MCAA ADOPTS WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT AS THE ASSOCIATION’S COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT
About the Project
An organization that supports wounded veterans will be MCAA’s first association-wide community service project during 2010. By a unanimous vote, MCAA’s Board of Directors voted to offer the associations’ support to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).
MCAA board member, Kirk Godby brought the organization to the attention of the board and nominated them for MCAA’s first year-long community service effort. He first learned about the WWP this past April during the Country Music Awards. The highlight of the evening for Kirk was when Trace Adkins and the West Point Glee Club sang a tribute to our soldiers to kick of the Academy of Country Music’s drive for the WWP. “The tribute was introduced by a soldier who lost both of his legs in Iraq,” he recalls. “When Trace Adkins sang ‘Till the Last Shot’s Fired’ and talked about the good work of WWP, I knew I had to do something for this amazing cause. I felt we could combine the talents, energy and enthusiasm of those in MCAA to make a difference for these wounded warriors and the work of the organization.”
Founded in 2003, the nonprofit organization’s mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors. The Wounded Warrior Project began one night when a group of veterans were watching the evening news. Moved by the difficult stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, they decided something needed to be done for these brave individuals beyond the brass bands and ticker tape parades. They wanted to provide tangible support for the severely wounded and help them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally. As a result, they founded the nonprofit Wounded Warrior Project. In the few short years since its founding, it’s received the support of such powerhouses as the PGA, UHaul, Coleman and The Hartford.
The organization has three goals:
• To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women,
• To help severely injured service members aid and assist each other, and
• To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members
So, how can you get involved? Any way that suits your organization. Donate by going to the MCAA webpage on the Wounded Warrior Project site by clicking here: http://WWPProudSupporter.kintera.org/teammcaa or use your own creativity to fundraise, friend raise or hire a Wounded Warrior in the Warriors To Work Program. A list of Wounded Warrior Programs can be found at: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Then, let us know what you did in support of the project by emailing your story about it to aobston@aomc.com. We’ll feature your story on our website and maybe even in the MCAA magazine.