There are an estimated 12 million combat veterans living in the United States. According to Americans with Disabilities Act’s website, of those, almost 30 percent of them report living with some sort of mental disability such as PTSD or a physical disability such as those that require the use of prosthectics. These disabilities sometimes hinder these veterans from being able to effectively assimilate back into civilian life after returning home.
The We Defy Foundation was founded by two armed forces veterans and aims to “provide combat veterans coping with military-connected disabilities a long term means to overcome their challenges through Brazilian jiu-jitsu and fitness training” by providing scholarships for veterans to be able to train jiu-jitsu for free. By doing this, We Defy is helping build communities that help these veterans get back to a routine in their daily lives. We Defy is a nonprofit organization that is run by volunteers, and 100 percent of the money raised from seminars and other fundraising events goes towards providing scholarships for disabled veterans.
We Defy will be holding its inaugural gala this year at The Highlands Dallas in Dallas, Texas on April 13 to raise money to provide training scholarships for veterans across the country. Since the organization’s inception in late 2015, We Defy has been able to provide scholarships to roughly 100 veterans so they can train free of cost at one of their approved training facilities.
Their goal for 2019 is to be able to raise enough money to fund another 100 veterans this year alone. The event will consist of a silent auction and cocktail reception followed by a “Tasting of the Town” featuring three-time James-Beard-nominated chef John Tesar as well as a guest speaker and athlete panel to showcase the foundation’s impact across the country.
If you’d like to donate or get more information about tickets to this event go to their website and see the testimonials of some of the verterans they’ve been able to help so far.
