Veterans Civic Engagement students outdid themselves this semester, setting an example for how civilians throughout the U.S. can thank “our heroes” for their service.
More than 60 students participated in a race organized by our partner organization, Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) [1] at 1:50 AM in Bethesda. Team RWB seeks to reintegrate veterans into society through physical exercise and social events.
Bob Fleshner, Team RWB Race Director, sent a special thanks to Stephanie Aromando, the TWC staff member who led the Veterans project this semester: “You and your students were an incredible part of the Anything is Possible Race [2]! The volunteers were simply off the charts. We literally couldn’t have done it without them. I had no idea you were bring so many students, more than 60!” Staff members Ann Reynolds and Nick Lawless assisted with the project.
Students also ran with veterans on the National Mall on Wednesday nights, volunteered at the Army Ten Miler [3], wrote over 300 Veterans Day cards to
patients at the DC VA Medical Center [4], and delivered postcards to Members of Congress asking them to support veteran-friendly legislation.
Kyle Begg, Law and Criminal Justice intern and student at Tiffin University [5], participated in 5 Wednesday night runs on the Mall. “For me, the best part of this project was the friendship I developed with a veteran my age who was deployed in Afghanistan.”
Landon Woods, Political Leadership intern and student at Texas Christian University [6], was one of only two veterans in the civic engagement project: “I was surprised—and proud-- to see how many TWC students were interested in veterans and really wanted to help them.” Landon, who did a 7-month tour of duty in Ramadi, Iraq, will now return home to Texas and head Team RWB’s chapter in Dallas-Fort Worth.
