More than 300 wounded military service members in 11 states will benefit from rehabilitation programs in sports and recreation through a one year, $150,000 grant from the WellPoint Foundation, Indianapolis, Indiana, to Disabled Sports USA (DS/USA). The grant will support DS/USA’s military sports rehabilitation program, including the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project (WWDSP), which provides free year-round sports programs to injured service members and their families with individualized adaptive instruction, as well as competitive and recreational events.
“We are happy to receive this generous grant from the WellPoint Foundation to help our chapters continue their efforts to provide rehabilitation through sports to our injured military,” said Kirk Bauer, DS/USA executive director and a disabled Vietnam veteran. “Surveys have shown that individuals who participate in our sports and recreation programs are more likely to succeed in securing employment and lead productive and fulfilling lives.”
“We are committed to helping [veterans] with disabilities get back to health, back to work and back to life,” said Steve Martenet, president and general manager of WellPoint’s Specialty Products.
The grant will help DS/USA chapters provide sports instruction to wounded veterans in communities in California, Connecticut, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, and Virginia, as well as military medical centers in Maryland, Texas, and California.
