As a crowd gathered outside the new Revitalizing Veterans’ Dreams (ReVD) office in Chaska, a woman with purple-colored hair belts out instructions to those warming up for a workout challenge. She doesn’t require a sound system to amplify her voice.

“You have three minutes,” she yells, “and then you’re mine.”

Sitting nearby, enjoying a freshly grilled hot dog, one visitor at the nonprofit’s grand opening celebration laughs.

“She sounds like a drill sergeant,” the visitor says, taking another bite of food.

Sure enough, it’s the sound of tough love that future members of the military have learned to expect from Syn Robertson, executive director of ReVD.

Dozens of the nonprofit’s supporters attended ReVD’s grand opening on Saturday, April 25, to learn more about the organization’s work and cheer on those demonstrating a typical workout session.

The stars of the day are the young women and men who have enlisted in the armed forces and are awaiting orders for boot camp. During the ensuing exercise routine, the enlistees make their way through a series of physical challenges — running, hand-release push-ups, pull-ups, weightlifting and more — that are not for the faint of heart.

When the group is finished, there are plenty of high-fives and words of encouragement for the effort.

Watching nearby are proud military veterans, there to help mentor the next generation of American warriors.

ReVD Up

Since launching as a nonprofit in May of 2024, the volunteer organization has been hard at work supporting veterans and preparing new enlistees for service in the nation’s military.

Robertson says the underlying motivation behind ReVD is to support the mental health of veterans, active-duty warriors and new recruits.

“I don’t want to go to another suicide funeral. I’ve been to three already,” she explains. “I didn’t find any helping organizations that were preventative. Everything was reactive. You have to be in trouble before you get help. I want to do preventative, so I created this.”

Although not a military veteran herself, Robertson says many of her immediate family members have served. She now feels a duty to help on the homefront.

“Our goal is to try to form a family … form a community,” she says. “It’s not a matter of if life hits you, it’s a matter of when life hits you. I want people to know where they can go for help.”

Veteran Assistance

ReVD works closely with the Chaska VFW and Stephen Walker, the Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for Carver County, to identify veterans in need of assistance. Robertson also coordinates with Bountiful Basket if area veterans are food insecure or in need of other help.

“If a veteran finds us, they’re pretty much in trouble,” Robertson says. “We work to find them the resources in the community so that they don’t continue to slip through the cracks.”

ReVD volunteers provide meals on occasion and deliver happy birthday boxes and Christmas gifts to thank veterans for their service.

“And we do a lot of one-on-one talking … to help get them healthy again and heal their invisible wounds,” she explains.

Thanks to one fundraiser, ReVD is able to send a local veteran on an annual trip to Colorado.

“They go hiking with a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) counselor who can help them learn how to grow past their PTSD,” Robertson says.

Robertson also was able to accompany one local veteran on an “Honor Flight” to Washington, D.C., to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

In addition, veterans are invited to participate in gym workouts and other ReVD activities. It’s all about strengthening the bonds among the area veterans.

The nonprofit also supports family members of active-duty warriors who are deployed. Plus, ReVD volunteers write letters and send care packages to those serving overseas.

Enlistee Prep
A key element of the nonprofit’s work revolves around young people who soon will begin their military careers.

“Nobody helps people with their military path from beginning to end,” Robertson explains. “We have the philosophy of building a bond with the enlistee, following them through their military career, and then helping them when they’re done. It’s our opportunity to create a healthier veteran in the future.”

ReVD works with recruiters from the various branches of the military to identify local enlistees who would benefit from extra help.

Regular workouts are offered at the ReVD well-equipped gym, providing enlistees with an opportunity to be more successful at boot camp.

“Kiddos don’t have gym class anymore,” Robertson notes. “When they first get here, I can mop the floor with them. Boot camp is going to be really hard, so we try to help them.”

Regular workout sessions are scheduled for Mondays at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from noon to 4 p.m. Other sessions are scheduled by appointment.

Through the organization’s mentorship program, each enlistee is paired with a veteran to help guide them through the uncertainty they face leading up to basic training. The mentors also write letters of encouragement to enlistees during training and sometimes attend boot camp graduation to “tap out” and congratulate the new military members.

Positive Results

One ReVD success story involves an enlistee who was 40 pounds overweight, couldn’t outrun Robertson and couldn’t accomplish one pull-up. His goal was to be a corpsman in the Marine Corps.

“He had to do 10 pull-ups to even pass the physical fitness test and go to that special boot camp,” Robertson explains. “So it was just a dream, but it was my job to help him see that he could do it. We worked out with him four or five days a week for a year. Now he’s a corpsman, and he’s the happiest he’s ever been.”

Another enlistee was homeless and was taken in by a ReVD volunteer in the months leading up to basic training.

“You can’t just send a homeless kiddo into boot camp,” she says. “That would be trauma built upon more trauma. We helped with food, and he would go to church with us. We built a family around him, and now he’s a part of ReVD to the very end.”

That enlistee eventually passed boot camp and joined the military.

“He has a great career ahead of him,” Robertson reports. “And he’s married and has a kid now, too.”

Christian Holm and Dylan Romero are two enlistees taking advantage of ReVD programming today. They both appreciate the assistance.

“It’s helped me get into a rhythm of working out as a group,” Romero says. “When you’re with a team, you get that sense of community. And this gives you a taste of what it’s like in the military, which is really nice.”

Romero is headed to basic training in Texas on May 19.

Holm, who wants to be a combat medic, says the ReVD program is teaching him important lessons in hard work and teamwork.

“It’s pushing me,” he said. “I’m just here to learn to be a better human being.”

Passion Project

Robertson thanked those who support ReVD through their time and financial backing. All money raised goes directly toward programming for veterans and enlistees. There are no paid staff within the nonprofit.

“I absolutely love it,” she says of ReVD. “I feel like it’s helped me find where to use my best gifts, which are loving people, not giving up on people, building a community that has no judgment, and not being afraid of the hard stuff.”

Robertson says she doesn’t go easy on anybody, because she wants all of her military heroes — past and present — to be successful.5

“A lot of people don’t believe in themselves,” she says. “So, I’m going to believe in them until them can believe in themselves. A lot of people quit before the good stuff starts. It’s my job to help carry them until they believe.”

Robertson said the day’s grand opening event was the culmination of years of hard work. She’s excited for the ongoing impact ReVD is having on veterans, military families and enlistees.

“It’s so amazing,” she says.

Upcoming fundraisers include Chaska Cubs Day benefiting ReVD on May 17 and the fourth annual Memorial Hero WOD Workout on May 23. The volunteers also conduct two garage sales each year to raise money, among other fundraisers. 

For more information about ReVD and upcoming events, visit the organization’s website. The ReVD office is located at 2950 Chaska Boulevard, Chaska.