Lessons from the C4 Ranch |
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Love Returned For Love
By Dr. Glenn Fox, PhD
C4 Foundation Chief Science Officer
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Valentine’s Day gets a lot of hate. Overbooked restaurants, gimmicky gifts and cliches, bad chocolate and forced romance are probably not the way to someone’s heart. But what if we gave it a reboot? First of all, how many holidays are about love, specifically? Of the big holidays, none focus on celebrating loving relationships between people. Here I say that Valentine’s Day is much more than corny romance (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and is a great chance to focus on celebrating our closest and most durable relationships. Indeed, the first “Valentine’s Note” was supposedly sent from Saint Valentine to a friend. Saint Valentine himself, was persecuted for performing marriage ceremonies during the Roman empire, at a time when the Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus had outlawed family celebrations, thinking it would make the male population too weak (again, supposedly). To wit, I say, who of these characters have their own holiday 2000 years later? That’s right, the love guy.
When people talk about Charlie Keating the IV, people light up, and remember his love. We have created the C4 Foundation, and our family strengthening programs in his memory. The programs are a testament to the power of love in the face of difficulty and challenge.
So let’s honor what we should about Valentine’s Day: it is a time to celebrate love for each other during tough times. To celebrate what is enduring love and leave out the inorganic distractions. In other words, Valentine’s day becomes a celebration of gratitude for each other and for the love that remains when all else is stripped away. In Seneca’s words, the definition of gratitude is “love returned for love” as it refers to the upward virtuous cycle of people showing and receiving love amongst each other. Let’s celebrate our closest relationships, and show ourselves some love in the process. Celebrate love, and Valentine’s Day on your terms, with love returned for love, however you see fit.
Written by Glenn R. Fox, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, The C4 Foundation
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The Love for Community
By Jennifer Cooper, MS
C4 Foundation Director of Programs
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In honor of February being the month that celebrates love, I would like to discuss one type of love that doesn’t get enough attention: the love for one’s community. We talk a lot about romantic love, love of family, love for our country, and even self-love, which are all integral to a happy and fulfilled life. But I ask you, is love for your partner or spouse enough to complete your human experience? Does love for oneself become stronger when we care for those around us? Can you truly love your country without first loving your community?
The SEAL Operator’s expression of love is demonstrated in their sacrifice, and just as Dr. Glenn Fox mentioned above, our C4 Programs are a “testament for the power of love in the face of difficulty and challenge”. It is because of the love that we have here at the C4 Foundation for our SEAL community that we are driven to care for and strengthen SEALs and their families that sacrifice so much for us. Through our F.R.O.G. Programs we are supporting the physical and mental well-being of the SEAL community and giving them the tools to build resilience, and effectively reconnect and communicate with their families and spouses.
We provide the Warrior Reset Program to help active-duty warriors decompress after a challenging training schedule by targeting the mind and body through gratitude and mindfulness discussion, breath and recovery workshops, yoga, deep tissue massage, guided meditation, and sound nutrition. The Spouses Wellness Retreat gives our Naval Special Warfare spouses a much-needed break from the daily stressors of SEAL family life by providing them with a weekend filled with guided meditation and yoga, massage therapy sessions, guided hikes and nature exploration, nutrition instruction, and mindfulness practices, all with the added benefit of building deeper connections to other spouses in the NSW community. The Family Retreats at the C4 Ranch are reinforcing family connections and improving family communication and bonding by providing extraordinary lodging on a quiet and beautiful landscape equipped with amazing views, wildlife, and an endless number of outdoor activities. For all of us at the C4 Foundation, we feel there is no better way to express our gratitude and love for the SEAL community that we call our own, than to provide much needed weekends of respite to our NSW service members and their families.
Written By: Jennifer Cooper, MS Psychology, C4 Foundation Director of Programs
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We are so excited for our first annual event in New Orlean's on Saturday, March 26th at the World War 2 Museum with our Keynote Speaker, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient, Edward Byers.
Click link for tickets!
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Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient, Edward C. Byers, Jr. (Ret.) |
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Join us on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 10:00am at Glorietta Bay Park for our annual Celebration of Life Paddle Out! It's hard to believe that May 3, 2022 will mark 6 years since Charlie's passing. We are happy to announce that we have joined forces with One More Wave since they were one of Charlie's favorite charities. In fact, in lieu of wedding gifts, Charlie and Brooke asked their guests to donate to One More Wave because they provide wounded and disabled veterans with customized surfing equipment and empowers them to heal through surf therapy. We will have our partner Pepsi ready with soft drinks snacks for everyone, and Body Glove will have a few surprises. Bring your boards and join us in the water to toast to our hero. After party is at McP's! |
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Oh boy, get ready for another year of celebrating the 4th of July with Nate Nathan and the Mac-Daddy O's Band with Gonzo on Sunday July 3, 2022 at 6pm on the Windsor Lawn at the World-Famous Hotel Del Coronado. We will have fun celebrating USA's 246th birthday. Please save the date and join us! Tickets will be available on our website soon. |
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Thank You C4 Ranch, for providing this amazing place of rest for us! It was exactly what we needed as a family - to surround ourselves with the quiet of this wilderness, and each other. Thank you for blessing us in this way. What an awesome legacy for "Chuck Heavy"! May God bless the SEAL families, this place, and may he continue to bless the United States of America! Long Live The brotherhood!
-Navy SEAL Family
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C4 & Pepsi at the
Celebrity Sweat Flag Football Event
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C4 Foundation teamed up with Pepsi to attend the Celebrity Sweat 22nd Annual Celebrity Flag Football Game at Pepperdine University on Feb 12th in Malibu, CA. We had a great time meeting new friends and spreading the word about our mission to preserve and strengthen Navy SEAL Families. A big highlight was meeting celebrities and watching the Navy Parachute Team - Leap Frogs land on the field. |
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February Chuck Heavy Giveaway!
Half Face Blade
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This month's Chuck Heavy Subscriber Giveaway in honor of Charlie's 37th angel birthday on February 26th, we will be giving away this Half Face Blade!
Rules to Play:
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Must be a CHUCK HEAVY Subscriber (Click HERE to join)
- Must like our Instagram post and tag a friend in the comments. Each tag counts as an extra entry!
- Must have a US based mailing address
- Must comment on this post on Instagram
- Must follow our Instagram account
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Happenings at The C4 Ranch |
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These two bottle fed baby goats enjoy knocking at the door to get more milk. They are a favorite feature for the SEAL families |
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C4 Ranch hosted a SEAL team offsite meeting to plan and prepare for deployment. Guys and families gather around our newly created roasting pit. |
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We have a new baby alpaca aptly named 3Paca since he is following after his older brother 2Paca. He is just as silly. |
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Thank You Arizona for the Epic
Success at the Scottsdale Gala!
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Thanks to all of the Patriots in Charlie's hometown of Scottsdale, AZ for attending our annual gala. We are so thankful to our Chairman and C4 Foundation Board member, Kent Weaver for putting on an excellent standing room only event. We are also so grateful to Ed and Karrin Robson for donating their hangar again for the second year! We would also like to thank our Keynote speaker Karla Shann and all of the sponsors and C4 volunteers who made this evening possible. |
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Kent Weaver, Chairman and C4 Foundation Board Member |
Keynote Speaker, Karla Shann |
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Our favorite volunteer gun model, Peyton Basha |
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The C4 Foundation is a 501C3 national non-profit charitable organization. Tax-ID: 82-2075362.
It is a non-federal entity and is not party of the Department of Defense or any of its components.
619-909-6033
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