SOWW Open House Feb 23 + March 30

You've probably never been to an Open House quite like the one hosted by Serve Our Willing Warriors on February 23rd at the Bull Run Warrior Retreat. Our guests must have been wondering just what sort of lodging house ours was going to be. 

Many of the walls were literally "opened up" - you could see right through several rooms of skeletal structure. Our tour guides were quick to explain that major demolition had just been completed in preparation for the "constructive" phase of renovation. 

The Open House and the guests in attendance may have been just  reward for all the hard demolition work that was offered up the week before, as it turned out to be one of the most beautiful days of this polar-vortex kind of winter.

However,

The Open House that happened here just yesterday March 30th was a strong demonstration of spring desperately trying to claw its way out of this fierce winter! No matter the condition, we were blessed with a great turn out from our community of supporters.

 Above are Jeff Glenn + John Dominick ready to take on the fierce winter snow

Scout Ivanovich + his cookie helper volunteering for the event

Scout Ivanovich putting in a helping hand with two SOWW board members

In all of the tours and great things going on during the event, one thing in particular caught our eye. One shy 14 year old girl demonstrated her love for our mission by donating all that she had in her pockets in hopes that we would meet our goal. Below is a picture of just that:

This truly touched our hearts, as she had such a strong will to give + love on others. 

When leaving the retreat home she said "I wish you luck in all of your endeavors and pray for success on your mission"

Wow, wow and wow again. This 14 year old girl simply said it all with her words of faith and wisdom. 

Our mission was to raise awareness and inspire others to contribute towards this retreat home. Thus, this was a perfect end, to a perfect Open House. 

Successful Campaign for Our Wounded Warriors!

We are so incredibly happy to announce that Serve Our Willing Warriors has officially received our check in the mail for the matching donation campaign carried out by In A Perfect World Non-Profit Organization. For quite some time, In A Perfect World has aspired to empower children to become compassionate, socially conscious and responsible leaders.

The Check from IAPW + Company. We are one step closer to making the retreat happen for wounded warriors + their families. 

Having looked already at the wounded leaders of our nation, they now looked to support their children by empowering them in the recovery process. After speaking with Manuela Testolini about the need to show these children appreciation for their sacrifice, she became a full supporter of Serve Our Willing Warriors mission to not only serve the soldiers but their families as well.

  

 Manuela Testolini, Founder of IAPW Empowering Children before setting eyes to empower the children of our wounded veterans 

Because IAPW aims to provide the opportunities to express themselves artistically about their needs + dreams, we look to bring in the best to design the children's rooms in the Bull Run Warrior Retreat to allow them the opportunity to be creative themselves.

 

May we never forget to pay tribute to the children of our wounded vets. Their sacrifices make this country whole and safe. 

Because of we reached our goal of 5k, they went over + beyond in matching our raised donation and doubled the efforts! 

Thank you to In A Perfect World for setting an example for our community + globe at large! You truly make the world a better place.

It's Almost Here -- SOWW's 2nd Annual 5K / 1 Mile Walk-Run!

 Time to lace up those shoes and get registered!

Just click on the flyer below!

We look forward to seeing you there!

GoFund Me for Warrior Retreat is launched

As of Friday February 28th Serve Our Willing Warriors has officially launched their GoFund Me page!

here: http://www.gofundme.com/6zalb0

This effort is aimed to draw the community together to support the dreams of the wounded warriors to have a little "slice of heaven" with their families at our Bull Run Warrior Retreat home. There are things that we take for granted that these soldiers simply cannot.

……Just imagine mom – in her haven cooking in the kitchen 

and dad – flexing his muscles at the barbecue grill –….just like “home.” 

These are the things our warriors crave for and can have again with your help.

They were willing to make incredible sacrifices… as well as their families. Many returned home with loss of limbs, while many others returned with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – injuries we cannot physically see. During the past seven years of spending time with our recovering warriors at Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir hospitals, it became quite apparent that having time away from the cold hospital rooms with family was absolutely priceless – true healing for the soldier’s soul.

What will your donation go toward? 

Your funds are needed to completely renovate this 11,000 sq ft retreat home for our wounded soldiers and their families. Going forward with building permits in hand, this house will be fully handicap accessible: 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 15X30 kitchen, plus, installation of an elevator, which will be accessible from each level. Most importantly, your donation will provide a “Home-Away-from-Home” for our nation’s heroes and their families in the scenic Bull Run Mountains. 

Serve Our Willing Warriors' , 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, vision is to create a peaceful retreat where recovering warriors can come and share a mini vacation to get away from the grind of daily rehabilitation at the Bull Run Warrior Retreat at no cost to them. Our current goal is to host our first family the July 4th 2014.