“Healing with more horsepower”
RTX volunteers pitch in at Ironstone Farm, where veterans and others gain strength through equine therapy
Shelby Baecker is both a volunteer and a veteran who has benefitted from therapeutic horse riding and other activities at Ironstone Farm in Andover, Massachusetts. “What it really means to me is home,” he said.
The retired U.S. Navy commander works for Raytheon, an RTX. “When we're serving in the military, we find a pretty tightknit home within our units,” Baecker said. “That feeling of community and home is a large part of what Ironstone stands for – a home away from home.”
Lauren Hicks-Ogburn agrees. “I feel connected to the veteran community and to my Raytheon colleagues who volunteer here, too,” she said. Hicks-Ogburn is a U.S. Army veteran, currently serving in the Massachusetts National Guard and working for Raytheon.
She added that “what's really cool about being at Ironstone is knowing that, when you show up every couple weeks, there are at least 20 other colleagues ready to do this for their community.”
Ironstone Farm sits on 20 acres in Andover, Massachusetts. Before the nonprofit Challenge Unlimited bought it in 1983, the farm was a place where racehorses were taken for recovery and rehabilitation. Now, Ironstone Farm offers equine therapy and other services for veterans, first responders, children and teens, cancer patients and survivors, and people with memory issues.
RTX began supporting the farm financially in 2015, and employees have been volunteering there for years – especially since the start of the farmhouse renovation project in 2019.
Among the earliest volunteers: Brendan Hamm, a U.S. Marine veteran who works for Raytheon and is the community engagements lead for RTX VETS, RTX's employee resource group for veterans, their families and supporters.
“Supporting Ironstone Farm is like another mission outside of our former military service. It gives us a purpose,” Hamm said. “It also connects us to RTX’s mission.”
The company’s support is “important and inspirational. To have RTX believe in our mission and our work has meant the world to us,” said Kerri Whalen, executive director of Challenge Unlimited at Ironstone Farm.
“Raytheon’s people always show up, ready to roll up their sleeves and help us get projects done. Without them, that really wouldn’t be possible,” Whalen said.
She added that RTX and its volunteers have been key to completing the biggest project in the history of Ironstone Farm since Challenge Unlimited bought it in 1983: construction and renovations to turn the farmhouse into a retreat center where veterans and others can now stay overnight and weekends.
To see how RTX volunteers rolled up their sleeves to make all that possible, here are some of their moments and reflections in the photos below.
Click here to learn more about how RTX and its employees support veterans and local communities across the U.S.
If you’re interested in joining a company that lives up to its corporate social responsibility promises, explore our open opportunities. And, if you’re a military member transitioning to civilian life, feel free to connect with our veteran-focused careers team.