My Fundraising Goal:
$2,000.00 |
Money Raised to Date:
$3,410.00 |
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If you are unable to donate online, please print out a donation form. |
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| Challenged Athletes Foundation |
| Join me in supporting Operation Rebound!
| “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
Anaïs Nin
Dear Friends and Family:
I have a request. Please help.
Many of you who know me have heard me say that much of what I know of value I learned from sports. I believe athletic competition can make the timid bold, the weak strong, and all of us wise. Because I believe in the transformative power of athletic endeavors, I am asking you to help me help members or our armed forces injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Every year spring rolls around and, without much thought to the blessings of my physical health, I plan my triathlon season. But this year was a bit different. This year I was looking up race schedules and debating the merits of an aero helmet, when something else caught my eye. A picture of Major Dave Rozelle finishing the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Most remarkable, however, was that he finished this beast of a race as an amputee. There he was saluting as he crossed the line, maybe a tear in his eye, but strength in his body and resolve in his mind that not even losing his leg could dim. I had to find out more about this guy!
I noticed Major Rozelle’s singlet had a “CAF” logo on it. Online, I found out that Major Rozelle was the first below-knee amputee to complete Ironman Hawaii and that, while commanding 140 troops of the 3rd Armored Cavalry regiment in Iraq, his leg was blown apart when a landmine exploded under his Humvee. Terrible, right? Not for this guy! Major Rozelle was the first below-knee amputee to then return to active duty and to the same battlefield in modern times. What more can I say? I could just ask for your money now. Anything else I might add will be insignificant when compared to this one man’s heroics.
But, please let me tell you just a little more about CAF’s Operation Rebound and the many other brave returning injured veterans who are finding their way back to heath and an active lifestyle with the help of people like you and me.
The Challenged Athletes Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to raise money so people with physical challenges can participate and compete in the sports they love. CAF provides sports equipment such as handcycles, sportschairs, and prosthetics, as well as mentoring to athletes from beginner to elite alike. In 2004 CAF saw a need. A need to help injured service members. So, it established, Operation Rebound to provide post-rehabilitative support, equipment, training, and mentoring to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have suffered a permanent disability, such as an amputation. Operation Rebound reaches out to those who bodies may have been broken to let them know that their spirits have not been crushed.
Operation Rebound is, indeed, rooted, in the transformative power of sports. These honorable men and women did their duty, selflessly and with courage and honor. Many have returned bearing scars that have forever changed their worlds. Operation Rebound is committed to serve their needs just as they served those of our country. Still warriors at heart, these resilient vets are finding their way back to physical and mental health by participating in a range of sports from local road races and triathlons, swim races, and cycling events, to the Paralympics and the Ironman. Step by glorious step, be it in a sportschair, on crutches, or on one or two legs, they are coming back!
I know any mention of “the war” is fraught with controversy, but I am asking you to please set aside your views for now and focus, instead, at a personal level, on the day to day lives of these recovering warriors. They went off to war in one piece and came back forever changed. They are our brothers and sisters, our husbands and wives, our moms and dads, but most importantly, they are our people. And our people were sent to war by our nation and many have suffered immensely as a result. Their job was to fight in the face of a battle, now ours is to help them recover the joy of the game.
Of course, then there’s the dollars and cents of Operation Rebound’s mission. To help, CAF and Operation Rebound need money to provide the equipment, specialized training, and competition expenses to help restore these individuals’ independence and quality of life. For that reason I am re-dedicating my race at Ironman 70.3 in Orlando Florida, on May 20, 2007, to Operation Rebound. This half-ironman distance event is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. Forget about the distances – unimportant! What is important is the goal – to help Operation Rebound. As I sweat and huff and puff my way along that day, I will only think of how lucky I am to be able to help those who have given so much to enjoy sports as I do. I hope you will be there with me in spirit. I know the Operation Rebound team will be very grateful for your help.
Rest assured that your money will help. Operation Rebound uses 80 cents out of every dollar donated for its programs! That means each dollar can make a real difference in a life. The easiest way to give is to give online. Just follow the direction on this page. If that doesn’t work for you send me a check made payable to Challenged Athletes, Inc. to 2405 N Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305.
I thank you in advance for your generosity and ask that you give what you can. Those for whom you are giving have given their all. Major Rozelle thanks you too.
Many thanks,
Mandy
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