The Nation’s oldest Minor league ballpark is proud to host the most inspiring event in Vermont this summer. A grateful nation will never forget those that paid a heavy price for freedom. The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, made up of Veterans and Active-Duty Soldiers and Marines who have lost a limb(s) in post 9/11 combat, will visit historic Centennial Field June 29th during a national tour. This tour raises awareness of the sacrifices of these brave soldiers, while giving communities across our great country an opportunity to show their support of our true heroes.
Created by former Burlington, Vermont resident David Van Sleet, the goal of the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team is to show the general population, and other amputees, that through extensive rehabilitation and training, that these injuries do not need to stop them from participating in the activities they love.
‘Suffering a life-altering injury is traumatic and scary, there's no doubt about that. But it's our mission to show people that life-altering doesn't have to mean life-ending,’says Van Sleet. ‘It's still possible to follow passions after an injury. You just have to take a different approach. And that's what our guys are here to teach. To share this with my hometown of Burlington, VT makes it even more meaningful because life without a limb is limitless.’
Highlighting the two-day Burlington, Vermont event June 28th and 29th will be an exhibition game between the WWAST and a Vermont-based celebrity team featuring former Major League Pitchers Bill ‘Spaceman’Lee and Len Whitehouse, Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling, Silver Screen Actor and Vermont resident Luis Guzman, actor, producer, and writer Rusty ‘The Logger’Dewees, country music star Jamie Lee Thurston, and Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger. The Celebrity Team will be coached by former UVM Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Brennan.
‘To say this is an honor would be an understatement,’says celebrity team member Jamie Lee Thurston. ‘Real live heroes is what they are. And I'm very proud and humbled that I will be on the same field with such great men, honoring them and their brothers, whose selfless dedication is second to none.’
Game time on June 29th is 6:05 PM with gates opening at Centennial Field at 5:00 PM. All tickets are $5 and will be available at select Jolley locations and at the Vermont Lake Monsters ticket office or by calling (802) 655- 6611 and online at www.vermontlakemonsters.com. All ticket proceeds will benefit the mission of the WWAST, as well as the creation of an annual summer camp for children amputees. In addition, $5 from all purchases of Jamie Lee Thurston’s new CD ‘The Stayin’Kind’at Jolley locations will be donated back to the WWAST.
www.vermontlakemonsters.com or www.woundedwarrioramputeesoftballteam.org
Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team at Centennial Field June 29
Submitted by tim
on