CreatiVets

Mission: CreatiVets is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering wounded veterans to heal through the arts and music. Vision: With a primary focus on veterans struggling with post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, CreatiVets introduces veterans to art and music as a way of healing their unseen wounds of war. Our goal is to empower veterans with tools they can use for the rest of their lives to improve their own, and the lives of those around them. History: Richard Casper Co-founded CreatiVets after experiencing firsthand the healing power of art and music. As an infantryman, Richard served in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps where he lost a close friend while on patrol, survived 4 separate IED attacks, suffered multiple concussions and was ultimately diagnosed with PTS and traumatic brain injury. After his diagnosis and being deemed unfit for duty, he returned home and found that his TBI and post-traumatic stress symptoms were debilitating. After a few attempts using psychiatric and psychotherapy approaches, he discovered the therapeutic benefits of art/ music and realized that creative expression was the only thing that really helped. Richard took ceramics and painting courses and was amazed at how quickly he began to experience a positive impact. Casper says, “It was like I’d found this loophole--I found a way to talk about it, without talking about it.” The benefits continued when he learned to play guitar and write songs, opening another outlet for creative expression through which he could heal by telling his story. Over the years, CreatiVets has expanded its reach, serving over 3000 veterans across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Our growth continues with the recent purchase of a historic church building in Nashville, which will soon serve as our new home and a 24/7 creative hub where veterans can freely express themselves.

CreatiVets’ goal is to offer opportunities for relief and healing for the veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country. Our purpose is to use various forms of art, including songwriting, visual arts, music, and creative writing, to help disabled veterans cope with service-related trauma (i.e., post-traumatic stress, or PTS) by fostering self-expression in a way that allows them to transform their stories of trauma and struggle into an art form that can inspire and motivate continued healing. Through compassion, we are helping veterans live again.