Freedom River President Jeff Yeakey enlisted in the United States Army immediately after graduating from high school in 1988, inspired in part by the GI Army College Fund to help pay for his education. During his military service, Jeff served as the leader of the M-60 machine gun team, earned the prestigious Expert Infantry Badge, achieved Expert Marksmanship status, and graduated from Airborne School. He served as a squad leader during Basic Training and completed Joint Readiness Training Center exercises and Jungle Operations Training in Panama. In 1991, he was called back to active duty by executive order and mobilized as a 10th Mountain Division Infantryman during Operation Desert Storm.

Following his military service, Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from Michigan State University, where he met his wife, Janna. While completing his degree, Jeff worked in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. It was there, while caring for disabled veterans, that he recognized a significant gap in long-term support and opportunities for healing beyond traditional medical care.

In 1996, Jeff and Janna founded their own personal training business, dedicating their lives to helping people regain strength and improve their quality of life. Their passion for serving others would ultimately become the foundation for an even greater calling.

In 2003, the couple welcomed their son, Hunter. That same year, Jeff was presented with an opportunity that would forever change the direction of their lives. A personal training client gave him $1,000 with one request: to use it to support something he was passionate about. As an Army veteran, Jeff knew exactly where those funds belonged.

That Christmas, Jeff, Janna, Hunter, and many generous friends began delivering gifts and personal care items to veterans living in the Community Living Center at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. Every year since, Jeff has proudly put on a Santa suit while his family joins him in bringing hope and laughter to veterans who might otherwise spend Christmas alone. More than twenty-three years later, they have never missed a Christmas.

As the years passed, God continued to place a much bigger vision on Jeff and Janna's hearts. They believed veterans and their families deserved more than a single day of encouragement each year. They deserved a permanent place where they could relax, recover, heal, reconnect, and discover hope together.

In February 2021, they began sharing the vision of Freedom River with the community. Located on 94 beautiful acres in Brighton, Michigan, Freedom River features a half-mile of frontage along the Huron River and more than 1,200 feet of shoreline on Gill Lake. What began as a dream fueled by faith quickly became a mission embraced by an entire community.

Today, Freedom River stands as living proof of what can be accomplished when ordinary people step out in faith. Through the incredible generosity of individuals, businesses, foundations, volunteers, and government partners, more than $11 million has been raised to bring this vision to life.

Freedom River has been transformed into a one-of-a-kind destination where veterans and their families can reconnect, build community, and begin healing together. The property now includes four pickleball courts, two full-size basketball courts, two sand volleyball courts, a full-size soccer field, a softball field, three large picnic pavilions, accessible docks and kayak launches on both the Huron River and Gill Lake, more than two miles of scenic hiking trails, camping areas, a restored farmhouse, a restored barn, a tackle shack, and a welcoming entrance.

But this is only the beginning.

The next chapter is the construction of Freedom River's year-round Wellness Center. The Wellness Center is a place dedicated to addressing the unseen wounds of military service through counseling, peer support, wellness programming, fitness, financial education, family activities, and community. It is a place designed to help prevent veteran suicide, strengthen families, restore purpose, and remind every veteran that they are never alone.

At Freedom River, we believe that healing happens through fellowship, purpose, and community. Every trail walked, every paddle launched, every conversation shared over coffee, every child laughing beside their veteran parent, and every life touched brings us one step closer to fulfilling the mission placed before us.

Our hope is simple: that every veteran and every military family who enters Freedom River leaves knowing they are valued, loved, and never forgotten.