Fostering Connection and Healthy Lifestyles
With its focus on positively impacting the lives of veterans, service members, and their families, the National Football League (NFL) renewed its $5.5 million commitment. Through our NFL-Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) Salute to Service partnership, we invested in housing and homelessness, food assistance, and community building to reduce isolation and improve veterans’ quality of life.
Highlights of our accomplishments follow.
Move United’s USA Wheelchair Football League added two teams and expanded the League’s presence to 11 cities; those teams competed in tournaments that culminated with a championship game as part of the NFL’s fan experience week at the Super Bowl. At the championship game, the Los Angeles Rams Wheelchair Football team faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs; the Rams took home the trophy. The League, which is the first-of-its kind opportunity for adults with disabilities to play organized football, started with four teams in Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Kansas City, Missouri. Since 2019, Move United has received over $1.5 million through the NFL-BWF partnership. Most of that funding goes toward the USA Wheelchair Football League.
In September, we headed to Los Angeles for a community building project at the VFW in Compton to foster social connection among veterans. Led by our partner, The Mission Continues Los Angeles Platoon, volunteers completed a memorial garden, painted and recarpeted the interior, improved exterior green spaces, and assisted with painting a mural on the VFW Post 5394 Compton building. We joined the NFL-BWF grantees in Los Angeles, along with community members and Chargers, and Rams representatives, and fans.
When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, the storm destroyed Volunteers of America-Florida’s veteran housing residence. With an NFL-BWF grant, VOAFL repaired the building and provided emergency relief to veterans. Through the NFL’s rapid response and action, we expedited the recovery of over 700 veteran and military households.