A PILOT PROGRAM TO HELP MILITARY RECONNECT WITH FAMILIES TO LAUNCH TODAY AT
CALLAWAY GARDENS
The Callaway Homecoming Initiative (CHI) is a Joint Partnership with Emory
University, Fort Benning and Callaway Gardens
PINE MOUNTAIN, GA (04/25/12) – Beginning today, the Callaway
Homecoming Initiative (CHI), a program a year-long in planning between
Emory University, Callaway Gardens and Fort Benning’s Maneuver
Operations Center for Excellence, becomes a reality.
The CHI is designed to help members of the U.S. Military reconnect
with their families and assimilate into a peacetime home environment
upon return from combat deployment. Set in the foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains in west-central Georgia at Callaway Gardens,
this program brings soldiers and families together – at no personal
expense – in a spectacular and serene setting, far from the stress and
anxiety of war.
A series of classes, developed in partnership with Emory University’s
School of Medicine Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, features
experts from around Georgia, who have volunteered their service,
providing information to soldiers and families about unique aspects of
military family life and transition from the combat theater. Military
families also participate in a regimen of outdoor team challenges
including a timed adventure race, a zipline course, a laser tag
competition and more. Ample time is built in for recreational
activities as well, including golf, tennis, fishing, bicycling and
hiking. When the day’s activities end, CHI participants unwind in
Callaway Gardens’ Southern Pine Cottages, set in a secluded woodland
environment and equipped with screened porches, full kitchens and
fireplaces.
The program is directed by J. Douglas Bremner, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry
and Radiology, and Director of the Emory Center for Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Dr.
Bremner also serves as Director of Mental Health Research at the Atlanta VAMC
in Decatur, Georgia.
“With all expenses paid and a comprehensive program that addresses all
aspects of the combat-to-peacetime transition, CHI is a win-win
prospect for everyone – soldier, family and
society at large,” said Dr. Bremner.
“Callaway Gardens was created to provide a place of nourishment for
the soul, consolation for the heart, and inspiration for the mind,”
said Edward Callaway, Callaway Gardens’ chairman of the board. “What
better group of people to engage in this environment so that they can
benefit from its beauty at such an important and critical time in
their lives to re-connect with themselves, their family and their
homeland after providing such an incredible service to our country.”
Follow the program on Facebook at Callaway Homecoming Initiative and
on twitter using @CHI_Georgia. For more information on the Callaway
Gardens Homecoming Initiative, please write to P.O. Box 2000, Pine
Mountain, GA 31822 or email info@callawaygardens.com.
Callaway Gardens®, is in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta
and 30 minutes north of Columbus. For additional information,
visit www.callawaygardens.comor call 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292).
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About Callaway Gardens
For 60 years, Callaway Gardens has provided “a place of relaxation,
inspiration and a better understanding of the living world” for millions of
visitors. Owned and operated by the non-profit Ida Cason Callaway
Foundation, Callaway Gardens includes a garden, resort, preserve and
residential community on 13,000 acres in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Highlights
include a butterfly conservatory, horticultural center, discovery center,
chapel, inland beach, nature trails and special events throughout the year.
In addition, Callaway Gardens offers nearly 80,000 square feet of meeting
space, 685 guest rooms, restaurants, shops, golf, tennis, fishing and more.
Five unique, close-knit residential communities — with custom home sites,
lakefront properties and cottages on the golf course — offer an ideal home
away from home or full-time residence.
Callaway Gardens is home to a 4,610-acre forest preserve which is under
conservation easement. This conserved, sustainably-managed land is used for
biological studies and environmental education programs.
Note to Editors: Images, interviews and visits to the event can be
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