Injured Service Members Restore Physical and Emotional Heath in Soldier Ride presented by GEICO Coming to Boston on September 18-22
BOSTON -- Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) Soldier Ride presented by GEICO will arrive in Boston on September 18 for a threeday rehabilitative cycling event. Soldier Ride brings Wounded Warriors from the region and across the country together for a long weekend focused on physical health and wellness, camaraderie, and healing. Events include a bike fitting where warriors are fit with adaptive equipment, and three days of rides through Cape Cod as well as the Old Manse and a Boston Red Sox game.
On Saturday, Sept. 21, the Boston community is also invited to participate in Solider Ride. For more details and to register for the community ride, please visit soldieride.org/boston.
During the ride, WWP provides state-of-the-art cycling equipment to Wounded Warriors at no cost, which includes adaptive hand cycles, trikes, and bicycles to accommodate various injuries and disabilities, as well as upright road bikes for riders not requiring adaptive equipment.
“My physical and emotional wounds took a big toll on my motivation, diet and overall health. A staff member took a vested interest in my recovery at a Wounded Warrior Project event last year and saved my life. In April 2013, I took part in Soldier Ride DC and was able to see personal transformations and friendships created over a three-day event. The organization’s holistic approach to recovery coupled with Physical Health and Wellness programs changed my life and inspired me to reach out to others who have undergone similar experiences,” said Erick Millette, a Wounded Warrior Project Alumnus who sustained several injuries from nine direct hits from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during two deployments to Iraq as an Army combat patrol leader. Millette lives in the Boston area and is attending the ride.
The Soldier Ride staff carefully plans each route, and engages the local community and law enforcement for support. On Thursday, September 19, the ride will begin at the Cape Cod Trail in South Dennis and will end at LeCount Hallow Road in Wellfleet, MA. The following day, the ride will begin and end at the Shining Sea Trail, 12 Country Road, North Falmouth, MA. The community ride on Saturday will begin and finish at the Old Manse, 269 Monument Street, Concord, MA.
Soldier Ride presented by GEICO, is also being supported across the country by U-HAUL, a founding partner of Soldier Ride and proud supporter of WWP.
About Soldier Ride
Soldier Ride® began in 2004 when civilian Chris Carney cycled more than 5,000 miles coast-to-coast in support of WWP. In 2005, Carney again cycled coast-to coast, this time with several combat-wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldier Ride has been welcomed at the White House for many years, beginning in 2008 when President Bush called it “the most inspiring athletic event in the country,” and most recently in April 2013 by President Obama where Wounded Warriors met privately with him before the event.
Soldier Ride is a physical health & wellness program of WWP, which envisions a generation of wounded veterans well-adjusted in body, receiving the care they need to maximize rehabilitation and live active and healthy lives. Through peer support, adaptive sports, health, nutrition, and recreational activities, WWP helps warriors achieve independence and pursue an excellent quality of life. More information on Soldier Ride is available at soldierride.org.
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.