Road Warrior Foundation Completes 9-Day Wounded Military Veteran Ride
The Road Warrior Foundation carries on its good work, taking wounded military veterans for rides along the healing road.
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Adventure Therapy is Real, and it Works
Non-Profit Road Warrior Foundation Wraps Up Epic, 9-Day Ride with Wounded Military Veterans
PITTSBURGH – Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019 – The Road Warrior Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides “adventure therapy” to wounded veterans, just wrapped up its 2019 Road Warrior Ride. The event is part of a series of activities the Foundation does that focuses on the healing power of challenging adventures with likeminded individuals. In this case, an epic, 9-day ride on Can-Am 3-wheel vehicles with a group of post-9-11 wounded veterans.
Now in its sixth year, the Road Warrior Ride is the Foundation’s marquee annual event. Veteran participants are selected through an application process, and ultimately provided an all- expenses-paid adventure of a lifetime. This year’s ride took the group from the Eastern Townships of Québec, through the Great Lakes region, and into Wisconsin, visiting iconic landmarks and riding beautiful roads along the way.
“The Road Warrior Foundation was started with a simple premise – leverage the incredible power of adventure as part of the healing and reintegration process for veterans in need,” said Craig Anders, co-founder of Road Warrior Foundation. “Wounded veterans are adventurous and fun-loving, but far too often they lose sight of that and end up down in a hole both mentally and physically. We address that head on by getting them off their couch and out enjoying the world.”
The 2019 Road Warrior riders were a group of male and female veterans representing the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, and U.S. Air Force. Each is currently battling injuries, both internal and external. They reside all over the country, not having known each other prior to the ride, and most having very little or no previous riding experience.
“The Road Warrior Ride is designed as a challenge to get people out of their comfort zones so they can adapt and overcome,” said Anders. “The Can-Am Spyder is a perfect vehicle for the ride because we can take people who’ve never ridden before, train them, and in short order be riding more than 2,000 miles as a group. It’s incredible to watch the transformation from the beginning to the end in riding ability, but even more importantly, as they evolve into a team, and ultimately into lifelong friends.”
Once veterans participate in a Road Warrior Foundation event, they become part of the Road Warrior family. Networking is at the core, as the organization focuses on helping its veterans with their professional growth, as well as encouraging them to give back to other veterans in need. The Foundation will oftentimes invite alumni riders to be part of ongoing events, and several have now joined the Foundation in various roles.
The Road Warrior Foundation is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization started by veterans, for veterans. Unlike other organizations, no staff member takes compensation; thus, every dollar raised goes directly to helping veterans in need. That includes the ten staff who were part of this year’s Road Warrior Ride, ranging from Foundation board members to alumni riders along to help.
For more information about the Road Warrior Foundation, visit www.RoadWarrior.org. 2018 Ride Video: https://youtu.be/7bezJD1fzf0
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