Invitation to Support the 9th Annual Valley Veterans Ride for Heroes

 

The 9th annual Valley Veterans Ride for Heroes will take place on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at the Rockbridge Vineyard & Brewery in Raphine, Virginia.  This charity bicycle event is not just a ride featuring breathtaking scenery; it’s a journey towards healing and support for our brave combat Veterans. Over the past eight years, this event has successfully raised over $250,000, enabling many of our heroes to attend the transformative Posttraumatic Growth programs at Boulder Crest Foundation (BCF) in Bluemont, Virginia. With your help last year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) donated $35,000 to Boulder Crest Foundation. Your support has made a life-changing and life-saving difference in the lives of the Veterans that participate in this program.

 

As we gear up to make the 2025 ride a success, I write to you on behalf of the 12 VFW Posts in the central Shenandoah Valley, to invite your support of the 9th annual Valley Veterans Ride for Heroes.

 

Sponsorship of this event is a great way to raise awareness of your company, while supporting our nation’s heroes.  Here are the sponsorship levels available:

 

• 5-Star Circle $5000: Includes: a banner in the start/finish area, sponsorship of a rest stop/aid station with name and logo on banner, name and logo on Web site and all Valley Veterans Ride marketing materials and advertising, listing in ride packets, table or display area at start/finish area, plus 6 no-fee entrants.

• General $2000-$4000: Includes: a banner in the start/finish area, sponsorship of a rest stop/aid station with name and logo on banner, name and logo on Web site and all Valley Veterans Ride marketing materials and advertising, listing in ride packets, plus 5 no-fee entrants.

• Colonel $1000-$1500: Includes: a banner in the start/finish area, name and logo on Web site and all Valley Veterans Ride social media, plus 4 no-fee entrants.

• Captain $500. Includes name and logo on Web site and social media, plus 2 no-fee entrants.

• Lieutenant $250: Name and logo on web site and listing in ride packets.

• Sergeant $100- to $249: Listing in ride packets.

 

All contributions are tax-deductible through VFW District 11, Tax ID #23-0321630 and EVERY CENT will go towards supporting our Veterans.

 

BCF is the nation's foremost privately-funded wellness center dedicated exclusively to our nation's combat veterans, our first responders, and their families.  Boulder Crest Retreat is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and provides the ideal environment to enable these American Heroes and their families to rest and reconnect, while learning to deal with the trauma of their combat experiences.  It costs $6250 for each wounded warrior to go through the initial 7-day retreat at no cost to them as well as three months of the Warrior PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Training for Helping Heroes) follow-up, which is the nation's first holistic, peer-based program designed to facilitate Posttraumatic Growth amongst those struggling with PTSD and/or suicidal ideation. BCF trains these remarkable men and women to transform times of deep struggle into profound strength and growth. Many of us in the VFW District 11 personally know men and women who have been helped by this program, and it is for that reason that we support BCF year after year.

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Join Us in Helping Veterans to Heal.

 

We hope you will once again help to make a meaningful impact in the lives of our Veterans. Your contribution, big or small, is a testament to your commitment to those who have served our nation with honor.

 

Thank you for considering this request. We are eager to collaborate with you to honor and support our Veterans. Please feel free to contact us for further information or to discuss your involvement (540) 294-3800 or ValleyVeteransRide@gmail.com.

 

With gratitude and appreciation,

 

Melissa Patrick

Commander, VFW District 11

Department of Virginia