World T.E.A.M. Sports 2013 Annual Review | Page 16

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Parts of a Greater Whole

2013

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World T.E.A.M. Sports Annual Review

World T.E.A.M. Sports Annual Review

2013

Parts of a Greater Whole

Thanks to Our Sponsors
Sponsorship support allowed veterans with disabilities to
participate in Face of America at no cost, including room and
board, and airfare if they came from outside the Washington,
D.C. region. It also helped create a safe and enjoyable riding

FACE OF

experience for the more than 500 participants who rode.

AMERICA
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»» Capital One Bank

»» American Portfolios

»» Booz Allen Hamilton

[ Bicycle, Hand Cycle and Recumbent Cycle Ride ]

»» Fidelity & Guaranty Life

Start Line: Arlington, VA
Finish Line: Gettysburg, PA

»» General Electric

»» Penske Truck Rental

Each April, a growing group of bicyclists and hand cyclists gather at the Pentagon in
Arlington, Virginia for a two-day, 110-mile ride through the hills of Maryland to the historic

»» Revolution Cycles

battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In 2013, more than 500 riders from 39 states and
Canada, including 100 injured veterans, participated.

»» SUBWAY® of the Walter Reed
National Military Center

The first Face of America from World T.E.A.M. Sports journeyed across the continent,
with teams meeting midway below the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. For two years, the ride
remembered and honored the victims of the September 2001 attacks through a three-day
journey from Ground Zero in New York to the Pentagon. This last decade, the Face of
America has honored those who served in military service or as an emergency services
first responder. For many of these individuals, their service to their country resulted in
exceptional sacrifices in health, wellbeing, and mobility.

By riding together with active duty military and civilians of all ages, injured veterans
and first responders from the United States and Canada learn that their sacrifices and
efforts are deeply appreciated. Through heartfelt conversations, able-bodied participants
learn their stories and more fully understand the challenges the injured face in civilian
life. A helping hand along a scenic byway, a shared table at a meal, or a simple greeting
and recognition means much to those who live with injuries.

PARTICIPATORY

EVENTS
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Each year, World T.E.A.M. Sports offers sponsorship support and assistance

Also important to the recovery of an injured veteran or first responder is regaining a sense

for athletes with disabilities to participate in sports events. They ranging from

of community that often is lost following an injury or illness, and subsequent return to

triathlons and marathons to bicycling, basketball, and sled hockey.

civilian life.
In 2013, sponsorship support for Boston’s annual Celtics Experience allowed 24
Well-supported by generous sponsorship from Capital One Bank, American Portfolios

special needs children and teens play a halftime basketball game before an NBA

Financial Services, Booz Allen Hamilton, Fidelity Guaranty Life, and other leading

audience at TD Garden. Massachusetts’ Ultimate Sports Program directs the

companies, World T.E.A.M. Sports also launched two one-day, metric century rides from

Experience, hosted with the support of the Boston Celtics basketball club. World

Gettysburg in 2013, offering riders new opportunities to see the Pennsylvania country-

T.E.A.M. Sports provides admission for 50 participating children to the Garden, as

side and meet friends. At the ride’s end in Gettysburg, new and old friends celebrated their

well as jerseys for the players and accompanying dance team.

remarkable accomplishment, and looked forward to returning the following year.
At the annual Warrior 100K Ride in Texas each spring, former President George W.
Bush hosts 20 military members who have sustained serious injuries in post 9/11
Photo top: World T.E.A.M. Sports has provided assistance to the George W. Bush Institute for
their annual Warrior 100K Ride in Texas. In 2012, President George W. Bush joined the World
T.E.A.M. Sports team for a photograph. Photograph courtesy of George W. Bush Institute.
Photo bottom: Honoring our injured veterans who sacrificed much in their defense of the
country, the Face of America ride includes veterans from all service branches from the United
States and Canada. Van Brinson photograph.

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Face of America

conflict. Since the inaugural mountain biking ride in 2011, World T.E.A.M. Sports
has provided assistance and athletes. In 2013, World T.E.A.M. Sports offered support in alerting prospective athletes and encouraging applications to the George
W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative. In recognition of the strong support,
the Institute has placed on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum in
Dallas a World T.E.A.M. Sports jersey, presented to the President at the 2012
Warrior 100K.

Face of America

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