa Calaca and HighSide Bar and Grill have also sponsored a portion of the trip, offering to provide dinner for four nights of the trip. Other sponsors include Pizza Rio, Mo Burrito, Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply and 50 Burger. Dickinson said he’s still on the hunt for more sponsors, and anyone interested in donating is welcome to at their website, Veteransontheriver.org. He is also trying to locate a local therapist or psychologist who would be willing to work with the participants of the program.
IW is the company that trained Dickinson to be a certified raft guide in summer of 2023, which is when Dickinson brought the idea of a rafting for veterans program to the table. Wiley Ledwith, co-owner of IW, said the program is “gonna be neat.” He said the company’s number one goal is getting the veterans on the river and teaching them not only how to get down the river, but how to ensure that everyone in their boat gets down safely and is entertained the whole trip.
“We’re going to show them how to be a leader (on the water),” Ledwith said.
At this time Dickinson said the raft guides that will be on the trip are doing so “out of the kindness of their hearts” for a highly discounted rate, and his daughter and son-in-law, Hannah and Braden Dwyer, are also going to be in attendance to assist with filming and interviewing participants for promotions and posting on the website.
“We have a different approach than most veterans programs,” Dickinson said. “Most programs are all about the numbers, they might take you on a day trip where you don’t really get to learn the skills.”
To apply, veterans can visit the website. After applying, veterans will be selected and screened for emotional health and intelligence. Dickinson said he will be doing the screening personally and identifying the reasons why the applicants want to join the program.
“I saw a gap, and I want to fill the gap and help people transition into their civilian jobs and lives more smoothly,” he said.
