User login
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding $15.9 million in grants to fund adaptive sports, recreational activities, and equine therapy for > 15,000 veterans and service members living with disabilities.
Marine Corps veteran Jataya Taylor — who competed in wheelchair fencing at the 2024 Paralympics — experienced mental health symptoms until she began participating in adaptive sports through an organization supported by the VA Adaptive Sports Grant Program.
“Getting involved in adaptive sports was a saving grace for me,” Taylor said. “Participating in these programs got me on the bike to start with, then got me climbing, and eventually it became an important part of my mental health to participate. I found my people. I found my new network of friends.”
Adaptive sports, which are customized to fit the needs of veterans with disabilities, include paralympic sports, archery, cycling, skiing, hunting, rock climbing, and sky diving. Mike Gooler, another Marine Corps veteran, praised the Adaptive Sports Center’s facilities in Crested Butte, Colorado, calling it “nothing short of amazing.”
“[S]ki therapy has been instrumental in helping me navigate through my experiences and injuries,” Gooler said. “Skiing provides me with sense of freedom and empowerment … and having my family by my side, witnessing my progress and sharing the joy of skiing, was truly special.”
The grant program is facilitated and managed by the National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events Office and will provide grants to 91 national, regional, and community-based programs for fiscal year 2024 across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
“These grants give veterans life-changing opportunities,” Secretary of VA Denis McDonough said. “We know adaptive sports and recreational activities can be transformational for veterans living with disabilities, improving their overall physical and mental health, and also giving them important community with fellow heroes who served.”
Information about the awardees and details of the program are available at www.va.gov/adaptivesports and on Facebook at Sports4Vets.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding $15.9 million in grants to fund adaptive sports, recreational activities, and equine therapy for > 15,000 veterans and service members living with disabilities.
Marine Corps veteran Jataya Taylor — who competed in wheelchair fencing at the 2024 Paralympics — experienced mental health symptoms until she began participating in adaptive sports through an organization supported by the VA Adaptive Sports Grant Program.
“Getting involved in adaptive sports was a saving grace for me,” Taylor said. “Participating in these programs got me on the bike to start with, then got me climbing, and eventually it became an important part of my mental health to participate. I found my people. I found my new network of friends.”
Adaptive sports, which are customized to fit the needs of veterans with disabilities, include paralympic sports, archery, cycling, skiing, hunting, rock climbing, and sky diving. Mike Gooler, another Marine Corps veteran, praised the Adaptive Sports Center’s facilities in Crested Butte, Colorado, calling it “nothing short of amazing.”
“[S]ki therapy has been instrumental in helping me navigate through my experiences and injuries,” Gooler said. “Skiing provides me with sense of freedom and empowerment … and having my family by my side, witnessing my progress and sharing the joy of skiing, was truly special.”
The grant program is facilitated and managed by the National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events Office and will provide grants to 91 national, regional, and community-based programs for fiscal year 2024 across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
“These grants give veterans life-changing opportunities,” Secretary of VA Denis McDonough said. “We know adaptive sports and recreational activities can be transformational for veterans living with disabilities, improving their overall physical and mental health, and also giving them important community with fellow heroes who served.”
Information about the awardees and details of the program are available at www.va.gov/adaptivesports and on Facebook at Sports4Vets.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding $15.9 million in grants to fund adaptive sports, recreational activities, and equine therapy for > 15,000 veterans and service members living with disabilities.
Marine Corps veteran Jataya Taylor — who competed in wheelchair fencing at the 2024 Paralympics — experienced mental health symptoms until she began participating in adaptive sports through an organization supported by the VA Adaptive Sports Grant Program.
“Getting involved in adaptive sports was a saving grace for me,” Taylor said. “Participating in these programs got me on the bike to start with, then got me climbing, and eventually it became an important part of my mental health to participate. I found my people. I found my new network of friends.”
Adaptive sports, which are customized to fit the needs of veterans with disabilities, include paralympic sports, archery, cycling, skiing, hunting, rock climbing, and sky diving. Mike Gooler, another Marine Corps veteran, praised the Adaptive Sports Center’s facilities in Crested Butte, Colorado, calling it “nothing short of amazing.”
“[S]ki therapy has been instrumental in helping me navigate through my experiences and injuries,” Gooler said. “Skiing provides me with sense of freedom and empowerment … and having my family by my side, witnessing my progress and sharing the joy of skiing, was truly special.”
The grant program is facilitated and managed by the National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events Office and will provide grants to 91 national, regional, and community-based programs for fiscal year 2024 across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
“These grants give veterans life-changing opportunities,” Secretary of VA Denis McDonough said. “We know adaptive sports and recreational activities can be transformational for veterans living with disabilities, improving their overall physical and mental health, and also giving them important community with fellow heroes who served.”
Information about the awardees and details of the program are available at www.va.gov/adaptivesports and on Facebook at Sports4Vets.