Partnering for Progress: 66 Express Community Spotlight

Highlighting Local Organizations Driving Positive Change in the Region

A Home Away From Home for America’s Heroes in Uniform

It’s become something of a springtime tradition for I-66 EMP.

Every April, a group of eager volunteers heads out to the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run, a state-of-the-art facility on 37 acres of peaceful, forested land in Haymarket. The retreat serves as a home away from home for our nation’s injured, ill, and wounded military service members, offering them a place to rest, reconnect, and recharge.

This April, for the third spring season, EMP volunteers headed to the retreat ready to give the grounds a spring beautification to ensure that the warriors who stay there—almost 1,300 stays since the facility first opened—can enjoy a pristine and restorative environment.

Because they deserve it.

Providing service members, disabled veterans, and their families with cost-free getaways from the hospital is the primary mission of Willing Warriors, a Prince William County-based nonprofit and one of I-66 EMP’s strongest community partners.

In addition to free stays in the beautiful retreat setting, Willing Warriors offers educational seminars, recreational activities, and support programs to help service members and their families navigate the challenges of recovery, including assistance with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress.

As stated on their website, WillingWarriors.org, “The intended outcome of these retreat stays is the Warrior and their family members return to the routine of rebuilding their lives feeling refreshed and inspired.”

Since its opening, the Warrior Retreat has hosted nearly 4,000 service members and their guests, including more than 500 from 52 stays in 2024. The nonprofit anticipates serving even more warriors in the years ahead—and I-66 EMP is proud to continue its strong support of the Willing Warriors mission.

Working Together to Benefit Our Nation’s Warriors

Not long after the 66 Express Outside the Beltway fully opened in November 2022, I-66 EMP began its partnership with Willing Warriors.

In April 2023, I-66 EMP volunteers first visited the retreat, removing dead bushes, spreading mulch, pulling weeds, and helping to maintain the property. With a skid-steer front-loader and a flatbed truck, they tackled some of the heavy lifting to keep the grounds in top shape.

Then in April 2024, the team returned to repaint fences, clear hiking trails, and spruce up the landscaping.

In addition to hands-on service, I-66 EMP proudly sponsored the “Home Away From Home” dinner at the retreat in 2024, providing a warm, welcoming evening meal for warriors and their families to enjoy together.

This year, I-66 EMP volunteers completed two rounds of service at the retreat. The first focused on spring beautification efforts, including spreading mulch across flower beds and relocating large rocks to be incorporated into a new feature on the grounds.

The second visit involved more extensive work, culminating in the creation of the new Honor Circle—a peaceful, shaded space designed for reflection and relaxation. This hands-on project included significant earthwork to create a level base and the construction of a sturdy retaining wall around a prominent tree. The Honor Circle now offers veterans and their families a quiet place to gather outdoors.

In addition to completing the Honor Circle, the team also removed a dead tree to enhance the landscape’s appearance and leveled an unused burn pit—further contributing to the retreat’s overall aesthetics and functionality.

“We look forward to seeing our friends from I-66 EMP every spring,” said Dianne Polk, director of operations for Willing Warriors. “Maintaining a piece of property this large requires a tremendous amount of effort, so the work done by volunteer groups like I-66 EMP is invaluable. We’re glad to count I-66 EMP as a consistent partner of the past several years.”

In May 2025, Willing Warriors will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Warrior Retreat. I-66 EMP congratulates our community partner on a decade of providing a sanctuary for recovering service members and their families right here in Prince William County.

“Volunteering at the Warrior Retreat is one of the most fulfilling outreaches we do,” said Nancy H. Smith, corporate affairs director for I-66 EMP. “We’re more than happy to support the Willing Warriors organization as it serves the heroes who’ve sacrificed for our nation so honorably.”