A "Willing Warriors" Christmas at Fort Belvoir

One of the loveliest halls you'll ever see 'decked' in holiday splendor is the beautiful new USO building at Fort Belvoir.  It is the perfect place for Warrior family gatherings and it feels extra warm and inviting during the holiday season.

We are always excited when we get to spend time with our Warriors at Fort Belvoir, but the visits are extra-special now that we get to host our events in this incredible facility.  With its massive fireplace, enormous kitchen and dining area, it truly is a haven for these families that are visiting their recovering Warriors.  We feel very privileged to be invited to utilize this amazing space. 

The cafe area filled up quickly as the Warrior Families came out for food, gift bags, gift cards and holiday camaraderie.

Smiling servers from Park Valley Church - our annual partners for 

this holiday event.

Many Warriors + their family members visited the SOWW table to learn more about our organization and to sign up for updates on the Bull Run Warrior Retreat. Many of them would really love to have the chance to enjoy a short stay at the retreat and take a break from the hospital / rehab environment.  

These are the faces of some of the families we hope to have as guests some day in the near future.

This USO posters really sums up our sentiments exactly!

After most of the crowd had eaten and received their gift bags and gift cards from SOWW, our president, Shirley Dominick, addressed the gathering.  Shirley shared SOWW's vision and then introduced our other partner organization for the event - iPods for Wounded Veterans.  We at SOWW really admire this incredible organization.  We have worked with them before and it has always been a great match-up, so we were delighted to have them at this special holiday event once again. 

After all the introductions had been made, Warriors were invited to sign up for their free iPods and raffle tickets to win additional prizes.

Long lines of warriors filled the hallways to register for all the gifts.

A Warrior reads one of the cards written by students from Fauquier County Public Schools which included a gift card from Park Valley Church.

SOWW's "First Daughter", Kelsy Dominick, spent the afternoon making new friends.

The iPods for Wounded Veterans organization is based in Massachusetts, so they were happy to find a couple of Red Sox fans among the Warriors.  But free banners were only the beginning -- lots of raffle numbers were called and many Warriors collected some select prizes (including iPad Minis). Watching these wonderful men and women light up when their number gets announced is always such a fun time.

One of our "Willing Warrior" Winners poses with SOWW President Shirley Dominick,  Paul Cardello (Founder and Chairman of iPods for Wounded Veterans)  +  SOWW VP John Dominick.

So here's to all our wounded, ill and injured Warriors + Their Families at Fort Belvoir -- we thank you, we admire you and we always, always enjoy your company!  We promise to work hard to make the Bull Run Warrior Retreat a reality so that we can help just a little more during your time of transition and recovery!

"God Bless Us, Every One!"

~ Tiny Tim ~  
(from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol")

Once again we must thank the individuals and organizations that came together to make the annual Fort Belvoir "Willing Warrior" Holiday Event so special.

Special thanks to Pamela Winn-Lovelace - the Warrior Transition Brigade Outreach Coordinator at Fort Belvoir.  She is the amazing lady behind the scenes that brings about so many special events and opportunities for the Warriors + Their Families.  (Plus she is a joy to work with each and every time!)

Thanks to our event coordinator, Sharon Chase, and Intelligent Designs for providing bags and blankets as gifts.

Our affectionate thanks to the members of Park Valley Church and Pastor Barry White for all the fundraising and involvement for these holiday events each and every year.

And a big 'shout-out' to iPods for Wounded Veterans!   We love you . . .    the Warriors love you . . . 

Let's do it again next year!