Annual Face of America Ride Honors Nation's Military Members

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- America's wounded warriors are honored in the 2011 Face of America, a two day bike ride from Washington, D.C. to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania this April 16-17. Starting on the steps of the Capitol, more than 400 disabled and able bodied riders on bicycles and hand cycles will travel past Washington's iconic monuments and ride through country byways to the Civil War battlefields at Gettysburg.

Organized in cooperation with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, this inspiring ride is managed by World T.E.A.M. Sports, a 20 year old not-for-profit that organizes inclusive events for disabled citizens. Sponsored by GE, Booz Allen Hamilton, Wellspan Health, and Penske, the annual Face of America ride shows disabled and non-disabled servicemen and women how much America appreciates their efforts and sacrifices. Funds raised through the ride pay for participating wounded warriors' transportation, hotels, food and support, and creates a safe ride experience for all participants.  

The 2011 Face of America begins with a gala kick off dinner on Friday, April 15 at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, D.C. The dinner features blind, six year old Malia Thibado performing the National Anthem. Ambassador Francis X. Taylor, Vice President for General Electric, a former advisor to President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, will speak. Major Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public and Government Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, will provide the keynote speech. At the ride's start on Saturday, General James E. Cartwright, the eighth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will speak. Susan Powell, Miss America 1981, will sing the National Anthem.

Nearly 80 disabled veterans and more than 300 military and civilian riders will ride together by the monuments of the Capitol, across the Potomac, and past the Iwo Jima Memorial. The ride will take the group along country roads in rural Maryland to Frederick. Throughout the journey, local citizens will come out in support and in encouragement. Along the route, rest stops at local firehouses, schools and community centers provide an opportunity for residents to meet the participants. After spending the evening in Frederick, the riders will head off early Sunday morning into southern Pennsylvania. Arriving in Gettysburg by mid-day, the riders will complete the Face of America ride with a celebratory dinner set within the community's historic battlefields.

SOURCE World T.E.A.M. Sports