Wild Hearts Program with Wilderness 4 Life

The senior vice president of BPM Real Estate Group in Portland, Oregon, Barclay Grayson oversees property acquisitions, financing, and developments. Charitably minded, Barclay Grayson has supported various organizations in Portland, including Wilderness 4 Life, an initiative of the Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation.

Operating in cooperation with various Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Program partners, Wilderness 4 Life aims to provide healing experiences for young adults and their families in Oregon and Washington. In addition to grants to help families pay for wilderness programs for young people in crisis, the foundation offers post-program support with Wild Hearts. Created as a supportive space for wilderness “graduates” to continue cultivating their connection to nature, the Wild Hearts program also encourages the formation of friendships with peers.

Wild Hearts organizes half- and full-day hikes as well as weekend excursions that invite graduates’ families to experience the healing power of nature. Hikes are led by a network of volunteers with training in first aid for mental health, and many of them have themselves attended wilderness therapy programs.