The Britt Foundation is bringing Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps members to Estes Park for a unique experience for both the youth and the special forces veterans who mentor them.
The foundation was created in honor of Christopher Paul Brittingham, a Navy SEAL who served for seven years and died in 2020 following a skiing accident in Davos, Switzerland, while serving in Germany at the U.S. Special Operations Command in Europe.
Brittingham, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class, completed three deployments with SEAL Team 3, including time in Guam and Iraq. He was the recipient of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for Valor.
Martin Brittingham, Christopher’s brother, and Jordan Krulik, a staff member with the Britt Foundation, sat down for an interview with the Estes Valley Voice a week ago to discuss the foundation’s purpose and debrief on their April expedition in Estes Park.
“[Christopher] just really had a heart for young people and taking them on adventures. He connected deeply with them,” said Brittingham. The seeds for a non-profit organization in his honor were planted during the memorial service.
This spring, the Britt Foundation utilized the YMCA of the Rockies again as its home base and partnered with local businesses, including the Estes Park Mountain Shop and KMAC Guides, to support the leadership training program which brings together groups of 10 to 12 JROTC members.
Before they arrive, the youth spend two months preparing for their adventure with Zoom meetings, learning basic life skills such as time management, equipment preparation, contingency planning, some basic emergency first aid, including altitude acclimation, and leadership training.
Once in Estes Park, the program focuses on activities designed to build leadership, resilience, and teamwork among participants. One group last fall climbed Longs Peak. The Y works well as a base camp because the students and chaperones can stay in cabins with kitchens and meeting rooms.
“We’ll give classes on things like basic orienteering, how to read a map, figure out where you are, and then show them what the next evolution is,” said Krulik.
Participants are also taught to plan out their timeline, factoring in variables like hiking duration, elevation, and driving time. When navigating higher-risk terrain, the foundation relies on local guides for safety.
Krulik recalled a student who overcame her fear of heights during a rock-climbing activity.
“We had one young lady who was screaming and crying at first,” said Krulik. “We sent one of our guys up on the wall next to her and talked her through it, got her to the top. When she found me later, she said ‘I did it three more times.’”
The experience isn’t just transformative for the students. According to Krulik, it is also rewarding for the mentors.
“We allow the students to teach us, and we’ve seen that this doesn’t just benefit them—it also benefits us veterans,” said Brittingham, a Navy veteran and founder of the Britt Foundation.
Acknowledging that some veterans struggle with anxiety and depression, Brittingham said focusing on helping others, especially the next generation, has a positive impact on many.
At the end of each trip, students participate in interviews and provide testimonials, sharing how the experience impacted them. The foundation documents these transformative moments for the students with photos and videos.
The organization has been in operation for approximately two years. Although many of their participants are still in high school, a few have signed contracts to join the military after graduation.
“We’re recruiting through the public schools, through the JROTC program, and a lot of them are very interested in the military,” said Brittingham. Although named for his brother, the foundation doesn’t steer students towards any specific military branch, with the mentors hailing from a variety of service backgrounds.
According to Krulik, the students have come from both the East and West coasts, as well as the Midwest, and many are from impact zones.
While the foundation works to keep costs low there is still a substantial expense to run these trips. Students who can not afford the travel fees are offered scholarships to ensure everyone has the chance to participate, said Krulik.
As an organization, the Britt Foundation, based in Wilmington, NC, is funded through corporate sponsorships and individuals who believe in its mission. The foundation aims to secure more grants moving forward.
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