GREENWOOD, S.C. (WSPA) — A non-profit in Greenwood is helping veterans have a place to reconnect with their families and themselves. The owners of ‘Tranquility Point,’ Barry and Kim Gambrell, say they’re growing to serve a community in need.

“We had this piece of land that’s about two acres, and it was all wooded,” Barry Gambrell told 7 NEWS. “And we really didn’t have an idea or plan for what to do with it…”

So they started a non-profit that helps veterans.

Barry is a veteran himself and also serves as the President of Tranquility Point.

Kim, Barry’s wife, serves as Executive Director.

“Our mission is to be able to have a family of veterans family come out here for five days and just have a quiet reflective place where they can regroup and they can get solid on solid footing again,” said Barry.

They say it’s a place of refuge, in a peaceful setting, that’s grown to serve a large audience.

In high demand

“We’ve had 157 guests here,” Kim shared. “We’ve had 47 veterans, about 30 foster families, and three first responders… And that’s just for day visits.”

That’s because the Gambrell’s saw a bigger need than just the veteran community so they expanded their services to first responders and foster children.

“They are out there being exposed to things on a dime that they might have got up that morning and not expected to see that or be involved in something that is just catastrophic,” Barry said. “And so for them, they need a place of healing, too.”

Families are accepted through an application process.

“We have, you know, orientation package that we can send to them. After we go through that process and they get selected to come here, then they can stay for up to five nights here,” said Barry.

With the opportunity to participate in as much or as little as guests want.

“Gardening, we have bird watching, we have nighttime photography, we have kayaking,” Barry said. “We partnered with Tackle 22, which is a group of fishing guides that give fishing tours.”

Barry said it’s given him a sense of purpose.

Kim said she feels the same.

“If we can give these guys an opportunity or chance just to calm down from that level of anxiety, sleepless nights, difficulties emotionally with dealing with things and help them find that peace, that inner peace a little bit and a sense of purpose, then we’ve achieved our goal,” said Barry.

Barry Gambrell, Thank You for Your Service.

To learn more about Tranquility Point, click here.