NEWS & STORIES
Project Healing Waters Receives Grant from The Bob Woodruff Foundation
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc (PHWFF) has received a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) to support their therapeutic fly tying program. This NFL-BWF Healthy Lifestyles and Creating Community grant will provide 1,300 disabled veterans across 130 program locations with tools and materials to participate in virtual fly-tying workshops alongside veterans in their community maintaining social connections while being physically distanced during COVID-19 conditions.
Continuing their efforts as an NFL Salute To Service partner, BWF has teamed up again with the NFL Foundation to invest in programs that promote healthy lifestyles and foster greater community engagement with the veteran population. In March, the NFL Foundation also made one of the first major efforts to deliver coronavirus relief funding to organizations supporting vulnerable populations across the country. This series of BWF grants include beneficiaries of those NFL COVID-19 funds. To date, BWF has provided over $4 million dollars in NFL-BWF grants to organizations nationwide.
“Always resilient through adversity, our veterans now face a new threat on the homefront — COVID-19 has rapidly created a ‘perfect storm’ of challenges for our veterans, from increased financial risk to exacerbated mental health concerns,” said Anne Marie Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “Our investment in best-in-class programs is more important than ever – our team and our partners pivoted immediately to help ensure that vital services can continue to support the short and long-term wellness of our veterans and their families.”
PHWFF provides support, socialization, and camaraderie to wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans. Activities such as fly-tying help participants improve their hand-eye coordination, adaptive muscle memory, and balance, all while improving cognitive focus and helping participants cope with stress-related issues brought on by wounds of war. PHWFF offers a community where individuals with similar experiences and disabilities can engage with one another, building lifelong relationships and learning a new sport that encourages healthy outdoor activities.
“We are proud to continue our relationship with the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s grantee network,” says President and CEO Todd Desgrosseilliers, “This grant will enable us to continue providing the educational, training, and core-program activities necessary to best serve our Nation’s wounded, ill, and injured active duty military and disabled veterans nationwide.”
The BWF grants invest in improving veteran and caregiver health and wellness, supporting veteran and military family transition into civilian communities, and addressing the acute and critical needs of veterans impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.
