Wounded Warrior Project Veterans Empowered by Reading to Students

MONTGOMERY, Ala., July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) veterans recently read books to kindergarten and first-grade children at Dozier and Wilson elementary schools as part of a volunteer program they created called the Warrior Reading Initiative. This group of warriors is an extension of WWP's Peer Support group based in Atlanta, Georgia, where injured veterans meet monthly to connect with one another, share personal experiences, and collaborate on coping mechanisms that can help in recovery.

Warrior-to-warrior peer support plays an important role in the healing process as it allows injured veterans to build relationships based on shared experiences. The Peer Support program is dedicated to ensuring every injured veteran, family member, and caregiver encourages one another in recovery, thus embodying the WWP logo of one warrior carrying another off the battlefield.

During the book reading, warriors, students, and school staff experienced firsthand what is possible when injured veterans are exposed to programs and services that honor and empower them.

"It's always great to get involved with our local communities and for them to see that wounded warriors are still serving in their own way," said Joel Grace, U.S. Army veteran from Montgomery, Alabama. This opportunity allowed us to connect with one another – helping us heal while helping kids to get into the joy of reading."

The students are required to take the Accelerated Readers (AR) test, and all books the warriors read are selected to help students achieve their AR goals. The group of veterans was invited to return after this successful event, and six more schools were added to its rounds. 

"This reading initiative has helped me tremendously on my road to recovery," Joel said. "I thoroughly enjoy going to the schools and reading to the students. It feels good to put smiles on their faces and show them that reading is fun."

To learn more about how WWP's programs and services connect, serve, and empower wounded warriors, visit https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/. To find photos from warrior-to-warrior peer support groups across the nation, click on multimedia, images, then warrior connection and outreach.

About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. Read more at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project