Motorcycle Missions is a non-profit corporation that helps veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder find hope and heal through camaraderie and motorcycle therapy.
The organization encourages the participants to establish a life-long passion for building and riding motorcycles that will help them get a sense of belonging and to enjoy a happy, healthy lifestyle after the trauma.
Motorcycle Missions was founded in 2016, and the organization has already helped a hundred veterans and first responders so far.
They started in Austin, Texas, and they’ve expanded to several other teams, including Dallas, Texas, but also Ohio, California. The organization expects to gather a team in Arizona too by the end of the summer.
Krystal Hess is the founder of Motorcycle Mission. She is a pediatric and surgical nurse who discovered motorcycles while suffering from PTSD after escaping domestic violence and witnessing a loved person’s suicide attempt.
Krystal has managed to turn a tragedy into a triumph through motorcycles, and now she’s a respected owner of Ricochet Customs, a powder-coating and customization business.
After finding a new outlook on life through motorcycle therapy after years of abuse, she wants to share her experience and encourage others to find healing as well. She considers herself to be blessed to have the support of many people who were willing to teach her all about building motorcycles, the industry itself and most importantly – they introduced her to the riding experience.
She believes she may not be alive today if those people haven’t helped her, which is why she decided to start Motorcycle Mission. She wants to help others experience the blissful, therapeutic benefits that come from building motorcycles and joining the riding community.
Image: YouTube via Allstate Insurance
Check out this short video to hear Krystal’s story about founding Motorcycle Missions.
The veterans are by no means, professional mechanics. They are learning everything through the rebuild, establishing strong connections and a sense of camaraderie while customizing a motorcycle.
The process helps them focus on their own growth and brings relief to the loneliness that comes with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Check out this video from FOX7:
For more information about Motorcycle Missions visit the organization’s official website HERE.
