{"id":7935,"date":"2025-02-11T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7935"},"modified":"2025-02-11T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T15:30:00","slug":"patriots-wheelchair-team-helps-veterans-get-in-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7935","title":{"rendered":"Patriots wheelchair team helps Veterans get in the game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-02-11T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

VA Boston\u2019s recreation therapy department, in collaboration with Adaptive Sports New England and the New England Patriots Wheelchair Football Team, hosted an introductory Veterans Wheelchair Football Clinic at the Brockton VA<\/a> campus.<\/p>\n

During the clinic, 17 Veterans received hands-on instruction from Vernon Crawford, former New England Patriots linebacker. Assisting were members of the Patriots Wheelchair Football Team Omar Benitez, Jon Brace and Joe LeMar.<\/p>\n

Participants learned essential wheelchair football skills, including controlling a sports wheelchair, throwing a spiral, running routes and defensive techniques.<\/p>\n

Pictured above, Patriots Wheelchair Football Team member No. 35 Omar Benitez attempts to intercept a football passed from Mark Zacheis, Army Veteran, while No. 4 team captain Joe LeMar, and Joseph Kozaczka, Navy Veteran, assist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely grateful for the opportunity to both serve our local Veterans as well as spread the sport of wheelchair football throughout the area,\u201d said Sam Bernstein, coach for the Patriots Wheelchair Football Team and program manager for Adaptive Sports New England. \u201cWe are very lucky to have such great friends at Brockton VA who are willing to help us host a clinic like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helps Veterans improve their emotional and social well-being<\/h2>\n

The clinic is part of VA Boston\u2019s ongoing commitment to provide adaptive sports opportunities for Veterans. The recreation therapy department collaborates with local and national organizations to offer a variety of adaptive sports, including winter and summer clinics.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy working with dedicated partners like New England Healing Sports Association, Adaptive Sports New England and the Patriots Wheelchair Football Team, VA Boston helps Veterans improve their physical, emotional and social well-being through adaptive sports and therapeutic recreation,\u201d said Matthew Edwards, chief of VA Boston\u2019s Center for Development and Community Engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdaptive sports are empowering,\u201d said Jenny Vulpis, adaptive sports coordinator for Boston VA. \u201cThey help Veterans build courage, push past obstacles and exceed their goals.\u201d She added that the programs provide Veterans with a controlled, supportive environment where they can safely test their limits, develop new skills and experience the transformative effect of teamwork.<\/p>\n

Get more information about VA Adaptive Sports and Arts and upcoming adaptive sports events<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VA Boston\u2019s recreation therapy department and the New England Patriots Wheelchair Football Team hosted a Veterans Wheelchair Football Clinic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care","category-prosthetics-rehabilitation"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriots wheelchair team helps Veterans get in the game - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"VA Boston\u2019s recreation therapy department and the New England Patriots Wheelchair Football Team hosted a Veterans Wheelchair Football Clinic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7935\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patriots wheelchair team helps Veterans get in the game - 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