Thank you for visiting my Manchester City Marathon fundraising page! On Sunday, November 12, 2017, I will be honoring the brave service men and women who defend our freedom by running the Manchester City Half Marathon.
It makes me very sad and angry that our government and the media treat our service men and women as numbers and not as people. Every service man or woman makes considerable sacrifices to defend our country. While much of the focus is given to injury and death, not nearly enough focus is given to the mental and social impact of these endless wars and deployments. I believe that after coming home, every service person should have free access to the best medical care, mental health treatment, employment assistance, and social support our country can provide. Considering what they and their families have sacrificed, that is the least we can do. Many of our military members experience considerable mental and social issues that affect them and their families for the rest of their lives - PTSD, high suicide rates, anxiety and depression, homelessness, difficulty finding or sustaining permanent employment, among many others. These not only affect our service men and women, but their families and loved ones as well. Finally, there are the ultimate sacrifices of permanent bodily injury and death - debts that can never be repaid. Yet, knowing all of these consequences, our service personnel volunteer for this job because they believe so strongly in protecting the citizens of this country. I have the utmost respect for all of them, and me and my kids greatly appreciate the sacrifices the men, women, and families have made and continue to make.
All proceeds of this race will benefit Veterans Count, a program of Easterseals, which provides emergency financial assistance for veterans, service members and their families when no other resource is available. Veterans Count has served more than 9,500 individuals with suicide prevention, homelessness, substance abuse treatment, employment, transportation, and mental health issues resulting from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury. Veterans Count supports families through a care coordination model and provides emergency financial assistance for food, home maintenance, housing, rent, fuel assistance, utilities, vehicle repair, gasoline, medical bills, and child care.
I hope you can make a donation to help me reach my fundraising goal. Contributions will go directly to helping veterans, service members, and their families. All contributions are tax deductible.
If you want to learn more about the Veterans Count visit www.vetscount.org.
If you want to learn more about the run click here.
Thank you so much for your support!!!
Joseph