Ryan Ackerman
USMC Purple Heart Recipient, Three-Tour Iraq Combat Veteran • Fallujah ’04 • Ramadi ’05 • Project New Day Participant and Mentor
“Our coach’s trust and openness were invaluable to my brothers and me. As veterans, we often struggle to connect with others about our past experiences. His unique ability to listen without judgment helped us understand our own stories in a new way. His thoughtful questions and guidance encouraged us to be honest and reflective. We gained valuable insights into our unconscious minds and learned how to use them to our advantage. This increased our self-confidence and helped us connect more deeply with ourselves. Now, we feel free to be who we are and pursue our hidden potential. I’m incredibly grateful for this life-changing opportunity.”
Dylan Jouras
USMC Purple Heart Recipient, Two-Time Afghanistan Combat Veteran • Project New Day Participant and Leadership Team
“The future is really bright right now. Waking up doesn’t feel like a chore anymore. A few years ago, my life was unrecognizable. There was trauma from a combat tour in Afghanistan, and after being injured in explosions, I was prescribed opiates. When the prescriptions ran out, I turned to heroin, using up to two grams per day. I was on a path to an early grave. I went through multiple treatment programs, but nothing addressed the real issue—until Project New Day. They said, ‘Let’s deal with the trauma first. The addiction will take care of itself.’ And that’s exactly how it unfolded for me. Now I want to live—and not just live, but thrive.”
Ramon Suarez
USMC Heavy Machine Gunner • Project New Day Participant and Mentor
“Thank you so much for wanting to do something like this for my brothers and me. I have really enjoyed the coaching over the last couple of months. I look forward to it every week and miss it when I can’t make it. My coach has helped me get in touch with emotions I buried for years. I am forever grateful for this program. Please keep it going—I know other veterans like me will deeply benefit.”
Wade Spann
USMC Purple Heart Recipient • 3-Tour Iraq Veteran • Project New Day Participant and Mentor
“Project New Day has been a chance for me to find my purpose and align with my personal beliefs. All participants in this cohort have sacrificed and witnessed the tragedies of combat. We have lost and self-destructed numerous times. Our purpose once seemed noble, but the reality of war left us struggling to rebuild our lives. Project New Day has given me a space to be vulnerable, confront hard truths, and begin the journey of healing. Please know that your support has changed all of us for the better.”
Nolan James
US Army Combat Vet • Project New Day Participant
“Words can’t really express my gratitude for everything Project New Day has done for me and my brothers in arms. I simply would have never had the means to do anything like this, and it is absolutely priceless. I had been waiting for an opportunity like this for 15 years. In just a few months, this program has done more for me than a decade of psychotherapy at the VA. People around me have noticed the positive changes—I finally feel like myself again. Thank you for this life-saving opportunity.”
Thank you for being part of this life-changing mission.