cheat_training_group Showing Up

Cheat and UY Training Groups:

As I’m sure many of you are aware, I am much involved with the volunteer group, Team River Runner.  

In a few words, we are about helping servicemembers and veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan (and elsewhere) “get back on their feet” in every sense of that expression - - even if they no longer have any.  We teach them about paddlesports of all sorts with the emphasis on whitewater kayaking.  Pull a spray over the cockpit hole, and it’s often really hard to tell who’s the disabled paddler.  That makes a difference.  Looking good makes a difference.  Also, though, a lot of these young men and women have multiple injuries where the invisible kind are the most disabling.  So, just showing up and “being there” to provide social support makes a huge difference.  That’s the essence of what we do ...  We show up.

If you’d like to show up for Team River Runner, you can.  On Sunday, September 23rd we’re holding our 8th Annual Team River Runner Biathlon at the Washington Canoe Club located along the Georgetown waterfront in Washington, DC.  It’s our primary fundraising event each year.  Google “Team River Runner” and click on the biathlon registration link on our home page.  Register to race, to fundraise, or to do both.  Think about starting your own fundraising team.  It’s easy; basically, it requires setting up a page for your team with a few clicks, and then sending out some e-mails to your friends. Like what I’m doing right now. Or, you can support me and my fundraising team by going to:

    https://teamriverrunner.myetap.org/fundraiser/2012biathlon/team.do?participationRef=3862.0.372449302

When you’re at the Team River Runner home page, take a quick look at a video or two.  It’s true: a picture is worth a thousand words.

Team River Runner operates programs at over 30 DoD and VA medical centers located throughout the country.  We run several thousand events (e.g., pool sessions, flat water paddling workouts, whitewater river trips, ocean surf paddling trips) each year.  We run national trips down the Colorado River as it passes through the Grand Canyon, down the Salmon River in Idaho, and, of course, down our nearby and magnificent Youghiogheny and Cheat rivers.  Each year we touch the lives of over 1,000 wounded soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors - - active duty and veteran. We can’t do what we do without help from people like you.

George