This month, Hope For
The Warriors® lost Rick Leipold, the Team’s beloved adaptive equipment
specialist. If you ever had the honor of meeting Rick at our Team events,
he was absolutely someone you would remember. Rick always had a big smile
on his face and was a delight to be around. He was a genuine person with
a big heart. He truly lived to serve and help others. He especially loved his work with all of our
service members. Rick’s unique way of working with our Team will be
irreplaceable. Although we have heavy hearts, we know that Rick will
always be with us, cheering on our Warrior Team at every finish line.
Gasparilla
Distance Classic
On February 23-24, the Team participated in the Gasparilla
Distance Classic in sunny Tampa, Florida! This is the first year that Hope For
The Warriors® was a part of this exciting event as a charity partner! This was
also the very first race for our new Kid’s Team. Our Team celebrated at a pre-race dinner at
Beef ‘O’Brady’s on S. MacDill. We are
very grateful to Beef’s for hosting our dinner and for holding the Team’s
weekly runs at their fine establishment.
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| Community Team members celebrate after the Gasparilla Distance Classic. |
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| Hope For The Warriors® staff present Beef 'O' Brady's with a token of appreciation. |
A HUGE thank you to Devin Young, Tampa Team Captain,
his wife Mirka and three children, for all their support through the year, and
especially during the weekend of the event.
Our presence in Tampa is made possible because of all of their hard work
and dedication to the Team and our organization.
Thank you to the Gasparilla Distance Classic for all of your support and for choosing us to be a charity partner!
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| Incredible Tampa Team Captain, Devin Young and Team Director Jenlene Nowak relax after crossing the finish. |
Thank you to the Gasparilla Distance Classic for all of your support and for choosing us to be a charity partner!
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| Kid's Team Hope For The Warriors® members are all smiles before the race. |
USA
Nation’s Capital Rock ‘n’ Roll Full & Half Marathon
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| Warrior Team members, Anthony Radetic and Dean Suthard, are ready to kick off the race. |
The Team hit the streets of Washington D.C. Saturday,
March 16 for the USA Nation’s Capital Rock ‘n’ Roll Full and Half
Marathon. While there were thousands of
runners, Team Hope For The Warriors® had the only two handcyclists on the
course! Warrior Team members, Anthony Radetic and Dean Suthard kicked off the
race as the two handcyclists while representing the Team! Incredible Community Team members John Henault and Marilyn Nicolas ran the
half while Megan Schmidt and Michael Gawbill ran the full. This was also Megan's and Michael's first full marathon AND they were both the two top fundraisers! Way to go Michael and Megan! You ROCK!
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| Megan is all smiles during her very first marathon! |
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| Flight delays may have caused Team Director Jenlene Nowak and Warrior Team member, Manny Jimenez to miss the USA Nation's Capital Rock 'n' Roll Half, but it didn't stop them from completing their own half marathon to honor our friend, Rick Leipold. |
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| Community Team member, Michael Gawbill, celebrates at the Team tent after the finish. |
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| Amazing volunteers Suzy, Julie and Anita welcome and congratulate runners at the Team tent. |
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| Fantastic Community Team member, Marilyn and Team Coordinator, Courtney celebrate at the Team tent. |
New York City Half
The Nation’s Capital wasn’t the only city in which the Team was represented that weekend! On Sunday, March 17, there were even more amazing Community Team members hitting the streets of the Big Apple for the New York City Half! Congratulations to Jeff Mahalik who was the top fundraiser for this exciting race! A big thank you to all of our incredible Community Team members who represented the Team in NYC and worked so hard on reaching their fundraising goals! It is because of your amazing support that we are able to continue our mission in restoring self, family and hope to our wounded service members and military families! Thank you for all that you do!
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| Community Team member, Jessica Lagomarsino, poses for a picture with two of her biggest fans before the NYC Half. |
Cherry Point Half Marathon
Last weekend, the
Team headed to Cherry Point, NC for the Cherry Point Half. It was an incredibly
fun event with many Community Team members, Hope For The Warriors® staff and
three Warrior Team members participating! Incredible Community Team and Staff
member, Mona Simms won first in her age group! Mona wasn’t the only one picking
up trophies at the finish line! Congratulations to amazing Community Team
members, Paul Delamar and Mayra Espinosa for placing for your fantastic
finishing times! |
| Incredible Community Team members Benita Delacruz and Mayra Espinosa at the Team tent before the race. |
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| Warrior Team members, Sean Debevoise and Manny Jimenez pose alongside Community Team member Paul Kelly and Warrior Team member Jorge Olalde. |
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| Ready to start cheering for the greatest Team around! |
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| Wonderful staff and Team member, Mona Sims, wins first in her age group! |
Team Events Coming Up
To register,
please click here.
Salute To The
Military Sprint Triathlon, May 26
All Hope For The Warriors® family and
supporters get 30% off their registration with code: hfw30! To register for
this exciting event, please click here.
Warrior Team Member Highlight: Ryan Anderson
Warrior Team Members
Since: 2010
When Did You Enlist
In The Marine Corps?
“I enlisted in the Marine Corps on 8 December 2003 and
deployed 28 August 2006 until 17 March 2007 and 22 February 2008 and returned
on 28 May 2008.”
How Were You Wounded?
“I was exposed to a total of seven IED blasts in a three day
period. We were conducting Route Clearance in the vicinity of Al Taqqadam when
I was blown up.”
What Were Some Of The Challenges You Faced When You Were Wounded?
“When I was first wounded the big problems were realizing
that I am not Superman. I had memory issues, balance issues, and speaking
issues. It took the rehabilitation and time to get back to a good stable
ground.”
How Did You Find Out About Hope For The Warriors®?
"I was introduced to
Hope For The Warriors® in 2009 at the Run For The Warriors® in which I walked
with my service dog, Rivka. I became a member of the Team Hope For The
Warriors® in July 2010 when I received my handcycle and started racing in
September 2010 at the Marine Corps Half Marathon."
How Has Your Rehabilitation Through Team Hope For The Warriors® Been?
“My rehabilitation through the Team has been two fold; it
has been physical as well as mental. Knowing that I am part of an organization
that has been through similar situations helps tell me that I am not alone. I
am not the only one. Physical it has shown me that I can do things that I
thought I would never be able to do. Now that I realize what I am able to do, I
work out more now than I did before I got hurt.”
How Are You Doing Today? Do You Feel That Your Athletic Pursuits Helped Your Physical Recovery? How?
“ I am feeling great today. Now that I see what I was
missing during the years that I wasn’t able to work out, I continue to live
life like I won't be able to work out again. My athletic pursuits have
definitely helped in my physical recovery because I now realize that I can do
things that I haven’t done. Three years ago, I didn’t think that I would be
able to run a physical fitness test again and now I am going to run a half
marathon in May 2013.”
What Are Your Future Plans In The Marine Corps?
“My future plans in the Marine Corps are to continue on and
retire from the Marine Corps. I also plan on continuing my physical attributes
and improving every day.”
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