A Portion of the Proceeds to benefit the Wounded Warrior Softball Team (WWAST)
Kids Camp
WAYNE & PIKE COUNTIES: The Pocono Lake Region 13.1 is scheduled for Sunday, September 27th. This Half Marathon event is hosted by The Chamber of the Northern Poconos and co-chaired by Chamber Board Members Christie Kennedy Augustine and Bob Kiesendahl.
The marathon route will begin at the Lakeside Elementary School in Honesdale, PA and the finish line is at the Wallenpaupack Area High School track. The registration for this event is online only, open to anyone 16 years and older. The entry fee is $55 per person by August 31st and $65 from September 1st to 27th, with registration online at www.northernpoconoschamber.com
Area restaurants and accommodations are encouraged to offer specials to the participants. The Chamber will list the accommodations specials on the 13.1 website page, and all restaurant specials will be printed and placed in the participant registration bags.
The Chamber is proud to donate a portion of 2015 event proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Softball Team. The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team™ (WWAST) is a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to inspire and educate others while enhancing the health and welfare of Wounded Warrior Amputees.
The WWAST represents some of our nation’s bravest and most determined heroes, soldiers and veterans. These men have sustained severe injuries resulting in amputation, and through extensive rehabilitation, they have become competitive athletes again, playing against able-bodied teams in exhibition games across the country. Their armor now includes prosthetic legs and arms, along with extreme perseverance and attitude. Together they are the WOUNDED WARRIOR AMPUTEE SOFTBALL TEAM.
Recognizing the positive impact Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team™ (WWAST) players have on children with amputations or missing limbs, they created a softball camp for such children where WWAST players serve as the coaches and mentors. Twenty terrific kids attended their inaugural Kids Camp in Orlando, FL in June of 2013. Kids Camp is an annual WWAST event, moving to different locations around the country, as they continue their mission to educate and inspire children who face many of the same challenges as the WWAST players. It is a win for the kids, and a win for the WWAST players who have already served their country, and who continue to serve in this important way.
WWAST Kids Camp 2015 will be held June 8 – 13 in Mission Viejo, California. The donation provided by the Pocono Lake Region 13.1 will benefit a child at the 2016 camp. The child must be between the years of 8 and 12 with an amputation or missing limb, and must be physically capable of participating in the daily softball clinics. Incidentally, they give priority to children who otherwise qualify and are from military families. Regardless of the location of Kids Camp, children from all over the country are eligible to attend. WWAST will pay all expenses for the child and a parent, including travel, meals and lodging.
The Chamber is asking for the support of businesses and organizations throughout Wayne and Pike Counties. Many levels of monetary and in-kind sponsorship are available, as well as numerous volunteer opportunities. There are many ways to get involved in the event, and many volunteers are needed in order to make this a success. Volunteers are needed to man water stations, set up, start line, traffic control, clean up, food tent, finish line, clean up and so much more.
Interested in running? We invite athletes to come out and take part in this annual event, which has truly become the perfect warm up for the Steamtown Marathon, held a few weeks later. Online registration through The Chambers’ website makes it simple and the support received from past participants is genuinely rewarding.
Periodic releases will follow as The Chamber continues to expand and finalize the many details involved and volunteer groups are crucial to the outcome and are urged to contact this office for more information. Please note, monetary sponsors and volunteers do not have to be members of The Chamber but as always, we are working hard to offer new and innovative benefits.
Please visit www.northernpoconoschamber.com or email maureen@
