Bicycling Event Flyer

Registration is up for the Inaugural Cycling Charity Ride! If you are an avid biker or just a bike for fun with the family, there are all different types of races for you to enjoy on behalf of our wounded warriors!

We hope to see you there. Register here today!

Thank You letter from a Soldier

There are an abundance of times when this organization is able to see the impact that they are directly having on the wounded warriors in our area. It is known that these warriors often times come back from war and barely have enough to get by. Every little bit counts when it comes to what you can provide them with that they cannot provide for themselves. One soldier in particular decided to write us a thank you note in appreciation of all of the food that was provided at one of our annual cookouts at Walter Reed Hospital. We would like to share it with you!

It Reads: 

Dear Serve Our Willing Warriors, 

Thank you very much for coming to Walter Reed and providing us a delicious BBQ with excellent meat and all the fixings! It means a lot, your support and caring! I was lucky to win one of the raffles - what a treat - I was having a rough day and you brightened it with Jelly Beans and a gift card etc. 

Thank You! 

Sincerely, 

Jenny and Jeremy 

It is the little things that go a long way. We thank YOU Jenny and Jeremy for your sacrifice and your service! The next event to participate in is our Annual Golf Tournament and Bicycle Ride in October. Make sure to join us and thank a wounded warrior for their contribution to our great country.

Click here to register! 

SOWW volunteers for HGTV Home Makeover

As we are always blessed to have the privilege of taking on tasks on behalf of our nation's wounded warriors, it was indeed an incredible opportunity for Serve Our Willing Warriors to be able to do it on behalf of a wounded warriors already in the area. Serve Our Willing Warriors was invited to assist in the renovation of the home of a wounded warrior Mark Little in Fairfax, VA. In addition to it being in our local area, it was to our astonishment that this entire process was also to be filmed and shown on Home and Garden Television this summer! The full length episode aired this summer however there is already a clip that was shown on the Ellen show here that started it all. After the big reveal all of the details were captured by NBC Washington News!

The HGTV renovation team with one of the cousins undercover, Anthony Carrino (in the grey shirt to the right)

The show is called Cousins Undercover. If you have ever heard of this amazing show, their missions is to give back by seeking those who are in need of home renovations the most and donating all the services gratis. You can learn more about them here. For them, every neighborhood has a hero, and this time around, Mark Little was the one to be recognize. After loosing both of his legs in the line of duty, Little started his own non-profit to support wounded warriors and help them to get back on their feet after coming back from serving overseas. Serve Our Willing Warriors was proud to support this effort and to know that soldiers like himself feel empowered and able enough to not only take care of himself but go over and beyond for others. 

The episode to feature SOWW and the project we were apart of on HGTV aired  July 2nd at 8pm! Here is what our adventure looked like:

SOWW volunteer Jojo found another Jojo that was apart of the renovation team

the producer of Cousins Undercover, Jennifer Wolfe, on set talking to group about how the volunteer day is going to go

SOWW volunteers Jojo and Jennifer looking over the entire renovation production   

HGTV volunteers taking a break from the hot sun

SOWW volunteers Kelsy and Jojo with the executive producer of Cousins Undercover

the renovation under works!

all of the organizations preparing for the big reveal for wounded warrior Mark Little 

SOWW, Warrior 360, GMU cheerleaders, and GMU JROTC representing and cheering on the team!

We are so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you Mark Little for your service and sacrifice made on the behalf of our nation!

SOWW 2nd Annual Poker Run

Serve Our Willing Warriors would like to recap our 2nd Annual Serve Our Willing Warriors Poker Run and thank all of those who came out! This event has had such an overwhelming response in positivity and community involvement.

We had some faithful riders signed up for the bike ride and sure enough at 8:00 am we kicked it up a notch and strapped on our studded leather boots to get everyone ready to RIDE.

SOWW was lucky enough to have a table at a Harley Davidson bike rally out near Lake Anna on June 14th before the Poker Run. This event was anticipated to bring together a whopping 20,000 -30,000 bikers from all over the country! Reflecting back on the event, it was exactly just what we expected and exactly what we needed with the SOWW Annual Poker Ride around the corner.

Together everyone made connections with some very interesting characters all while promoting the wholesome image of SOWW and our core mission to give back to the men and women who have served in the armed forces by building retreat homes in Haymarket, VA.

I have to admit, it was tempting to infiltrate a group of bikers and ride with them on the back mountain roads even after the event however, I stuck to photographing shots with my camera on the back of a bike. Luckily for us, we already have our own group and our own patch and we represented accordingly!

Thank you to all of the sponsors and participants who supported the event and made this all possible. We are planning a Motorcycle Ride for the fall. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open to our events page for the confirmed date!

Timber! -- @ the Bull Run Warrior Retreat

Every month, we have an open house at the Bull Run Warrior Retreat and people often come up to the SOWW team and ask "how can I get involved?" As we give tours of the property, our members list the many ways that people can choose to get involved with our organization and help us with our mission.

SOWW has volunteer opportunities ranging from:

landscaping and gardening

interior designing

grass cutting

visiting chef recruiting

therapy horse riding

hospitality maintenance

motorcycle poker ride organizing

golf tournament assistance

and our most recent...

Tree Removal!

There are so many different ways that people can plug themselves into with this non-profit and the great thing for us is that they all have to do with giving back to our willing warriors. Between designing bedrooms, baking cookies for an open house and taking your chopper for a ride through the Bull Run Mountains; there is no stone left unturned when it comes to different ways you can get plugged into our community.

This past weekend, Ross Tree Service donated their services to us for free and removed three large dying trees from the Bull Run Warrior Retreat. If we would have had to pay for this service, it would have cost thousands of dollars.  Fortunately, this wonderful business approached us and provided this opportunity for SOWW to make the Bull Run Warrior Retreat even more welcoming and manicured.

As if the beautiful hill sides and mountain ranges were not already in clear enough view, the before and after became a night and day comparison. The retreat property now has an even more majestic view of the Bull Run Mountains than ever before. Please take a look at our photos and enjoy this transformational process. But first, click on the link below to enjoy our video of all the action!

Bull Run Warrior Retreat Tree Trimming!

SOWW Donor Recognition - Week 1

There have been several absolutely wonderful organizations that have helped bring Serve Our Willing Warriors out of the trenches and into the confines of the Bull Run Warrior Retreat, located in the scenic Bull Run Mountains. It is truly amazing to have so many community supporters willingly take on the responsibility of helping SOWW establish the Bull Run Warrior Retreat and serve our Nation’s heroes without asking for anything in return.

This post is the start of many that will focus on Serve Our Willing Warriors’ cherished supporters and their selfless efforts to support this noble cause.

For those of you who have visited the Retreat over the last few months and seen the progression, you have probably wondered, where is all of this new stuff coming from?  Well, let me introduce you to a couple of SOWW’s finest sponsors, who are helping make our dream a reality.

Greco Masonry

If you have been to the property for a cleanup day or an Open House, this beautiful entry way welcomed you into the Retreat.  With “Bull Run Warrior Retreat” and “Home Away From Home” etched in big bold letters, this creation by Greco Masonry welcomes visitors and captures the true essence of the Retreat.

The beautiful stone entry way that Greco Masonry donated to the Bull Run Warrior Retreat

Home Away From Home ... Bull Run Warrior Retreat

Greco Masonry is a full service masonry company that provides superior workmanship and impeccable service to all of their clients throughout Northern Virginia. Their reputation has been solidified within the construction industry and among some of the most discerning homeowners in the region for many years due to their commitment to excellence in all that they do.  This amazing team has been with us from the beginning.  They even completed this project an entire year before the projected date of the Retreat’s completion, so our visitors would know they had arrived and our volunteers would be reminded of our purpose while rolling down the gravel driveway for a long day of work. Greco Masonry also plans to donate the future stone patio sitting areas to be started this week! 

Intelligent Decisions

ID develops innovative IT solutions to solve the most challenging requirements of the Federal Government. Over the last 20 years, Intelligent Decisions has set out to serve their clients in the Federal marketplace with a commitment to providing IT solutions and support that exceeds expectations. ID’s diversified IT solutions utilize technology expertise and past successes while capitalizing on their employees’ innovative approach to solutions. And their approach in assisting the non-profit efforts of Serve Our Willing Warriors is no different.

Intelligent Decisions foursome at a wounded warrior golf tournament

 

The four pictures above are of ID volunteers at SOWW's christmas visit to Walter Reed Medical Center

Wounded Warriors that Intelligent Decisions proudly supported at a Golf Tournament 

In addition to being a generous donor for several fundraising events, this team of passionate and innovative people also sends out large numbers of volunteers to our wounded warrior events ranging from our recent SOWW 5k to our Christmas visits to the hospitals with the wounded vets. And they also do much, much more to better the community and the hearts and minds of our wounded, sick, ill + injured warriors.