Riv Man Charities and Villa Lyan Academy, two non-profit organizations have collaborated to provide an athletic training program called Battle Buddies to benefit children with special needs along with veterans. The groups of participants will be working together toward a common goal of building better mental health and fitness through exercise. The local veteran volunteers are delegated as mentors and guides of small groups of special needs kids from Villa Lyan, separating them into different teams. On Saturday, May 20th, teams of 2 will take on the obstacle course in Pinecrest Gardens, racing against the clock to win the top 3 spots. Veterans will guide, aid and mentor the Special Need Child through the course to success. This event will have food, refreshments, live music and great interaction with the U.S. Veteran, Special Needs and local community.
“We want to focus on two important communities that can mutually benefit from each other;Veteran’sand Special Needs Kids. Veterans are used to living a structure and disciplined life where leadership and physical training are fundamental. However, after they leave the Military, most of them lose this structure and have a difficult time transitioning to civilian life. Many neglect themselves from the public which can lead to a number of problems,and with our current unreliable Veteran Affairs,these problems can worsen. So,we want to bring out these Vets and pair them with these wonderful Special Needs Kids that are, at times, neglected by the community.
It give sasense of purpose to our Vetsand it gives these kids not only a challenge to themselves but the ability to show them that even though they are special, they are still loved by the community.” Said Carlos Rivero, Chairman of Riv Man Charities and USMC Veteran.
A“Battle Buddy” is a term utilized in the U.S. Military which means an assigned partner in which each would support each other in any situation they become involved in. Our organization encourage all the families in the community to join this event and support the charitable efforts. Anyone can participate on the obstacle course with their own “Battle Buddy” by purchasing a $20 Ticket per participant, which includes an event t-shirt and a water bottle. The course itself features 10 obstacles, with the final being a climb to “Mt. Olympus” (our artificial hill) where the awarding ceremony will take place. All participants will get a participation medal.
• Saturday, May 20th from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM at Pinecrest Gardens
• Spectator Tickets start at $5 and Participant Tickets at $20 through battlebuddies.eventbrite.com
• More information on www.RivManCharities.org/projects
• Social Media (All Platforms):@RivManCharities and @VillaLyanSpecialNeedsSchool
