From July 24-31st I was delighted to attend the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in New Orleans, Louisiana for the very first time. We had a fantastic week, and it was wonderful to see our members (and other veterans from across the nation) compete in games like football, cornhole, archery, bowling, billiards, air rifle, slalom, table tennis, swimming, boccia, table tennis, pickleball, disc golf, field discuss and javelin, among many others. The opening ceremonies were particularly impressive, as we marched into the convention center with the Massachusetts delegation and were met with thunderous cheers and applause from the many people in attendance. The opening ceremonies were hosted by ESPN star Hannah Storm, and we were honored to be addressed in person by the Governor of Louisiana Jeff Landry and US Senator Bill Cassidy. Throughout the rest of the week, we walked or rolled down from our hotel to the convention center (or other off-site locations) to see our members compete. There were too many medals awarded to our members to mention them all by name here but suffice to say everyone was impressed but the grit, determination, and competitiveness of our Chapter members throughout the entirety of the Games.
Supporting an important event such as the National Veterans Wheelchair Games takes a lot of time, effort, funding, and logistical support. We are grateful to all the Chapter volunteers and VA staff members who dedicated their time and talent in supporting the athletes. I want to thank Chapter volunteers Holly Warshaw and Denise Pease in particular for driving the truck (full of important equipment and supplies) roundtrip from Boston to New Orleans. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to them for taking on that crucial responsibility, and we are even more grateful that they made it down and back safely!
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