I have been meaning to write this column for several weeks and after spending a day helping at Operation Surf in Santa Cruz, now is the time. I also wanted to write about a special boat docked in Monterey called the Freedom, as its purpose is to help veterans of Vietnam, The Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan.
This column may be a bit longer than the normal 600 words I try to shoot for every two weeks, but it has some moving videos as well as important information about our vets and programs that help them.
Terry Bare, Director of Media Relations for Monterey Bay Veterans, Inc sent this to me several weeks ago and now is the time for it to surface. Also please hit the website www.mbv.org to view their program and what they do.
PRESS RELEASE – March 8, 2013
NEWS FROM THE SPORTS REHAB CENTER
MONTEREY BAY VETERANS, INC.
World’s First Disabled-Assisted Dive Boat Under Construction–Here in Monterey!
The Sports Rehab Center of Monterey Bay Veterans, Inc., a non-profit organization in Monterey County that focuses its efforts on supporting disabled veterans in the pursuit of sports and life, is proud to announce the ongoing development of a open-water dive boat uniquely configured with a hydraulic diver lift to be fitted on the Center’s vessel, Freedom–quite possibly the first-such equipped boat of its kind in the world! This initiative provides much improved safety and ease of water ingress/egress for physically-challenged divers. This is an exciting new development in the organization’s ability to support our warriors from Monterey County, as well as those statewide and around the nation.
This new capability, engineered by Chris Delucchi with fabrication supervised by Perry Settlemoir of Sierra Design & Manufacturing, gives the Center a truly unique capacity to lower and raise disabled divers (up to, and including, wheelchair-level) and their dive assistants into the water for a host of marine-related activities and training. Program goals are to assist as many disabled as possible to enjoy the benefits of open-water diving and swimming opportunities; and, in conjunction with professional SCUBA instructor Frank Degnan, provide training, certification and a network of dive buddies to the maximum number of trained and qualified disabled divers.
The Sports Rehab Center is excited to soon unveil this new capability for the benefit of our disabled veterans and divers. We fully expect the world to take notice! The device will be fitted to the Freedom and scheduled for a maiden voyage in May.
The Center provides transportation assistance for the disabled at major area events, including all Laguna Seca races, the Monterey Jazz Festival, California International Air Show, California Rodeo, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tournament, First Tee Open, & Concours d’ Elegance.
Also coming up for Monterey Bay Veterans, Inc, is the 26th Annual Wheelchair Salmon Derby on Saturday, April 27, 2013. All physically-challenged members of the community are invited to participate. A banquet will follow the fishing day, with prizes awarded to the top anglers.
Monterey Bay Veterans, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, that has provided disabled veterans an opportunity to participate in a recreational sports rehabilitation program for over 26 years, on a year-around basis. If you would like to learn more about the organization or provide support/donations, please see our website at www.mbv.org for more details and videos of our latest initiatives to assist physically-restricted divers and veterans; or, contact us at:
John Whitacre, Executive Director; or William Terry Bare, Director, Media Relations
Monterey Bay Veterans, Inc. Sports Rehab Center
Phone: 831-901-0217 or 831-402-7019
Fax: 831-449-0368
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website: www.mbv.org
Operation Surf, www.operationsurf.com, is an incredible program that is based in San Luis Obispo area, but holds one of their surf events in Santa Cruz. You want to watch the video as it tells of one young Iraq/Afghanistan vet whose plan was to kill himself after he attended the Santa Cruz event last year. The ocean experience changed his life.
Last Saturdays (April 20, 2013) article in the Herald’s Religion section told about Franciscan brother and priest Christian Mondar. In the article he said, “Water is a powerful symbol of life. We know life originated in the water millions of years ago. We can not live without water….” In my book, this is right on. The healing waters of the oceans work in mysterious ways.
