 |
 |
Attached are some photos of the runners with their police escort from Neyland.
Jayetta Rogers
I wanted to send a final reminder to drum up lots of support and people!! The Shepherd’s Men will be arriving in Knoxville at the East TN Veterans Memorial at 1:00 pm tomorrow, March 30 as they stop and take a break from their trip from Boston to Atlanta. They will be meeting the Knoxville Police Department at Neyland Stadium at 12:30 and then running to the memorial from there with a police escort. I would suggest parking at the World’s Fair Park North Parking Lot, here is the link for directions to that parking lot http://parkdowntownknoxville.com/component/mtree/surface-lots/worlds-fair-north-lot?Itemid
Anyone that would like to join them in the final run are more than welcome to. Just meet up at Neyland Stadium… you will have to find your own way back though. There is always UBER. J Please share this on Facebook and via your email.
Here is a link to their running schedule from Boston to Atlanta. http://www.shepherdsmen.com/index.php/schedule Here is a link to their website to learn more about what this awesome group is running for: http://www.shepherdsmen.com
Here was the email that the organizer sent me about three weeks ago… provides a little more in about their mission:
“My name is Sergeant Leo Briseno and I'm with a group called the Shepherd's Men. www.shepherdsmen.com We are a group of 15 active duty Marines, Navy, medically retired Army and civilian personnel stationed in Smyrna, GA who will be running from Boston, MA to Atlanta, GA. Each day every member of the team will run 22 km wearing a 22 lb ballistic vest for 9 days. This is the third year we have put together this event in order to raise funds and much needed awareness to the issue of TBI and PTSD. We represent the Shepherd Center hospital in downtown Atlanta and their SHARE (Shaping Hope and Recovering Excellence) program which is a one of kind, lifesaving program that caters to veterans of all branches suffering from these unseen injuries. The program is funded through private donations only and needs a yearly fundraising budget of 1.15 million dollars to operate. The service members undergoing the program pay no money for the services they receive.
Since the program has started, 300 service members have graduated and returned back to their families, none have committed suicide. This year, we will be stopping overnight in Knoxville, TN on March 30th.”
I am asking you to please try to come down and cheer them on as they come into world’s fair park with a police escort. The Red Cross will be there with water and donuts as well. If you are interested in being part of the flag line being presented for the group, please arrive no later than 12:30 and ask for Karen Strickland.
Any help and support you an provide to this group is greatly appreciated!!! Let’s all show our support for helping decrease the 22 suicides a day!
Patrice Collins
Board Member and Admin Support for ETMAC-East Tennessee Military Affairs Council
Economic Development Assistant
Knoxville Chamber | 17 Market Square, Suite 201 | Knoxville, TN 37902
865-246-2646 [log in to unmask]
