Camp Ollie Lou is a nature retreat in the Texas Hill Country, and it's been designed with modern day women's mental health in mind. We are raising money to help us fund the first phase of Camp Ollie Lou, converting shipping containers into a comfortable and safe indoor and outdoor space to host day retreats for small groups of women and overnight stays for solo self-care retreats.
We know that rates of mental health issues skyrocketed during the pandemic. In fact, 75% of American women said their mental health worsened during that time. We know that in these post-pandemic times, our mental health continues to suffer. 32% of women report anxiety and 22% report depression. Almost 60% of employees report at least moderate levels of burnout. 46% of us will have a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in our lives, and even more concerning, over 12 million adults experience serious suicidal thoughts.
The pandemic also proved that we’re all craving time outdoors. Being in nature is self-care, but a lot of women don’t feel safe getting outdoors and it feels inaccessible and intimidating. Modern women are juggling a million responsibilities and having more difficulty putting themselves first.
Imagine a place where women can prioritize their mental health and be in nature. As a Psychologist, co-founder Dr. Amanda Wetegrove-Romine has the training to create activities that are evidence-based and proven to restore your mental health. Imagine leaving a retreat with tools that are backed by research and that you can continue using at home to cope with real life stressors. Imagine going home knowing a new group of women that you can continue safely exploring nature with.
As many of you know, this mission is deeply personal. Being in nature saved me (Dr. Amanda) after my dad’s death. Before I was ever a mental health expert, I was a daughter who lost her dad and quite literally hiked my way through my grief. It ultimately led me to finding my purpose as a Psychologist: teaching women how to harness the mood-boosting power of nature. We named Camp Ollie Lou after my great-grandmother Ollie and Daniel's grandmother Louise. Both these women modeled strength and resilience after experiencing trauma and hardship. They managed their day-to-day lives without having access to the mental health tools we have today, and we are inspired by their courage.
To thank you for supporting this campaign, Dr. Amanda has curated some rewards with your mental health in mind. Thank you so much for helping Camp Ollie Lou grow into a nature getaway that will support women and their mental health for years to come.