2010 Courage Awards Highlights

On Thursday, May 13, 2010, Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP), in partnership with title sponsor, The Hartford, hosted its annual Courage Awards and Benefit Dinner™. Over 685 guests, including more than 100 warriors and caregivers, filled Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. WWP’s Courage Awards and Benefit Dinner brings together many brave wounded warriors and honors their sacrifice to our nation. The event celebrated caregivers, the individuals who sustain warriors on their path to recovery. With legendary sportscaster Bob Costas as emcee and a full roster of celebrity attendees, the event provided a unique opportunity to recognize these unsung heroes and raise support for WWP while recognizing other inspirational individuals, including Bill O’Reilly and Trace Adkins, for their support of our wounded warriors. WWP supporter Terri Krueger, who at her fundraiser in Albuquerque, New Mexico raised over $420,000 for WWP was also recognized.

More than 45 corporations partnered with WWP to sponsor the event including Macy’s, Jetblue Airways, Overstock.com, The Charles Evans Foundation, Ken & Tracy Collom, Amherst Securities Group LP, Fox News Channel, BAE Systems, Halmar International, and others. The event raised over $1 million through ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations. These funds will directly help support wounded warriors in their transition from the battlefield to bedside, and beyond.

The sixth annual WWP Courage Awards and Benefit Dinner is scheduled for March 31, 2011 at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York. “As a result of the event’s continued success, 2011 will mark a new larger venue for the benefit,” said WWP’s Manager of Events Brook Guy. Realizing not every wound of war is visible, this year’s event will focus on one of WWP’s key priorities, combat stress. To date, over 39,000 members of our nation’s armed forces have been physically wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Studies estimate that more than 300,000 will suffer the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). (RAND 2007)

The event will help provide much-needed support for mental health programs such as WWP’s Combat Stress Recovery Program (CSRP), which responds to the mental health needs of our warriors at various stages of the re-adjustment process. Donations raised will also fund WWP adaptive sports, benefits counseling, education and employment services, and many other programs.