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Wake for Warriors, an event for disabled veterans, coming to the lake this summer

Lake Sun Leader - 4/13/2021

Apr. 13—A great local event to honor our veterans will be making a splash this summer as MarineMax helps welcome Wake for Warriors to Lake of the Ozarks July 21 — 25.

Wake for Warriors is a non-profit organization founded by a former lieutenant colonel of the military who has a love for watersports. The mission is to connect with injured military veterans by sharing their passion for wake and water sports. The hope is to heal the emotional and psychological wounds of military veterans and their families.

According to a press release for the event, Wake for Warriors organizes over twenty nationwide events annually and provides them at no cost to the veterans. They provided the following statistics related to veteran disabilities:

—30% of veterans have disabilities as a result of their service.

—22% of veterans are diagnosed with a depressive order.

—Since 2002 more than 200,000 service members have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

—In the U.S., 22 veterans a day commit suicide. That's one veteran every 65-80 minutes.

—40.7% feel like a guest in their own homes.

—84% of veterans say that the American public has "little awareness" of the challenges facing them and their families.

Teresa Riley, lake area MarineMax marketing and events coordinator, says the event will take place over four days and will see veterans spend two full days on the water, learning to wakeboard, wake surf and more. From veterans with physical disabilities to mental disabilities, the idea is to learn these skills and heal through learning to overcome the challenge or to heal through simply unwinding on the lake. The event will cap off on Saturday with an open-to-the-public event at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, which will see participants compete in a wake surf competition. This will include locals and invited veterans.

The goal of this event is to raise $50,000 locally for Wake for Warriors. According to their release, patriotic raffle tickets will be available at $100 each with a chance to win one of three prizes — RED wins a $2500MarineMax gift certificate, WHITE wins a $1500MarineMax gift certificate, and BLUE wins a $1000MarineMax gift certificate. The drawing will be held on July 17, 2021, and only 350 tickets will be sold. Certificates are valid at MarineMax Lake Ozark.

Special edition Lake of the Ozarks Wake for Warriors t-shirts will be on sale for only $25.00 each, and with a $100 donation, you will receive a Wake for Warrior boat flag to show your support while on the water. Purchase a new or pre-owned boat from MarineMax Lake Ozark or MarineMax Osage Beach between now and July 17, and MarineMax will donate $100 to the organization for every boat sold.

"As a company we are honored to be able to share Lake of the Ozarks and our love for the water to help support American Veterans. Veterans make the ultimate sacrifice for each and everyone of us, and we think it would be great if we could show our appreciation and extend a big thank you from Lake of the Ozarks. We humbly ask everyone who is united by water to help us raise $50,000 for Wake for Warriors," Riley said.

For more information and to help raise $50,000 for Wake for Warriors, please visit the MarineMax website here https://bit.ly/3rWdWvM.

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(c)2021 Lake Sun Leader, Camdenton, Mo.

Visit Lake Sun Leader, Camdenton, Mo. at www.lakenewsonline.com

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