Wounded Veterans Doze with Dinosaurs

CHICAGO, March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ignoring the well-known risks for museum exhibits coming alive at night, Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) recently arranged for 121 injured service members and their families to spend the night inside the Chicago Field Museum. The WWP Alumni and their families were able to get hands-on with history, and explore different exhibits.

"My kids all loved watching the "Night at the Museum" movies, and we thought it would be fun for the family," said Army veteran and WWP Alumnus Jeremy Lantz. "The museum is really big, and we didn't get through everything.  There are activities for the kids as well as a puppet show, which was actually quite funny. The event was really great!"

This special adventure is part of the WWP Alumni programs, one of 20 programs and services WWP offers wounded veterans, caregivers, and families, which seeks to create support through shared experiences and builds camaraderie by bringing injured veterans together. By bonding through events, these veterans learn they are not alone.

As the evening progressed, attendees had the opportunity to take in a movie about the importance and history of the museum. Armed with flashlights and curiosity, attendees were given free range of the museum to interact with exhibits featuring forests, animals, dinosaur fossils, and Egyptian artifacts. As the night came to a close, the group hunkered down to sleep among the prehistoric giants.

"We actually slept in a display with the other families," said Lantz. "The kids were a bit slow to go down, because of how excited they were about the day. That lack of sleep is worth it though, for the kids to have a great time."

The children of WWP Alumni in attendance were given full creative freedom to design a medieval shield. One workshop encouraged kids to take apart owl pellets and then analyze the contents; an engaging exercise for any future zoologist.

"Our kids each took an owl pellet apart and found the bones of the owl's prey inside of them," explained Lantz. "They then took the samples and matched the bones up to the chart on the table and see what 'critter' the owl had eaten. It was very instructive for them."

"We have met many Wounded Warrior Project families over the past few years, and I find that at almost every event my wife learns of something new," said Lantz. "Sometimes it is in regards to VA benefits, or sometimes it's about a special retreat.  We keep running into some families on numerous occasions which are always great because it's like a reunion.  It's a relationship that similar to what we had in the military, and we're always grateful for the chance to have that again."

Currently, more than 100,000 wounded service members, their family members, and caregivers receive support each year through WWP. Most recently, WWP launched Warrior Care Network™, a $100 million investment to battle the invisible wounds of war and reach those who might otherwise go untreated. This is a first-of-its-kind partnership between WWP and four national academic medical centers of excellence including Emory Healthcare, Massachusetts General Hospital, Rush University Medical Center, and UCLA Health to connect thousands of injured warriors with world-class care.

To learn more about Warrior Care Network, please visit: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/warrior-care-network. Since being founded in 2003, WWP has evolved its programs and services to meet the growing needs of the constituency it serves. Through a high-touch and interactive approach, the WWP vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history.

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.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project