Wounded Warrior Project, VA Partner for Veteran Recovery
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are hosting more than 130 injured veterans from across the nation at the 12th annual National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic in San Diego, California, this week. This partnership strengthens an increasingly collaborative effort among both organizations to ensure wounded warriors are receiving the best care and support through their recoveries.
"We are honored to partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs in what has proven to be an inspiring and tremendously impactful event for more than a decade," said WWP Chief Program Officer Jennifer Silva. "We know there is a direct correlation between physical activity and mental wellness, and we want to introduce wounded warriors to adventurous, pulse-racing adaptive sports and activities that can be incorporated in their rehabilitative regimen at home."
The week-long, introductory clinic connects adventure sports and recreational activities to the recovery process for wounded warriors. It introduces warriors to popular summer sports – surfing, sailing, kayaking, and cycling – and provides instruction and modified techniques to meet the needs of warriors with injuries, including spinal cord injuries, visual impairments, orthopedic amputation, and head wounds.
The clinic aligns with WWP's Adaptive Sports program, designed to connect some of the most seriously wounded veterans with adaptive equipment, sports, and exercise routines that will help them advance on their physical journeys. WWP's Physical Health and Wellness and Soldier Ride® programs also have a strong focus on customized movement. In fact, cycling professionals from Soldier Ride will be facilitating the cycling portion of the event from Tidelands Park in Coronado, California.
In the 2018 WWP Annual Warrior Survey, more than half of warriors (52.6%) expressed they talk with fellow veterans to address their mental health concerns – the second most cited helpful resource or tool. In the same study, 32.6% also reported physical activity as one of the things that helps them cope with stress and emotional concerns.
"More and more, warriors are connecting through adaptive sports and using it as a catalyst to show the public and themselves that with support and motivation, anything is possible," Jennifer said. "We are excited to give them another platform to do so."
This year, WWP's Adaptive Sports program will serve wounded warriors at more than 40 clinics across the nation, collaborating closely with other adaptive sports providers such as the Valor Games, military hospitals, and many providers like the YMCA.
Learn more about how WWP programs help warriors manage mental health through physical activity and connecting with other veterans.
About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers – helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more.
SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project