Sponsorship Opportunities for Our Inaugural Golf Tournament

 

Hey Golf Fans! 

 

 There are still some Sponsorship Opportunities available for our upcoming 

Inaugural Golf Tournament on October 15, 2013.

 

If interested -- please contact John Dominick at  

info@willingwarriors.org

  

If you haven't registered for the Golf Tournament yet -- time's a-wastin'!!! 

 

 Visit our website and register! 

 Click Here!

Coming Soon! SOWW's Inaugural Golf Tournament

Calling all Golfers!

 SOWW's Inaugural Golf Tournament is coming very soon!

To Register Online Click HERE!

The Stonebridge Fall Fest Donates Proceeds to Serve Our Willing Warriors

 

It was a glorious day to run and walk for our Willing Warriors! 

Many, many thanks to Karen Joyner - Director of the The Stonebridge Fall Fest for hosting the 5K Run/Walk and donating all the proceeds to Serve Our Willing Warriors.  It was such an amazing gift to see so many people show up on behalf of our wounded, injured and ill warriors + families.

We were deeply moved by the spirit of the day!  In the week before the event less than 30 people had signed up to race.  But on the day of the race, we had almost 80 runners + walkers.  Approximately 30 people signed up on that day!  It was so exciting to see them show up!  Here are a few photos from the day . . .

SOWW President Shirley Dominick participating in the group warm-up before the race began.

The day was a Family Affair!  Just what we love to see!  Participants of all ages . . .

Some of our SOWW Team + Runners  

It was quite touching to see the local Potomac High ROTC Color Guard post the color and lead the group into the Pledge of Alligiance. The applause at the end demonstrated the great sense of patriotism and pride felt throughout the crowd.  

It was clear that everyone came out with a willing heart to serve those who have served us so well:

Our Heroes – Our Willing Warriors + Families. 

Thanks to all who came out in support of SOWW and this wonderful festival!

Can we do this again next year???

SOWW at The Middleburg Community Service Fair

This past Saturday, Serve Our Willing Warriors had the privilege of hosting an information table at The Middleburg Community Service Fair.

The event was hosted by Emmanual Episcopal Church in Middleburg, VA in their lovely and historic parish hall.  Tables were set up for the various charitable organizations in the surrounding area.  It was an encouraging sight to see so many great organizations and caring people working on behalf of our communities.  We thought we would share a few photos from the day to inspire our readers.

One of the beautiful "Companion Dogs" that made an appearance at the Community Service Fair.

 Connie manning the Serve Our Willing Warriors table.

It is always a good day when you are surrounded by good people championing great causes.  Our special thanks to Rick and Jeanette Urquhart-Buckley for inviting us to join them and for making such a special event happen! 

Remember -- take a little time out of your day and do some good for others!

The 25th Annual Haymarket Day!

 

The Citizens of Haymarket came out in force to celebrate "The 25th Annual Haymarket Day" on Saturday, September 21, 2013.  In a great show of small town pride, residents and folks from far and wide spilled out onto Washington Street to enjoy the largest parade in the event's history.  Onlookers saw everything from dancers, marching bands and unicyclists to . . .  zombies?  Yes, even zombies made an appearance in spite of a bit of drizzle throughout the day.

Serve Our Willing Warriors manned a "get to know us" table and although we were "Soggy SOWWers", the rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm or generosity of our community at large.  The "Haymarket Day" turnout proved once again, that our Bull Run Warrior Retreat  is both wanted and appreciated!  There was no lack of interest; only the lack of enough time and material to address all of the folks that approached us to donate, ask questions or to tell us their stories about how they  identified with our outreach and how they would love to help.

It was truly an uplifting and encouraging day.  It is a great thing to be a "Haymarketeer!"

 

Delegate David Ramadan stopped by to express his gratitude and continued support of our efforts.

 

  

Glen Vickers of the Potomac Local News came over and introduced himself and related how their project "Advance My Community Give Back" took shape and reminded us all to vote, vote, VOTE!  Serve Our Willing Warriors is so honored to be one of the 15 benefactors selected for this special competition for financial support.

He also reminded us that the total percentage of the votes you control by November 4th will equate to the percentage of money that will be donated to your cause. For example, if the campaign brings in 50k, and we have 50% of the total votes, that's $25k!  So please show your SOWW support by voting HERE!  We appreciate it so(ww) much!

Thanks to everyone who made "Haymarket Day" a great success.  We are so proud of our wonderful, historic town!  It's a great place to live . . . for all of us!

A Ribbon-Cutting + A Gift to a Community & Local Non Profits

Several members of “Serve Our Willing Warriors (SOWW)" had the honor of attending a very special ribbon-cutting ceremony in Manassas, VA this past week. After eight months of extensive renovations, a circa 1900 home was completely restored featuring all the character and charm of it’s original grandeur. The historic home at 9208 Lee Avenue now serves as the headquarters for Manassas-based Advanced Title & Settlements, LLC.

The owners of Advanced Title elected to take on this great restoration project as a way to "give something back" to their local community by preserving this beautiful building. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the event was attended by representatives of local businesses and representatives from 15 great non-profit organizations throughout Prince William County.

Following the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Advanced Title & Settlement, LLC announced their local nonprofit benefactors for their Advance My Community Give Back Program. Under this program, every residential and commercial real estate transaction conducted with partnering real estate affiliates who mention their give-back program, will result in 30% of Advanced Title and Settlement’s sales commission being donated to local charities. This give back program will be active until November 5th and will directly support 10 local charities. What makes this fundraiser a team sport is that everyone will have the opportunity to vote daily to win their percentage of the total amount of money raised.

If you would like to help our Country’s wounded, injured, and ill military service members and their families, please visit THIS PAGE and vote for Serve Our Willing Warriors TODAY and EVERY DAY until November 5th. Please tell your friends about this competition. Proceeds will help with the renovation of our “Bull Run Warrior Retreat” lodging house in Haymarket, VA.

As ever, we are so(ww) grateful for your support.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Advanced Title & Settlement on their completed vision of a historic headquarters and their outstanding service to their community. We are so very thankful for their acknowledgement + support for Serve Our Willing Warriors!

SOWWers John Dominick (Vice President), Rick Hendrix (Head of Fundraising) and 

Shirley Dominick (President)

Rick shares the vision of Serve Our Willing Warriors + Bull Run Warrior Retreat.

Click here for more info on Advanced Title & Settlement's story.

Serve Our Willing Warriors (SOWW) visits the Rainbow Center

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

- Winston Churchill

SOWW would like to introduce you to a very special neighboring organization just a few minutes down the road from our Bull Run Warrior Retreat.

The Rainbow Center is a place where individuals with special challenges come together, and where victories — some dramatic, some modest, but all significant — are joyously celebrated.

Established in 1985, Rainbow Center is a non-profit organization, which provides therapeutic equestrian activities to individuals with physical and mental challenges in Prince William County and surrounding Northern Virginia areas.

Under the guidance of registered therapists and certified riding instructors, therapeutic riding helps individuals experience physical and emotional rewards. The Rainbow Center operates under the guidelines of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International .

The Rainbow Center, AW2 program is the official U.S. Army program that assists and advocates for severely wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers, Veterans, and their families. This program is offered free of charge to the men and women of all the armed services who have been injured in the line of duty.

SOWW has just initiated a dialogue with the Rainbow Center to establish a relationship in serving the WII military members who will be lodging at the Bull Run Warrior Retreat.

For more information about the Rainbow Center, please visit them at www.rainbowriding.org.

What a Summer it has been . . .

Happy Labor Day to all you Servers and SOWWers out there!

It is hard to believe we are in the final days of summer . . .  This year seems to be moving faster than most.  Or maybe we have just been moving faster!  We sure have had a lot going on this summer and before we plunge into Fall, we just wanted to take a moment to relish all that has been accomplished in these past few months.

On May 9th, the predominant and unmistakable sound of Harley Davidson motorcycles fired up for the beginning of a scenic ride through the roadways of Prince William and Loudoun Counties.  At one point, the riders streamed by our Bull Run Warrior Retreat property as they were greeted by members and volunteers from SOWW cheering them on and waving the stars and stripes as they passed the front entrance of the retreat.

The ride was followed by a cookout and a time of camaraderie, fellowship, and enjoyment.  Typically, many of our motorcycle rider participants are now very active in supporting our country’s Wounded, Injured, and Ill (WII) military troops.  We look forward to next year’s ride to be on a much grander scale.

Here are a few scenes from our first "Ride With Warriors".   Many thanks to Park Valley Church for the use of their parking lot where warriors + riders were able to meet and eat and start their engines!

 

 

 

  

After our inaugural Motorcycle event was over, we really rolled up our sleeves and really got to work for the summer.  It was finally time to get started on the yard work and construction at Bull Run Warrior Retreat.

Dozens of individuals, families, businesses, girl scouts, and boy scouts have helped in just about all aspects of grounds maintenance as well as demolition and construction work involving the existing house structure.  It's been a time of lots of elbow grease, mixed with fun and inspiration for everyone involved. 

Volunteers of all ages worked with us throughout the month of June to prune trees, cut grass, paint fencing, plant flowers and build a back deck onto the house.

At the beginning of July, we moved inside the house to start demolishing walls and tearing out old carpet.  It was grueling work, but you would never have known it from the smiling faces on our incredible volunteers.  

Our incredible SOWW Volunteers!

In addition to all the work on Bull Run Warrior Retreat,  SOWW hosted our 2013 Annual Cookout in July at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, and the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA.  This is an event that SOWW has been hosting as a volunteer group since 2006.

 

About 40 SOWW members and volunteers (some of whom were entire families) staffed the cookout.  Many of our youngest volunteers were given the responsibility of serving food and drinks to our country’s wounded, ill and injured warriors.  Both the children and the service members had a great time with many uplifting exchanges filled with smiles and conversations.

 

The members and volunteers of  SOWW always look forward to these BBQ events because we get to meet several hundred Wounded, Injured, and Ill troops + their family members.  It’s a opportunity for all of us to sit down with the people that we are commissioned to serve and just enjoy one  another’s company.  This annual event is a very small way to express a very special “THANKS” for the service and sacrifice of these very special people.  

 

After a wonderful time spent with our Warriors + Families, it was back to work to get Bull Run Warrior Retreat ready for its first Open House.

 

A 'Meet-the-Neighbors' Open House held at “Bull Run Warrior Retreat”

 

On July 28, Serve Our Willing Warriors (SOWW) hosted an Open House for the public at the Bull Run Warrior Retreat property located in Haymarket, VA.  The event was attended by an estimated 150 people comprised of individuals representing local families, businesses, churches, and other organizations.  Guided tours of the retreat house were conducted as our tour guides answered questions about the purpose of the retreat house and provided detailed information for the renovations planned for the home for our Willing Warriors + Familes.  Graphics of the architectural drawings were displayed along with other posters that included a list of our current sponsors, sponsorship opportunities, and our fundraising goals.  

The grounds of the property were beautifully prepared with outdoor seating and tables of food to be enjoyed with live music.  However, Mother Nature had her own version of an 'open house' when the heavens opened up with a sudden downpour of rain that sent everyone scrambling for shelter.  But the 11,000 square foot house was perfectly designed for such and occasion when it was built in 1977.  The tables and food were quickly moved into the large garage area where members of SOWW shared their vision of a 'home away from home' for our Warriors + Families.

 

Virginia House Delegate, David Ramadan, representing the 87th District, joined us and shared his moving story of what it meant to him to be an American and the gratitude and respect he felt for the great men and women that serve this country in our military.

Delegate Ramadan + Serve Our Willing Warriors Team

 

Our deepest thanks to the many generous sponsors of Bull Run Warrior Retreat!

Everyone had a great time as they walked through the home and got to share the SOWW vision of a retreat for our Willing Warriors + Families.  We were encouraged to meet so many folks eager to help with the house renovation in so many different ways.   

The architectural drawings for the retreat house will be finalized by mid September, and we will begin seeking work proposals from contractors shortly afterward.  We will be posting again very soon to update you on all the progress that was made inside Bull Run Warrior Retreat.  We hope you will consider being a sponsor for this great service to our country’s wounded, injured, and ill service members + their families.

In the meantime, we hope you will join us at our upcoming  

Inaugural Golf Tournament 

 October 15, 2013 at Dominion Valley.  

There will be prizes, a silent auction and a great cause to support!  

We'd love to see you there!

Happy Labor Day!

Click on the link below to see the items up for auction!

www.bluetreemarketing.com/willingwarriors

  

(Our thanks to Dragon Ridge Photography for the photos of the Open House Event)