Features Polo Matches, Wine Tasting, Silent Auction
Atherton, CA, August 15, 2012 — Supporting disabled and severely injured Bay Area-based American combat soldiers who have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq, the third annual Wounded Warriors Polo Benefit (WWPB http://www.woundedwarriorspolobenefit.org) will be held on Sunday September 9, 2012 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton. It is hosted by the Menlo Polo Club and sponsored by the Bay Area non-profit Commandery of St. Francis, Order of St. John, Knights Hospitaller . Proceeds fund physical rehabilitation, custom prostheses and specialized care needed to help these injured combat veterans re-enter and thrive in civilian life. Tickets for WWPB 2012 are available at www.woundedwarriorspolobenefit.org <http://www.woundedwarriorspolobenefit.org/> . “Sadly, over the past eight years, more than 40,000 U.S. servicemen and women have been wounded in the line of duty. Thousands suffer from severe physical injuries requiring ongoing treatment, or endure the crippling effects of Post Traumatic Stress,” said Major General Richard E. Keith (ret), a distinguished Second World War airborne veteran and Commander of the San Francisco-based Commandery of St. Francis. “The Wounded Warriors Polo Benefit supports three carefully-selected organizations that are at the forefront of significantly improving the lives of local combat veterans.”
WWPB 2012 proceeds will support these three local organizations:
· Quality of Life Plus (QL+), a non-profit that designs and develops advanced technology and customized prostheses, with the support of skilled engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
· Veterans Bridge, a program of the California Veterans Foundation at Yountville that provides temporary housing, mentoring and transitional assistance for formerly injured veterans returning to a civilian life.
· Trail Rides for Heroes, a project of the San Mateo Mounted Patrol and Community Horse Advocacy Program (CHAPS) that brings horseback riding on Woodside trails to injured veterans.
The WWPB 2012 will feature:
· Opening ceremony with Color Guard, bagpipes and the National Anthem
· Wine tasting sponsored by leading Santa Cruz mountain-based wineries, including
o Big Basin Vineyards
o Gugliemo Winery
o House Family Winery
o Loma Prieta Winery
o Poetic Cellars <PoeticCellars.com>
o as well as Domaine Chandon and Buellton-based Firestone Walker Brewery
· Two fast-moving polo matches contested by top Bay Area Players
· Luncheon catered by Menlo Circus Club
· Chandon ™ Divot Stomp between matches
· Carriage Driving Display by Peninsula Carriage Driving Club
· Ladies’ Hat Competition
· Silent Auction
· Closing ceremony with God Bless America and Taps
“The organizations that the Commandery of St. Francis supports continue to achieve remarkable results in alleviating symptoms from physical injuries and PTSD among my fellow Marines and Bay Area soldiers,” said Jarom Vahai, a US Marine Sergeant who sustained injuries as a result of his two tours in Iraq. Vahai was named 2011 Veteran of the Year for helping secure jobs for veterans at Tesla Motors, and for setting up a training program at the Bay Area’s Skyline College through his non-profit Green Careers for Veterans.
“The public-private partnership at The Bridge Program builds on the 128-year history of the Veterans Home at Yountville, established by Civil War veterans in a private capacity to care for their comrades from the 1846-47 War with Mexico. We carry on that tradition today at a state-run facility providing care for the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans,” said Bill Chadwick, founding Executive Director and current Yountville Veterans Home Board member.
“CHAPS , in collaboration with the Veterans Administration in Menlo Park and NCEFT (National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy is sponsoring Trail Rides for Heroes to support Bay Area wounded combat veterans. CHAPS is proud to offer this opportunity to assist our wounded warriors re-enter civilian life,” said program chair Eldona Hamilton.
WWPB 2012 is sponsored by the Commandery of St. Francis, Order of St. John, Knights Hospitaller (OSJ), a non-profit 501(c)(3) that provides financial support for carefully-selected local programs that rehabilitate Americans injured in the line of duty in Afghanistan or Iraq. The Commandery of St. Francis is comprised largely of retired officers of the Armed Services and is part of a historic Christian Order of Chivalry that traces its roots back to the Crusades in the late 12th century.
Last year’s Wounded Warriors Polo Benefit attracted more than 350 attendees and raised $25,000 for rehabilitation and prostheses for local injured veterans. Past Bay Area beneficiaries have included National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy (NCEFT) and Sentinels of Freedom Foundation.
Tickets for the WWPB 2012 are available at http://www.woundedwarriorspolobenefit.org/ .