Utah For Veterans Sign on our Recreation Barn

Utah For Veterans Sign on our Recreation Barn

Zion Ponderosa is proud to have hosted Utah For Veterans this past weekend. This nonprofit organization was founded by Utah native Mary Southerland. After returning from service in Iraq, she came to understand how hard of an adjustment it is for veterans. To read her incredible story, click here. 
Veterans with General Manager, Michael Kane, and Front Desk Manager, Erin Anderson.

Veterans with General Manager, Michael Kane, and Front Desk Manager, Erin Anderson.

Here’s the vision according to their website: bringing Veterans, Civilians, and Contractors that have served in war zones to Utah’s State and National Parks. Southerland wanted to provide an opportunity for Veterans to truly experience the beauty of the nation they were serving. In her own words, “[Veterans have] seen war zones but they haven’t seen the national parks that they’ve fought for.”

This vision inspired their first one-week trip, which began July 15th and concluded at Zion Ponderosa. Their trip was filled with tremendous support and adventure. The Veterans spent this week in Salt Lake City, Big Cottonwood Canyon, and Zion National Park. It has provided an opportunity for Utah communities to show their gratitude for the service of so many, and given these Veterans one of the most beautiful places to decompress and heal.

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The Sunset from Zion Ponderosa Property

Indeed, Southern Utah is a very different kind of desert than Iraq. From ziplining and swimming to a sunset jeep tour, we hope Utah For Veterans had an enjoyable stay at Zion Ponderosa and we were grateful for the chance to host them.

To follow this organization and to hear about their future trips, find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/Utah4Veterans.  They created the following video to document their time here, taken from their Facebook page:


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