Wounded Warrior Project Returns to Rockaway for 11th Annual Adaptive Water Sports Festival

ROCKAWAY, N.Y., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) returns to the beach community of Rockaway with more than 50 injured service members for the 11^th annual Adaptive Water Sports Festival.

Injured service members will have the opportunity to participate in adaptive water sports, including waterskiing, fishing, surfing, and much more. A parade on Wednesday, July 8, kicks off the weekend, as the wounded service members are escorted through the streets lined with supporters from Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Rescue 5 in Staten Island and over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, before concluding at a private event hosted by Breezy Point Surf Club. Over the following three days, injured service members will participate in their choice of water sports, complete with adaptive equipment to meet any and all of their individual adaptive needs.

"We are honored to return to Rockaway for this amazing event that is one of the highlights of the year for our organization and those we serve," said Al Giordano, chief operating officer, Wounded Warrior Project. "This event, made possible with the support of the Rockaway community, allows injured service members to discover new ways to be physically active in spite of their injuries, while also aiding them in their emotional recovery."

This is the 11^th year that WWP has worked with the Rockaway neighborhood on this event. As always, the event is made possible, in part, by the outpouring of support from the New York Police Department (NYPD); FDNY; Legends in Valor, a nonprofit organization serving civil servants; and a massive volunteer effort.

The Rockaway community was one of the hardest hit by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and then again by the fire and flooding damage brought on by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Less than a year after Sandy, the community welcomed WWP and the Adaptive Water Sports Festival back to the area. Despite these hardships, the area proved resilient and responded with a surge of empathy and charitable endeavors.

The five-day event offers injured service members the opportunity to discover ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while also providing them with a chance to engage and reconnect with their fellow servicemen and servicewomen.

About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP's purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.  

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project

Related Links

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org