Wounded Veterans and Families Celebrate Holidays with Gingerbread Houses
Gathering Provides Fun and Camaraderie
STERLING, Va. (December 31, 2015) – A group of wounded veterans and their families recently had the opportunity to celebrate the holiday season by building gingerbread houses together.
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) took the group of nearly 25 injured service members and family support members to bond over gingerbread cookies, icing, and gum drops. WWP sees outings like this as an opportunity to forge new support structures for wounded veterans and their families. Engagement is one of the four pillars (along with Mind, Body, and Economic Empowerment) to a healthy recovery for injured service members. WWP offers 20 life-saving programs and services to these wounded veterans and their families free of charge.
Ashley Dmuchowski is an Army veteran and WWP Alumnus. She brought her daughter to build a gingerbread house from scratch.
“I loved that my daughter got to make a drawing of her idea and then put her idea to life, like an architect,” Ashley said. “I loved that it was a family event and not a competition.”
Tamim Anwar is an Army veteran and WWP Alumnus. He brought his eight-year-old son and a guest to build and decorate a gingerbread house.
“I loved watching my son spend time with other kids and how they all decorated their houses,” Tamim said.
Ashley also enjoyed how events like this help her and other wounded veterans socialize.
“We have the opportunity to come out of our shell and what may be our comfort zone to meet other wounded veterans and enjoy activities together,” Ashley said.
WWP strives to meet the changing needs of the injured population we serve. More than 80 cents of every dollar raised goes to support wounded veterans. More than 23,000 injured service members responded to
WWP’s 2015 annual Alumni Survey, sharing insights into their challenges and successes. WWP uses that information to shape the lifesaving programs and services it provides at no cost to the warriors, caregivers, and families it serves. Read the survey or download the executive summary at woundedwarriorproject.org/survey.
Contact: Rob Louis – Public Relations Specialist
Email: rlouis@woundedwarriorproject.org
Phone: 904.627.0432
About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.