Pillars with Purpose and Save the Brave

At Upstream Rehabilitation, we’re passionate about helping those in our community through our Pillars with Purpose initiatives and we are proud to highlight the amazing work our associates are doing to support our veterans.

Pillars With Purpose is an associate-driven charitable program through Upstream Rehab that allows our associates to give back to our patients and communities and support worthy causes at home and around the world. Our goal is to create lasting and positive change and make a difference in the lives around us. Pillars with Purpose has seven pillars that we center our mission around.

Some of the many ways we focus on giving back to our communities is through charitable contributions, community outreach, and highlighting volunteer efforts from our associates including one of the most recent causes supported through Pillars With Purpose, a critically important organization called – Save the Brave.

Save the Brave is a military non-profit organization that is devoted to providing lifesaving stress management programs, raising awareness for suicide prevention, and promoting camaraderie through solid support networks.

Recently, one of Upstream Rehabilitation’s associates, Dylan Gaar, became involved with Save the Brave and volunteered his time for the Oregon Save the Brave initiative. Over the course of a five-day window, Dylan volunteered his time to assist with fun activities which included mountain biking, river excursions, and more for veterans. In addition, in support of full mental health and physical health, injury screens were completed by Dylan and other physical therapists from Upstream. Dylan helped lead the river excursion portion and helped to raise over $20,000 with a Pillars grant which brought the total to $37,075 for Save the Brave.

Robbe Bendick, Executive Director of Philanthropy for Upstream Rehabilitation’s Pillars with Purpose, sat down with Dylan to see what inspired him to donate his time to such a worthy cause.

So Dylan, can you share with us first, who your efforts supported and why you were willing to go all in with them?

“My efforts supported veterans (and their families), typically those who have experienced combat, and are coping with the life-changing repercussions of war, while searching for an effective way to heal their trauma. I’ve worked as a whitewater raft guide for the past 10 years.

“These days it is more of a weekend hobby, but I occasionally guide a commercial tour for the right group. Last year it happened to be with a community of vets through Save The Brave, a non-profit organization with a mission of connecting veterans through outreach programs that aim to prevent suicide and improve quality of life.

“Many of the vets that showed up for the trip suffer from severe TBI (traumatic brain injury) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorders), so they travel with a group of clinicians that volunteer their time to help facilitate a safe experience and track therapeutic outcomes. The goal is to utilize a conservative healing approach by combining non-traditional medicine, with outdoor therapeutic adventure & peer-to-peer support.

“After a full day on the river, there was a certain energy or spark between the crew that is difficult to explain, but the program clearly had a positive impact. I didn’t know this form of therapy existed, but I was moved by the entire experience and saw a “green light” to lend a helping hand. This was an opportunity to combine my passions for the outdoors and physical medicine with the resources available through Upstream, to help those that need it the most. This was an opportunity to go all in for our nation’s heroes.”

I always say being willing to show up in any circumstance is a big act of courage. You showed up in a big way for these men and women who, as you can shed some light on through their stories, they have shown up for others, making huge sacrifices of their own.

Talk with us about how you and your fellow colleagues showed up for this group and what that experience was like?

“After the first raft trip, I kept in close contact with the leader of the veteran community – Javier Romo. The vision was to host a fundraiser for Save the Brave through our philanthropic arm Pillars with Purpose.

“This would allow us to raise funds to scale the outdoor program, reach more veterans in need, and provide access to effective healthcare resources, such as our very own Upstream clinicians.

“What started out as an idea, quickly turned to reality, and then the work followed. The program was made possible by the hundreds of people in our company and throughout our local communities, that stepped up to get involved in a big way.

“I want to give a special shout-out to Megan Herzwurm and all of Region 23 in OR, for their part in the fundraiser. They went above and beyond to support the veteran community, in particular our regional director Kylee Alexander and her team in Eugene, who raised $5,000 in their clinics in 3 months!

“The amount of support we received from our community and local businesses was unbelievable. We had farms donating food to help feed the veterans, tour operators such as Sun Country and First Nature, donating outdoor recreation resources and some very generous contributions from local businesses; such as Central Oregon Visitor Association, who donated $10,000 to the initiative! In total, we raised over $37,000 in 3 months!

“The funds we raised helped provide the veterans with housing, food, transportation and all the resources necessary to participate in the 5-day event. Working with Pillars to make it all happen was a great experience. Thank you, Robbe!”

What have you gained from that experience?

“A stronger sense of appreciation for our veterans and the community that supports them. While I can’t personally relate to their experiences, listening to their stories has allowed me to better understand the level of sacrifice they make to protect our freedom. It has also instilled the importance of community and the amazing network of people we have within our company. All of which jumped on the opportunity to get involved, without asking for anything in return. I believe most people genuinely want to help make the world a better place, sometimes they just need to be given the opportunity to do so.

“My biggest personal takeaway from this experience, is to always take action. Most things in life start with a great idea, but without action that’s all it will ever be. I think that holds true to any scenario.”

What did you feel like after having completed the day and raised the money?

“I felt relieved that it all came to fruition. This was the trial run, so I half expected some sort of hiccup along the way, but everything went to plan because of the amazing people involved behind the scenes. Seeing our very own clinicians (Melissa Clay, Leanna Stracco, Micah Hilton) provide injury screens and do what they do best to improve quality of life, while I stand next to them pumping up a whitewater raft in the guide shop I used to work in was a surreal experience. It’s remarkable how life can come full circle when you pursue your passions with purpose and intention. I feel a sense of responsibility and believe the work has just begun.”

Please share with us where your “why” came from for this project? I’m sure it can serve as an inspiration for us all!

“I believe the time we are given is best used helping those in need. If I can have a small impact on preventing veteran suicide and improving quality of life, then I’m not wasting my time. At the end of the day, the Vets are the why.”

Pillars with Purpose at Upstream Rehabilitation

At Upstream Rehabilitation, we love sharing stories like this and highlighting some of the great work that our associates are doing in their local communities. Pillars with Purpose, our philanthropic arm of Upstream Rehab, is one of the many ways we are passionate about helping those in our community and making a difference in our patients’ lives.

Learn more about some of the many benefits of working at Upstream Rehabilitation and browse and apply to open physical therapy positions nationwide for both clinical and non-clinical roles.

1. “Save the Brave.” Save The Brave, https://savethebrave.org/.
2. “About Us.” Save The Brave, https://savethebrave.org/pages/about.