The Special Liberty Project

The Special Liberty Project SLP fosters and maintains a supportive community focused on nurturing our nation’s Gold Star Families and Healing Veterans by connecting with nature.

Y’all. Boots and Barrels 2026 was something else.We are still trying to process all of the incredibleness that happened ...
06/02/2026

Y’all. Boots and Barrels 2026 was something else.

We are still trying to process all of the incredibleness that happened that evening. Record turnout. Record amount raised. And every single dollar goes directly toward keeping our retreats and healing experiences completely free for the military, veteran, and Gold Star families we serve.

Because of this community, because of every person who bought a ticket, bid on an auction item, raised a glass, and showed up with their whole heart, families will come to this farm this year and never once have to think about cost. They will just get to be here. Rest. Heal. Connect. That is what you made possible.

And our sponsors. We cannot say enough. This event does not happen without you. Your belief in this mission and your willingness to put your name and your resources behind it means more than we can put into words. You are part of every retreat we run this year. Every family that walks through our gates carries a little piece of what you gave.

This community is something special. We knew that. But this event reminded us in the best possible way.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. See you next year.

We planted five new witch hazel trees on the farm this week and we’re pretty excited about these little beauties!This is...
06/02/2026

We planted five new witch hazel trees on the farm this week and we’re pretty excited about these little beauties!

This is what we do here. We come back to the land. We slow down. We plant things. And then we teach from them.

Witch hazel is going to be a part of our workshops with the veteran and Gold Star families who come through this farm. We will harvest the leaves, bark, and flowers and actually make things together. Natural bug and tick repellent is a big one, with everyone finding more ticks across the country, this is a great way to say no thank you to them. Simple things made with your own hands from something growing right outside the door.

That matters. Especially for people who have spent a long time in situations where nothing felt simple or within their control. There is something about standing in the woods, working with a plant, making something useful, that quietly does something for the nervous system that is hard to explain but easy to feel.

We are right on the edge of the Nantahala National Forest. This land is part of our program, not just a backdrop for it. These five trees are an investment in years of workshops, healing, and connection. Thank you for including us in your giveback program! We are grateful!

So excited to watch them grow 🌱

WitchHazel

People ask us all the time why horses.Here is the most honest answer we have: a horse cannot be fooled.You can walk into...
05/29/2026

People ask us all the time why horses.

Here is the most honest answer we have: a horse cannot be fooled.

You can walk into a room and tell everyone you are fine. You can hold it together through the whole conversation. But a horse reads what is happening in your nervous system, not what you are saying.

For the veterans, military widows, and Gold Star families we serve, so much of their experience has been about holding it together. Being strong. Managing. A horse asks nothing of that. They just meet you where you are.

And sometimes, being met where you actually are is the beginning of everything.

This is why we do what we do at the Special Liberty Project.

Today is Memorial Day. But if you ask us, every single day at the Special Liberty Project is Memorial Day.This is what i...
05/25/2026

Today is Memorial Day. But if you ask us, every single day at the Special Liberty Project is Memorial Day.

This is what it looks like when women who have carried the unimaginable show up for each other on the trail. A hand on a shoulder. A steady presence beside someone who needs it. No words necessary. Just the quiet, unspoken knowing that comes from walking the same kind of grief.

These are Gold Star mothers. Women who sent someone they loved off to serve this country and never got to welcome them all the way home. They carry that every day, not just today.

We are honored beyond words to walk alongside them, literally and in every other way.

On this Memorial Day, we remember the ones who gave everything. And we hold the families they left behind with full hearts.

To every Gold Star family, every military family, every person quietly carrying a loss that the rest of the world moves past too quickly, we see you. We honor you. And there is always a place for you here.

🤍⭐🤍

Tomorrow is the night. 🤠🥂We have spent the last several days pouring our hearts into every detail, gathering auction ite...
05/21/2026

Tomorrow is the night. 🤠🥂

We have spent the last several days pouring our hearts into every detail, gathering auction items, setting tables, and hand-crafting VIP gifts that we cannot wait to put into the right hands. This evening would simply not exist without the incredible generosity of our sponsors, and we are so grateful.

To every business and individual who said yes to this mission, who believed in our military families and in the healing work happening right here on this farm, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

We are so ready for a magical evening. See you tomorrow.

We are so grateful for the Franklin Nantahala Tourism Development Committee and their generous support of the Special L...
05/19/2026

We are so grateful for the Franklin Nantahala Tourism Development Committee and their generous support of the Special Liberty Project. Their sponsorship of Boots and Barrels means everything to us, and it reflects something we know to be true: when we bring military widows from across the nation to these healing mountains, this community grows in ways that matter. These women fall in love with Franklin. They come back. They bring their kids. They tell their people. And this week, we’re also welcoming a beautiful group of supporters from near and far to celebrate with us at the farm for the fundraiser. That is tourism rooted in something real, and we are honored to have partners who see and believe in that vision. Thank you, TDC, for investing in healing, in community, and in what happens when people find their way to this beautiful corner of the world.

Today was one of those days on the farm that fills you back up.We gathered in the barn for lunch first, good food, easy ...
05/18/2026

Today was one of those days on the farm that fills you back up.

We gathered in the barn for lunch first, good food, easy laughter, and great conversation that happens when women feel genuinely safe with each other. That part alone is medicine.

Then we took it outside to the horses.

Our activity was built around growth, intention, trust, patience, courage, and connection. And the horses, as they always do, cut right through everything and got honest. They slowed us down. They showed us where we were holding tension we didn’t know we were carrying. They asked us to be present, and they waited until we were.

It was powerful watching these women supported each other while also doing their own quiet work. That’s the thing about this community. There’s room for both.

We ended the afternoon making wildflower intention bundles, letting go of what’s ready to leave and making room for what wants to grow.

So grateful for every woman who showed up today, really showed up. And for the herd, who never stops teaching.

Boots & Barrels is SOLD OUT, and we are beyond grateful.Every single ticket represents someone who believes in our milit...
05/15/2026

Boots & Barrels is SOLD OUT, and we are beyond grateful.
Every single ticket represents someone who believes in our military families, and that means everything to us. We will see you on May 21st at the SLP Farm in Franklin, NC for a night filled with live music from the one and only Frog and Owl Revival (their fifth year with us!), beautiful pours from Bravery Winery, and the kind of community that reminds us why we do this work.
Get your boots ready. This one is going to be special.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you on the 21st.

Some people show up because they have to. Some people show up because they want to. shows up because they care.We are s...
05/11/2026

Some people show up because they have to. Some people show up because they want to. shows up because they care.
We are so deeply grateful to Nantahala Bank for sponsoring Boots and Barrels: A Spirited Social on May 21, and we want to make sure everyone knows it.
Nantahala Bank has been rooted in this community for a long time. They understand that Western NC is more than a place on a map, it’s a community that takes care of its own. And the Veteran and Gold Star families we serve at the Special Liberty Project are very much a part of this community, even when the weight they carry makes them feel invisible.
Because of Nantahala Bank’s generosity, we can keep our retreats completely free for the families who need them. No price tag on healing. No barriers to rest. Just open gates, an honest herd of horses, and a few days on the land for families who have already given everything.
That’s what this sponsorship makes possible. And we don’t take it lightly.
If you bank locally or are looking for a financial institution that invests in more than just the bottom line, we hope you’ll think of Nantahala Bank. They are the kind of neighbor every community deserves.
Thank you, Nantahala Bank. We’ll see you May 21.
Boots and Barrels: A Spirited Social · May 21 · SLP Farm · Franklin, NC

We closed our Gold Star Mothers Retreat at a waterfall tucked into the mountains of Western North Carolina, and there ar...
05/11/2026

We closed our Gold Star Mothers Retreat at a waterfall tucked into the mountains of Western North Carolina, and there are no words that fully capture what happened there.
These women spent four days doing the the hard work of healing and growing alongside the horses. They showed up with heavy hearts and open hands, and the horses met them exactly where they were. By the time we made our way to that waterfall, something had already shifted.
The sound of rushing water has a way of washing things clean. These mothers stood together, breathed together, and let the mountains hold what they had been carrying. Whatever they needed to release, the waterfall was ready to receive it.
Then we gathered one last time for a closing herbal tea ceremony, the kind of ritual that says, you are not leaving alone. The connections made this week, the laughter, the tears, the late night conversations, the quiet moments with the horses, those don’t end when the retreat does. They come home with you.
To every Gold Star Mother, today and every day, we see you. We honor the depth of your love and the size of your sacrifice. Motherhood is a forever thing, and so is the love you carry for your child.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there, in every form and season of that word. 🤍
Special Liberty Project

Address

Franklin, NC
28734, 28744

Telephone

6197269240

Website

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