Wounded Warriors
The Run for the Dream is proud to run on Armed Forces Day weekend in support of these wounded warrior programs.
We Are Virginia Veterans: Virginia Wounded Warrior Program
| The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP) is a state program established in 2008 in response to the growing need to improve and expand services to our nation’s veterans and their family members whose lives have been touched by stress-related injuries or traumatic brain injury. Virginia is home to approximately 820,000 veterans; that means that one of every ten citizens is a veteran. |  |
VWWP is dedicated to helping Virginia veterans and their families build resilience and cope with the challenges posed from a stress-related injury or traumatic brain injury. We provide services through five regional consortia of community services boards, brain injury service providers, and other public and private service providers who offer services across the Commonwealth with the goal to make it easier for vets and their families to find and get help.
Click here to learn more, or visit http://WeAreVirginiaVeterans.org/.
Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans
| The Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans is a program founded in 2004 for veterans disabled in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 400 vets have been introduced to marathon racing as part of their rehabilitation. The team now includes veterans injured in previous conflicts, including the Vietnam and Korean wars. The Freedom Team is a branch of Achilles International, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1983 by amputee marathoner Dick Traum that encourages people with disabilities to participate in running with the general public. Achilles is a worldwide organization with over 65 locations in the United States and abroad. |  |
Achilles staff members visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC monthly to work with recreational, physical and occupational therapists to introduce running or handcranking to recently wounded veterans and to recruit athletes for races. Members set goals, train in handcrank wheelchairs or on their prosthetics, and compete as a team in mainstream road races and marathons around the country and internationally.
Achilles provides training, adaptive equipment, apparel, travel, lodging and race entry fees and also covers the expenses for family members of the veterans to travel with the team so that they may share in their athlete’s accomplishment. Team members report a renewed sense of confidence, achievement, and optimism for the future and experience the many health benefits of regular physical activity.
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Thanks to an introduction by 2011 Run for the Dream Handcycle Champion Joseph Beimfohr, the Run for the Dream is proud to partner with the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans. |
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Warfighter Sports
| Warfighter Sports, a program of Disabled Sports USA, offers sports rehabilitation programs for severely wounded warriors in military hospitals and communities across the U.S. through a nationwide network of over 100 community-based chapters. Since 1967, Disabled Sports USA has proudly served wounded warriors, including those injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, offering over 30 winter and summer sports at more than 100 events each year. Warfighter Sports rebuilds lives through sports by improving self-confidence, promoting independence and uniting families through shared healthy activities. |
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Contributions cover all expenses for participation, including individualized adaptive instruction, adaptive sports equipment, transportation, lodging and meals for the warrior and a family member. Since 2003, more than 4,800 of the most severely wounded and their families have been served, including those with amputations, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, visual impairments, and significant nerve and muscle damage. |
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An Achievable Dream & the Armed Forces
An Achievable Dream has a 15-year relationship with Fort Eustis, the Army base in Newport News, Virginia. Each morning, 15–20 troops spend the first two hours of their morning at An Achievable Dream Academy. Each soldier is assigned to an elementary school class on a multi-month rotation. During that time they build close relationships with their students and serve as positive role models, working with them on character development and academic motivation. Many An Achievable Dream graduates have gone on to serve in the military.
On Armed Forces Day, we will honor soldiers and veterans, especially those who have given so much in service of their country. A portion of the proceeds from each race will be donated to these programs, and runners may make a donation when they register, or create a Dream Team to raise additional funds.
Run for the Dream is proud to support Wounded Warriors.
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