SWEAT for a VET 2010 Delivers Equipment for Wounded Warriors

Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 31, 2011

Project VisAbility announced today that equipment purchased from donations to its SWEAT for a VET 2010 fundraising event have been delivered to Walter Reed Army Hospital and Bethesda?s National Naval Medical Center and are already in use by wounded warriors at those facilities.

Three types of adaptive equipment were purchased through SWEAT for a VET - Concept2 adaptive rowers, Johnny G Krankcycles? by Matrix and Invacare Top End Handcycles. The Concept2 rowing machines are now installed at the Fort Belvoir, Fort Meade and Fort Lewis locations, and are available for veterans rehabilitating at those facilities.Krankcycles are being delivered to Fort Belvoir, Fort Meade and the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC. The Invacare Top End Handcycles were delivered to the Walter Reed facility and are being used on campus as well as available for warriors to compete in marathons.

?We are delighted to have received the donation of this equipment that will be so beneficial to our wounded warriors at all of the sites served by our program including Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Bethesda National Naval Medical Center, Fort Meade, and Fort Belvoir,? said Heather Campbell CTRS, US Paralympic Military Program, ?providing these heroes with important resources to help them continue their rehabilitation and become active again is a great way to improve their overall wellbeing.?

SWEAT for a VET, the first-of-its-kind inclusive fitness fundraising event, and benefiting wounded warriors, was held on Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the Tysons Sport & Health Club in McLean, VA. Challenged athletes and disabled Veterans participated and led the indoor cycling, Kranking? and rowing ?ride? alongside able-bodied individuals with special guest Johnny G, creator of Spinning? and the new Krankcycle by Matrix. In addition to the main event site, all 23 other Sport & Health Clubs in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC area, participated with local SWEAT-a-thons through live video link. Other clubs, including Wilson?s in the District in Columbia Missouri and Janine?s Gym in Quito Ecuador also held SWEAT-a-thons. Live video streaming of the event was available to everyone, and almost 1000 people logged on to view the site before, during and after the 3-hour event, hosted by nonprofit Project VisAbility with Sport&Health.

?This first SWEAT for a VET event exceeded our expectations?, said Debbie Miller, president of Project VisAbility and host for the event, ?I see these disabled veterans and challenged athletes working out alongside everyone and leading the program, see how everyone responds to them, and it makes it all worthwhile. More than just providing equipment, we?re promoting inclusive fitness and helping to change attitudes.

On November 12, 2011, Project VisAbility and Sport & Health Clubs are planning for an even larger and more successful 2nd annual SWEAT for a VET event, with significantly more SWEAT-a-thon club locations participating and an even larger number of people watching around the world. The goal is to double what was raised in 2010 and donate funds to VA hospitals and other facilities serving disabled veterans in US locations where these local events are held. Register to participate, sponsor or make a donation at http://www.sweatforavet.kintera.org.

About SWEAT for a VET

SWEAT for a VET is a 3-hour ?all cardio? (indoor cycling, rowing, Kranking and whatever!) inclusive fitness fundraising event benefiting wounded warriors within the US and individuals with physical challenges outside the US. The event is hosted by Project VisAbility with Sport & Health Clubs and is held annually on the Saturday of Veteran?s Day weekend. This year the event will take place on Saturday November 12, 2011. The main event site is located at Tysons Sport & Health in McLean, VA with SWEAT-a-thon locations linked through live video streaming across the nation and around the world. Register to participate, donate or sponsor for this year?s event at: http://www.sweatforavet.kintera.org. Donations can be made at any time at http://www.sweatforavet.org.

About Project VisAbility

Project VisAbility promotes and advocates inclusive fitness at the highest, most visible level, through fundraising events and programs that benefit disabled veterans, athletes and others with physical challenges. We help create job opportunities, provide equipment and resources, and expand awareness in the areas of health and fitness by hosting inclusive fundraising events that provide adaptive equipment for wounded warriors in the US and training camps for challenged athletes worldwide,partnering to provide resources for training and developmentfor individuals with physical challenges who want to become group exercise instructors, encouraging clubs to embrace inclusive fitness by offering classes and hiring capable physically challenged instructors to lead them, and promoting inclusive fitness through outreach and media coverage of our programs, events and opportunities. By enabling everyone to exercise together, we inspire joy and celebrate achievement.For more information or to make a donation, please visit http://www.ProjectVisAbility.org.

About Sport & Health Clubs

Since 1973, Sport & Health Clubs has grown to be Washington?s largest family of full-service health clubs and day spas with 25 locations in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. Locally owned and operated, Sport & Health Clubs are built around integrating fun and fitness into the busy lifestyles that define our nation's capital and its ever-expanding communities. The Company serves the health and fitness needs of more than 127,000 Washingtonians, with over 2,000 employees, and is one of the top health club companies in the U.S. (based on annual revenues). The clubs feature state-of-the-art fitness equipment, individual and group personal training, group exercise classes for all levels including Pilates, yoga, step, high and low impact, Mixed Martial Arts and more. Many clubs feature tennis, racquetball, squash, basketball, swimming and a KidzKlub, which features a nursery, climbing mazes, dance classes, camps and a variety of junior programs for all ages. Several clubs feature Serenity Day Spa that provides therapeutic massage, body treatments, nail and skin care and hair styling and design. For more information, visit http://www.sportandhealth.com.

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When It Comes to Boating Safety Equipment Your Life Jacket (PFD) Is Just the Start - Additional Equipment Can Help Save Your Life

(PRWEB) July 1, 2005

When in comes to boating safety equipment your life jacket (PFD) is just the start Additional equipment can help save your life.

By Wayne Spivak

National Press Corps

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Federal, State and Local laws require that every vessel should have a Personnel Flotation Device (PFD) or life jacket for each person on board a vessel. These laws go on to say that these PFD?s must be readily accessible, in case they are needed in an emergency.

The concept of ?readily accessible? confuses many boaters. We in the Coast Guard Auxiliary know this to be true, because we find life jackets in the strangest of places when we conduct a Vessel Safety Check (VSC). Readily accessible means that you can instantly locate, remove, distribute and don your PFD?s in the fastest time possible.

I think everyone would agree that if you run out of gas, your powerboat?s engine won?t run. And, if you have no source of electrical power, your boat?s electronics won?t work.

So if we continue on with these comparisons, if you are not wearing a life jacket already, and you can?t get to your PFD?s quickly, and put them on before your vessel sinks, then when your vessel does sink, and/or you fall overboard and you end up in the water, you?re not going to have a PFD on.

Obviously the Coast Guard Auxiliary, as well as the Coast Guard and most of the major recreational boating safety organizations, would prefer everyone to wear the PFD at all times while you are underway, thus eliminating the need fro this entire discussion. But, since less than one out of four adult boaters actually wear their PFDs while underway, the law requires that your life jacket be readily accessible, in order to comply with the regulations.

What is considered readily accessible? That concept is often best explained by looking at examples of what is considered not readily accessible. A PFD is not considered readily accessible when stored in the bottom of a locker, or kept in its original plastic bag, or left down in the bilge, where it can become partially destroyed by lack of proper care.

Remember, without a PFD, your chances of survival decrease dramatically. Drowning remains the number one cause of death in boating fatalities, and approximately 90 percent of those who drown did not have a PFD on.

Like having your seat belt on before a collision, having your PFD on before you are thrown into the water can mean the difference between life and death.

Additional Safety Equipment

A PFD by itself is just the beginning. Members of the Coast Guard and Auxiliary are required to carry additional safety equipment on their PFD?s. This equipment, although not legally required, has and does save lives every day. Let?s take a look at some of this additional equipment, and how it works.

The first item we?ll discuss is a signal mirror, which can be seen over 10 miles away. Recently, three boaters were rescued when they used a signal mirror to attract a NYPD Helicopter. What is clear is that without the mirror, our ?hapless sailors? as the Daily News called them, would have spent a great deal more time waiting for help, and one of the three might have died from exposure.

So, the first item we recommend you attaching to your PFD is a signal mirror. Either purchase a PFD with a pocket, or sew a pocket on, and place the mirror in your pocket. Make sure you tie the lanyard that attaches to mirror to another part of your PFD. This way, if you take out your mirror to use, and drop it, you won?t loose it!

The second item of additional equipment that we suggest you have on your PFD is a whistle. Marine whistles have no peas (the ball you?ll find for instance in a police whistle), which allows them to work, even when slightly submerged. Why a whistle? Because they typically have a range of a half mile or greater, and your voice will never be heard over the waves and the wind should you go overboard. Again, use a lanyard for the whistle so if you drop it while in the water you won?t loose it. The Coast Guard requires its members to carry a whistle attached to their PFD?s with a lanyard.

The third item we suggest is a strobe light. The Coast Guard requires its members to carry a strobe that you can urn on, when and if you go overboard during the night. A strobe can be seen for miles in the dark.

The fourth item is reflective tape. That?s the same type of tape that is worn on firefighter jump suits, police rain coats, buoys and other items that need to reflect light at night. Affix the reflective tape to your PFD on the top of the back and in front. This way, should a light be shown in your direction, a reflection will be seen. My Coast Guard/Auxiliary PFD has reflective tape.

The fifth item is personal flares. These small flares, which are carried in the pocket of your PFD, are used when you find yourself in need to attract attention, while in the water. Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel are required to carry flares if we are going into non-protected waters (i.e., the ocean).

The last item we in the Coast Guard are required to carry, and suggest that you have access to as well, is a safety knife. This knife, which has a straight 6 ? 8? blade with a blunt tip and serrated edge for cutting and ripping is also attached to our PFD.

All these items add to our safety, and they can add to your safety. The overall cost is small; especially when you consider that they can save your life.

If I had to limit myself to the two most important items to attach to every PFD on board, I would choose the 2 items which are easiest to learn to use, and lightweight ? the signal mirror and signal whistle. Your children can use them, your grandparents can use them, they take very little energy, and as our ?hapless sailors? found out, they work.

This year, why not invest a few dollars on safety, by making sure all your PFD?s are in good condition and purchasing some extra equipment that I and the Coast Guard family hope you never have to use.

For more information about boating education and safety, the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary, see us on the web at http://www.cgaux.org or call us toll free at 1-877-875-6296.

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