Road 2 Recovery
This is from an email sent to a good friend that I think is worthy of passing along:
I haven’t had the opportunity to write to you since we chatted back and forth about my blog in Iraq, 365 and a Wakeup, so I hope this doesn’t strike you as inopportune. Please know that if this wasn’t an issue I felt deeply about I wouldn’t clutter your inbox with this email.
More then two years have passed since those fire bright days in Iraq, but several Soldiers I served alongside still struggle to recover from the physical and psychological wounds of our deployment. Within the last year the Veterans Administration (VA) has started to implement a new recreational therapy program to help my Soldiers, and others like them, begin to become whole again. The program utilizes cycling to help injured Soldiers regain a sense of normalcy and accomplishment during their recovery process. Cycling is a low impact activity that combines the health benefits of physical activity with the psychological benefits of being outdoors, and it has been shown to reduce depression and accompanying issues.
The Fitness Challenge Foundation and the VA would like to expand this program to allow more Veterans to take advantage of this important program, and I am committed to helping them meet this challenge. On September 28 of this year I will take part in the Road 2 Recovery, a charity ride from the San Francisco VA facility to the West Los Angeles VA facility to help fund the expansion of this program. 100% of the funds raised from this ride will be used to expand the cycling trauma recovery program to other Soldiers in need.
You can help expand this important program, and help build a therapeutic path that injured Soldiers can use to reconnect with their community by making a tax deductible donation to the Road 2 Recovery. Making a donation takes only a moment, but it will have a profound impact on those most in need of help. To make a donation simply navigate to: http://www.r2rriders.com/sponsor/, annotate Danjel Bout as the rider you are sponsoring, and make your donation.
America’s heroes didn’t hesitate to sacrifice their very lives in the defense of this nation, please don’t hesitate to help me support them in their time of need.
Thank you for caring,
Danjel
