To ensure that injured veterans know that they are far more than their disability, the DAV Charitable Service Trust funds opportunities like those offered through the Adaptive Adventures Military Operations (AAMO) program.
The AAMO program was founded in 1999 by two disabled individuals who saw a need for adventure and athletic opportunities outside of competitive adaptive sports for people with physical disabilities.
In 2019, Adaptive Adventures served veterans from 46 states and Puerto Rico, covering 130 congressional districts, and directly provided services in 35 states. The AAMO program offered cycling, climbing, kayaking, paddle boarding, dragon boat racing, skiing, water skiing and scuba through the mobile AAMO program.
Adaptive Adventures believes in freedom through mobility for its participants and in its program structure. Unlike site-based adaptive sports programs, Adaptive Adventures travels the country with 15 trailers filled with adaptive equipment to provide programs to underserved areas of the country.
The organization has partnerships with over 24 VA medical centers, military hospitals, Warrior Transition Units, Warrior Transition Battalions and other veteran service organizations. The group delivers programming services to many national veteran adaptive sports events, including the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic and TEE (Training, Exposure, Experience) Tournament co-presented by DAV and the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic.
The Trust seeks to partner with exceptional programs like AAMO because establishing such opportunities for veterans takes time and money. For veterans, maintaining physical health and preserving an active outdoor lifestyle becomes more difficult after suffering a disability. Overcoming new challenges and having the opportunity to reconnect with the champion within is a critically important step toward recovery.
The Trust is proud to support this program, helping veterans realize their full potential by reawakening their athletic spirit.
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