Team Hope For The Warriors Newsletter: March

If you were not chosen for the Marine Corps Marathon lottery you can still claim your bib through Team Hope For The Warriors! Also, we still have bibs available for the TCS New York City Marathon.

• 10/31 Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC
• 11/6 TCS NYC Marathon, New York City

For Team Members in North Carolina register for the following Run For The Warriors Races: 

• 4/23 Inaugural Charlotte Run For The Warriors, Charlotte, NC
• 5/14 11th Annual Run for the Warriors, Jacksonville, NC

Below is the 2016 Team Hope For The Warriors schedule: 

  

April

4/2-8 Team EVA Suffolk County, Long Island, Various locations

4/14 Fort Carson National Volunteer Week 5K Run/Walk, Fort Carson, CO

4/23 Inaugural Charlotte Run For The Warriors, Charlotte, NC*

May

5/1 Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon & Half Marathon

5/6 Monumental Mile, 7pm in Lewisburg, PA

5/14 11th Annual Run for the Warriors, Jacksonville, NC*

5/21 Run of Valor, Murphysboro, IL, More dates and locations to come! 

5/28 Cpl. Christopher G. Scherer Memorial I DID THE GRID 4-Mile Run/Walk, Suffolk County, Long Island

5/29 2nd Annual Memorial Day Run For The Warriors, Tampa, FL*

June

6/5 7th Annual Big Apple Run For The Warriors, NYC*

6/25 Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy 4-Mile Run Around the Lake, Suffolk County, Long Island

July

7/4 5th Annual New Bern Run For The Warriors, New Bern, NC*

7/4 Oakdale Chamber of Commerce’s Firecracker 5K, Suffolk County, Long Island

7/23 Airborne Tri Team’s 5K Run/Walk/Shadow Run, Suffolk County, Long Island

7/24 Panasonic NYC Tri, New York City    

August

8/21 7th Annual Sunset Run For The Warriors, Shelton, CT*

September

9/10 Cow Harbor Warriors’ Captain Joseph J. Boccia Jr. USMC 4-Mile Warrior Run, Suffolk County, Long Island

9/25 6th Annual Harmon Meadows Run For The Warriors, Secaucus, NJ*

October

10/16 3rd Annual DMV Run For The Warriors, Fairfax Station, VA*

10/23 7th Annual ASA Sponsored Run For The Warriors, Chicago, IL*

10/30 Suffolk County Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5K: Freedom Fest 2016, Suffolk County, Long Island

10/31 Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC*

November

11/6 TCS NYC Marathon, New York City

11/12 9th Annual Long Island Run For The Warriors, Lindenhurst, NY*

*Event is handcycle friendly

Registration sites to come for each event!

Fundraising Tip:

Share this story with your supporters:

Sgt. 1st Class Victor Medina joined the US Army in 1994 and served until 2012. He deployed three times—once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq.

His biggest challenges today are cognitive. Victor lives with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which he obtained when his vehicle was impacted by an IED while on patrol in Iraq. He endures day-to-day challenges that most people wouldn’t think twice about in their daily lives.

Learn how Victor overcomes daily challenges and his advice for others who suffer from TBI.

Congratulations to the Team Hope For The Warriors Members who participated in the United Airlines Half Marathon!

We had participants from all over the country and even a few who traveled internationally to run with the team and support our nation’s heroes with an incredible fundraising effort!

Team EVA: Every Veteran Appreciated

From April 2-8, 2016, Eva Casale, will be running 7 marathons in 7 days to raise funds and awareness for Hope For The Warriors! She will complete 184 miles, running in honor of a different service member for each mile. Eva is starting and finishing each marathon at different Suffolk Federal Credit Union locations.

How you can get involved?

Donate: Support the military community and Eva’s incredible efforts!

Register to Run with Eva: You do not have to participate in all 7 of her 26.2-mile runs, but you can pick a day to join her for the last 7 miles of her run. All runs take place in Suffolk County, Long Island.

Hope For The Warriors is inspired by Eva’s dedication to support military families and we would love to see the community encourage and support her as she takes on this impressive challenge!

Program Information:

Charity Navigator:

For the 5^th year in a row, Hope For The Warriors® has received a four-star rating on Charity Navigator. This exceptional rating, achieved by only 5% of the nonprofits they evaluate, highlights Hope For The Warriors® financial responsibility to the service members, military families, and families of the fallen we support. Team members can continue to ask people to donate towards fundraising goals with confidence! We invite you to view their latest evaluation of our efforts on the Charity Navigator website.

A Warrior’s Wish®:

This year, Hope For The Warriors will grant 9 wishes to support service members, veterans, and military families. The nature of these Wishes will vary in scope from business, fitness, financial, and outdoor-related. The enrichment process will continue long after the Wish is granted to promote stability within the lives of these heroes and their families. As the Wishes are granted we will share the stories in the upcoming newsletters. Learn more about A Warriors Wish

For more information please contact Steve Barto at sbarto@hopeforthewarriors.org.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Series:

The Rock ‘n’ Roll race series has teamed up with everydayhero as their official fundraising platform. You can now run in any Rock ‘n’ Roll event and raise funds for Hope For The Warriors! Every race participant will be asked if they want to fundraise on behalf of their favorite cause during the race registration process. When you register and are asked to choose your charity, pick Hope For The Warriors® and you will automatically be given a Rock ‘n’ Roll everydayhero fundraising page!  

Run For The Warriors®:

Save the date for the 2016 Run For The Warriors® Race Series:

• April 23: Inaugural Charlotte Run For The Warriors, Charlotte, NC 
• May 14: 11th Annual Run For The Warriors, Jacksonville, NC
• May 29: 2nd Annual Memorial Day Run For The Warriors, Tampa, FL
• June 5: 7th Annual Big Apple Run For The Warriors, New York, NY
• July 4: 5th Annual New Bern Run For The Warriors, New Bern, NC
• August 21: 7th Annual Sunset Run For The Warriors, Shelton, CT
• September 25: 6th Annual Harmon Meadow Run For The Warriors, Secaucus, NJ
• October 16: 3rd Annual DMV Run For The Warriors, Washington, DC
• October 23: 7th Annual ASA Sponsored Run For The Warriors, Chicago, IL
• November 12: 9th Annual Long Island Run For The Warriors, Lindenhurst, NY

Stay tuned for the 2016 Run For The Warriors® Race Series Registration sites, www.runforthewarriors.org.

Representing the Team:

Be sure to shoot us an email with your race schedule and where you will be wearing your Team jersey. Each time you wear your jersey, you help our mission to restore self, family, and hope. Feel free to share photos and special stories too!

sbarto@hopeforthewarriors.org

Important Links For Social Media:

Hope For The Warriors®Facebook

Twitter When you tweet be sure to use #TeamH4W

NYCHalf Marathon Team Facebook Group

NYC Full Marathon Team Facebook Group

Marine Corps Marathon Team Facebook Group

The Daily Challenges of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Sgt. 1^st Class Victor Medina joined the US Army in 1994 and served until 2012. He deployed three times—once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq.

His biggest challenges today are cognitive. Victor lives with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which he obtained when his vehicle was impacted by an IED while on patrol in Iraq. He endures day-to-day challenges that most people wouldn’t think twice about in their daily lives.

“I used to be an avid reader, but I can’t read the same way I used to. There was a time I couldn’t read at all. Then, I could read mechanically but couldn’t comprehend. I would have another student read a book and put it on a CD for me to listen to.”

Victor has to be proactive about planning ahead or he gets distracted with daily tasks.

“When putting up curtains, if I don’t lay out the tools in a neat row in the order that I’ll use them, I know I’m going to mess up at some point.”

Victor and his wife, Roxana

His memory, speech, and walking are also affected by his TBI. And he realizes it affects more than just himself—it impacts his family life, too.

“My wife understands [my challenges] and we talk a lot. When it comes to house chores, I have come to accept that I have to be supervised. Roles in the house have changed. I used to handle the finances before and now I don’t, but I compensate in other ways. I do the laundry at home. She works full time and I try to do things that make her happy because it’s going to take the weight off her shoulders.”

Victor is adamant about accepting his challenges and making the best of his situation, sharing that message with others. He explains that many survivors don’t know they’re entitled to certain accommodations because of their TBI.

Victor worked with a counselor while going to school for his Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling. They were able to determine what accommodations were needed during his studies in order for Victor to succeed.

“People are hesitant to ask for help because of the stigma. Accommodations are not taking advantage of the situation, but are very important for the community to know about. TBI is different for everyone.”

Victor stresses the importance of setting goals every day. Many times he gets overwhelmed and it reflects on his behavior, but he and his family have learned to laugh through it to do the best they can.

“Making goals is important when you have TBI. Set daily, attainable goals early in the day. Some things don’t get accomplished, but at least you accomplish one thing. If you do your best, you won’t be disappointed.”

Because TBI is so unique to each individual, Victor doesn’t want his community to feel sorry for him or pretend they know what he’s going through. Instead, he is open about his challenges. He sees it as his responsibility to advocate for others with TBI.

“No one should be afraid or ashamed of their condition—just do the best you can with it. We have to be outspoken about our conditions. There’s nothing that’s going to make a difference for me, but I can make it better for others with TBI.”

Victor currently lives in San Antonio with his wife and caregiver, Roxana.

Team Hope For The Warriors Newsletter: February

Team Hope For The Warriors has added many exciting events to the 2016 calendar! Guarantee your spot in these popular events.

2016 Schedule:

March

3/20: United Airlines NYC Half 

  

April

4/2-8: Team EVA Suffolk County, Long Island, Various locations

4/23: Inaugural Charlotte Run For The Warriors®, Charlotte, NC*

May

5/1: Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon & Half Marathon

5/14: 11th Annual Run for the Warriors®, Jacksonville, NC*

5/21: Run of Valor, Murphysboro, IL, More dates and locations to come! 

5/29: 2nd Annual Memorial Day Run For The Warriors®, Oldsmar, FL*

June

6/5: 7th Annual Big Apple Run For The Warriors®, NYC*

July

7/4: 5th Annual New Bern Run For The Warriors®, New Bern, NC*

7/24: Panasonic NYC Tri, New York City    

August

8/21: 7th Annual Sunset Run For The Warriors®, Shelton, CT*

September

9/25: 6th Annual Harmon Meadows Run For The Warriors®, Secaucus, NJ*

October

10/16: 3rd Annual DMV Run For The Warriors®, Fairfax Station, VA*

10/23: 7th Annual ASA Sponsored Run For The Warriors®, Chicago, IL*

10/31: Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC*

November

11/6: TCS NYC Marathon, New York City

11/12: 9th Annual Long Island Run For The Warriors ®, Lindenhurst, NY*

*Event is handcycle friendly

Registration sites to come for each event!

Training Tip:

Here is a story that gives a great perspective on training and meeting goals for endurance events:  

Daily a clock ran and ran, until one day it became overwhelmed by the number of times it would have to tick throughout the year, 31,536,000 times! The clock decided it would just stop ticking because the number of ticks was too large. However, the clock was reminded that it didn’t have to tick all 31,536,000 seconds at once, but only one at a time. With a new perspective the clock continued to consistently tick—one second at a time.   

Remember that training for endurance events happens one tick at a time—you cannot reach your goals in a single day. Achieving your goals is the culmination of putting in the work little by little each day, making your goals attainable!

Fundraising Tip:

Share with your supporters how Hope For The Warriors is an exceptional investment in the future of our military families and responsibly uses contributions to provide comprehensive case management and programs.

Team EVA: Every Veteran Appreciated

Since 2006 Eva Casale, has run 54 full marathons and 32 ultramarathons, raising over $100,000 for several organizations. Now Team EVA (Every Veteran Appreciated) is taking on a new challenge, running 7 marathons in 7 days to raise funds and awareness for Hope For The Warriors®! Eva will complete 184 miles, running in honor of a different service member for each mile. She is starting and finishing each marathon at different Suffolk Federal Credit Union locations and is asking the community to donate to military families and join her in her run.

You can register to run with Eva today! You do not have to participate in all 7 of her 26.2-mile runs, but you can pick a day to join her for the last 7 miles of her run. Be part of the Team and encourage Eva along as you support military families.

Program Information:

Charity Navigator:

For the 5^th year in a row, Hope For The Warriors® has received a four-star rating on Charity Navigator. This exceptional rating, achieved by only 5% of the nonprofits they evaluate, highlights Hope For The Warriors® financial responsibility to the service members, military families, and families of the fallen we support. Team members can continue to ask people to donate towards fundraising goals with confidence! We invite you to view their latest evaluation of our efforts on the Charity Navigator website.

A Warrior’s Wish:

This year, Hope For The Warriors will grant 9 wishes to support service members, veterans, and military families. The nature of these Wishes will vary in scope from business, fitness, financial, and outdoor-related. The enrichment process will continue long after the Wish is granted to promote stability within the lives of these heroes and their families. As the Wishes are granted we will share the stories in the upcoming newsletters. Learn more about A Warriors Wish

For more information please contact Steve Barto at sbarto@hopeforthewarriors.org.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Series:

The Rock ‘n’ Roll race series has teamed up with everydayhero as their official fundraising platform. You can now run in any Rock ‘n’ Roll event and raise funds for Hope For The Warriors! Every race participant will be asked if they want to fundraise on behalf of their favorite cause during the race registration process. When you register and are asked to choose your charity, pick Hope For The Warriors® and you will automatically be given a Rock ‘n’ Roll everydayhero fundraising page!  

Run For The Warriors:

Save the date for the 2016 Run For The Warriors Race Series:

• April 23: Inaugural Charlotte Run For The Warriors®, Charlotte, NC
• May 14: 11th Annual Run for the Warriors®, Jacksonville, NC
• May 29: 2nd Annual Memorial Day Run For The Warriors, Oldsmar, FL
• June 5: 7th Annual Big Apple Run For The Warriors, New York, NY
• July 4: 5th Annual New Bern Run For The Warriors, New Bern, NC
• August 21: 7th Annual Sunset Run For The Warriors, Shelton, CT
• September 25: 6th Annual Harmon Meadow Run For The Warriors, Secaucus, NJ
• October 16: 3rd Annual DMV Run For The Warriors, Washington, DC
• October 23: 7th Annual ASA Sponsored Run For The Warriors, Chicago, IL
• November 12: 9th Annual Long Island Run For The Warriors, Lindenhurst, NY

Stay tuned for the 2016 Run For The Warriors® Race Series Registration sites, www.runforthewarriors.org.

Representing the Team:

Be sure to shoot us an email with your race schedule and where you will be wearing your Team jersey. Each time you wear your jersey, you help our mission to restore self, family, and hope. Feel free to share photos and special stories too!

sbarto@hopeforthewarriors.org

Important Links For Social Media:

Hope For The Warriors Facebook

Twitter When you tweet be sure to use #TeamH4W

NYCHalf Marathon Team Facebook Group

NYC Full Marathon Team Facebook Group

MarineCorps Marathon Team Facebook Group

Team Hope For The Warriors Newsletter: January

Team Hope For The Warriors® has a lot of exciting events planned for the 2016 season! Guarantee your spot in these popular events:

Current 2016 Team Hope For The Warriors® Schedule

March 20, 2016— United Airlines NYC Half

May 1, 2016— Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon, Half Marathon, & 5K

July 24, 2016— Panasonic NYC Tri

Stay tuned as more races get added to our 2016 schedule. 

Fundraising Tip

Let your supporters know what their contribution can do for service members, veterans, their families, and families of the fallen: 

• $10 Provides a meal to a service member at a hunting or fishing trip
• $25 Covers meals for a spouse visiting a wounded service member in the hospital
• $100 Provides childcare for a service member attending standing Dr. appointments 
• $500 Covers books/supplies for a scholarship recipient
• $1,000 Travel/lodging to a brain treatment facility
• $5,500 Provides a new handcycle for a wounded service member to help in his or her recovery process

Training Tip

Great article from Runners World on stretches and exercises to do before and after running to improve form and efficiency!

Team Member Corner: Eva Casale

Since 2006 Eva Casale, has run 54 full marathons and 32 ultramarathons, raising over $100,000 for several organizations. Now Team EVA (Every Veteran Appreciated) is taking on a new challenge, running 7 marathons in 7 days to raise funds and awareness for Hope For The Warriors®! Eva will complete 184 miles, running in honor of a different service member for each mile. She is starting and finishing each marathon at different Suffolk Federal Credit Union locations, in Long Island, NY, and is asking the community to donate to military families and join her in her run.

You can register to run with Eva today! You do not have to participate in all 7 of her 26.2-mile runs, but you can pick a day to join her for the last 7 miles of her run. Be part of the Team and encourage Eva along as you support military families.

Program Information

Charity Navigator:

For the 5^th year in a row, Hope For The Warriors® has received a four-star rating on Charity Navigator. This exceptional rating, achieved by only 5% of the nonprofits they evaluate, highlights Hope For The Warriors® financial responsibility to the service members, military families, and families of the fallen we support. Team members can continue to ask people to donate towards fundraising goals with confidence! We invite you to view their latest evaluation of our efforts on the Charity Navigator website.

A Warrior’s Wish®:

This year, Hope For The Warriors® will grant 11 wishes to support service members, veterans, and military families. The nature of these Wishes will vary in scope from business, fitness, financial, and outdoor-related. The enrichment process will continue long after the Wish is granted to promote stability within the lives of these heroes and their families. As the Wishes are granted we will share the stories in the upcoming newsletters. Learn more about A Warriors Wish

For more information please contact Steve Barto at sbarto@hopeforthewarriors.org.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Series:

The Rock ‘n’ Roll race series has teamed up with everydayhero as their official fundraising platform. You can now run in any Rock ‘n’ Roll event and raise funds for Hope For The Warriors! Beginning March 1^st, every race participant will be asked if they want to fundraise on behalf of their favorite cause during the race registration process. When you register and are asked to choose your charity, pick Hope For The Warriors® and you will automatically be given a Rock ‘n’ Roll everydayhero fundraising page!  

Run For The Warriors®:

Save the date for the 2016 Run For The Warriors® Race Series:

• April 23, Charlotte, NC 
• Inaugural Charlotte Run For The Warriors 
• May 14, Jacksonville, NC
• 11th Annual Run For The Warriors
• May 29, Oldsmar, FL
• 2nd Annual Memorial Day Run For The Warriors
• June 5, New York, NY
• 7th Annual Big Apple Run For The Warriors
• July 4, New Bern, NC
• 5th Annual New Bern Run For The Warriors
• August 21, Shelton, CT
• 7th Annual Sunset Run For The Warriors
• September 25, Secaucus, NJ
• 6th Annual Harmon Meadow Run For The Warriors
• October 16, Washington, DC
• 3rd Annual DMV Run For The Warriors
• October 23, Chicago, IL
• 7th Annual ASA Sponsored Run For The Warriors
• November 12, Lindenhurst, NY
• 9th Annual Long Island Run For The Warriors 

Stay tuned for the 2016 Run For The Warriors® Race Series Registration sites, www.runforthewarriors.org.

Representing the Team:

Be sure to shoot us an email with your race schedule and where you will be wearing your Team jersey. Each time you wear your jersey, you help our mission to restore self, family, and hope. Feel free to share photos and special stories too!

sbarto@hopeforthewarriors.org

Important Links For Social Media:

Hope For The Warriors®Facebook

Twitter When you tweet be sure to use #TeamH4W

NYCHalf Marathon Team Facebook Group

NYC Full Marathon Team Facebook Group

MarineCorps Marathon Team Facebook Group 

A Warrior's Wish: Wounded Marine finds HOPE and healing in Music

Cpl Nathan Jakubisin with his new drum set

While conducting a foot patrol in Kajaki, Afghanistan on June 5, 2012, Cpl Nathan Jakubisin stepped on an IED.  As a result of the blast, he lost his right leg and obtained an open compound fracture to his left leg. Other injuries include multiple fractures to his hand and wrist, partially amputated fifth digit, chemical burns, lung trauma, PTSD, and mTBI.

He arrived at Walter Reed Naval hospital on June 10, 2012. It was not until two weeks after his arrival that he woke up from a drug induced coma. Over the past two and a half years, he has undergone many surgeries and rigorous therapy sessions. 

Cpl Jakubisin joined Musicorps, a band of wounded service members at Walter Reed hospital.  As a band member he has learned to play with his prosthetic and finds that music is beneficial to his overall rehabilitation. By asking for a drum set, he and his wife hope that he can continue his therapeutic hobby once Nathan has medically separated from the USMC and is able to move home. 

He is currently enrolled in online classes to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Cyber Security. He and his wife welcomed their first child in January 2014. The family is originally from Cambridge, OH but is excited to move into their newly built wheelchair accessible home in NC.

Hope’s MSW intern, Paula Valles out of the NC office on Camp Lejeune found an article that specifically highlights how the use of drums are used as part of music interventions and has provided a generous synopsis below:

Bensimon, Amir and Wolf’s (2012) article discusses the benefits of using music as a therapeutic intervention to cope with PTSD symptoms.  Studies have shown that traumatic events and music are both learned and absorbed in the brain through sensory meditation.  Bensimon et al.’s (2012) research demonstrates how music might serve as an inviting and unintimidating alternative to explore traumatic memories.  Music therapy can therefore, be an alternative form of shock/exposure therapy or “talk therapy” such that service members are not forced to logically and explicitly revisit painful memories directly in an uncomfortable situation. Music therapy allows military personnel the ability to express themselves and confront emotional difficulties through art therapy on their own terms and with their own creativity.  The terms of the study included soldiers ages 20-23 with PTSD and placed them in a music group to play the drums for a 16 week period; after 10 weeks with the interventions the group expressed feeling a “reduction of symptoms” (Bensimon et al., 2012).  In addition, the participants felt a sense of “belongingness, closeness, togetherness and sharing”; they were able to relate to and connect with one another again without explicitly sharing wartime experiences (Bensimon et al., 2012).  Finally, the study revealed an overall improvement in well-being and sense of self.  Music, such as the drumming interventions, facilitated an outlet for anger, rage, solace and promoted self-control for service members.   

A Warrior’s Wish® received support from Theodora Yoga and the local Columbus, OH Guitar Center to grant Nathan’s Wish.