LEESVILLE, La--The Military Affairs Committee of the Vernon Parish Chamber of Commerce will be holding the 2nd Annual Pushups for Charity event on Saturday, May 30 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the Wampus Cat Practice Field at Leesville High School.
Participants will be allotted 90 seconds to complete as many pushups as possible to help raise money for the Boot Campaign, a non-profit that benefits veterans and helps them with housing, jobs, education, wellness, urgent assistance and family support. This year, the national Push Up for Charity event hopes to raise $1 million to benefit 500 military families across the country.
Last year local participants helped to raise $22,000, with $7,000 donated from area businesses and $15,000 from national corporate sponsors. The numbers nationally were impressive for 2014: Pushups for Charity helped to raise $500,000 nationally in urgent financial assistance, $750,000 for housing assistance and $564,000 toward wellness and family initiatives that help soldiers transition back into civilian life.
Ed Williams, Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee for the Greater Vernon Parish Chamber of Commerce, said they are still soliciting sponsors for the event. He hopes to have at least twelve teams, made up of ten people each, be sponsored by a local business. Sponsorship is $125 per team, and participants will get a t-shirt for their hard work.
"The Push Ups for Charity Campaign is one of the best non-profits to give back to our soldiers and their families," he said. "It's a great organization that directly benefits the soldiers. Last year we had about 250 folks doing pushups and we want to grow that exponentially each year as folks get familiar with the boot campaign.
"With the war drawing down, we don't want to forget these soldiers and their families when they need us the most," Williams said.
Williams said the Boot Campaign has given away nearly 30 homes to soldiers to date, and two of those soldiers were stationed at Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center.
Anyone who wishes to participate or donate to the cause can call the Greater Vernon Parish Chamber of Commerce (337) 238-0349 or visit the event website.
This photo is from last year's event at Leesville High School Wampus Cat Practice Field on July 26, 2014.
--end--
|