Golf Open Provides Funding Boost for Paralyzed Veterans' Career Program

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterans and leaders from business, government and the armed services took to the fairways at Belle Haven Country Club today for the fourth annual Paralyzed Veterans Golf Open. The event raised more than $300,000 for Paralyzed Veterans of America's Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program, which provides veterans with spinal cord injury with the services and skills they need to secure good jobs and careers.

Since 2008, the tournament has raised more than $1.2 million for Paralyzed Veterans' vocational rehabilitation program.

"Most people would agree that America's veterans with disabilities -- those who have served and sacrificed for our freedoms -- clearly deserve a fair shot at the American dream, a good job with a good company," said Bill Lawson, national president of Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans). "So it's great to see so many supporters take to the greens for a good cause — to end unemployment for those who have given much for our freedom."

Thanks to founding sponsor, Agility Defense & Government Services, 100 percent of the event proceeds raised went directly to Paralyzed Veterans' Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

"I personally believe this is not just about a golf tournament. This is about bringing in other sponsors and networking with folks who can help our servicemen and servicewomen get back into the workforce after life-threatening injuries," said Rich Brooks, Agility's vice president of logistics and commodity services and an Army veteran.

Other major sponsors include VSE Corp.; Linemark; SAIC; Lincoln Property; ARINC; Microsoft; Supreme Group USA; Midwest Direct Mailers; Deloitte; and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

This year's tournament was kicked off with a golf clinic for veterans with disabilities, led by PGA golf pro Al Fenstomocher, who specializes in working with injured players. Participants also had the opportunity to try out adaptive golf carts that can lift players to a vertical "standing" position so they can swing freely even if they are paralyzed.

The most recent statistics indicate that the national unemployment rate for veterans with severe disabilities is about 85 percent. The Paralyzed Veterans' program aims to make this grim statistic a thing of the past. Launched in 2007, the program helps veterans develop the skills they need to compete in the job market and matches them with businesses looking to hire.

To date, the program has helped hundreds of veterans with disabilities re-enter the workforce, including many who are veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Two program participants are now earning more than $100,000 annually.

Paralyzed Veterans has established vocational rehabilitation centers at Veterans Administration hospital facilities in Richmond, VA; Minneapolis, MN; San Antonio, TX; Long Beach, CA; Augusta, GA; and Boston, MA. Paralyzed Veterans has helped hundreds of veterans and is currently working with more than 200 major corporations in this nationwide effort. (www.pva.org)

About Paralyzed Veterans of America

Sixty-four years ago Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded by a band of spinal cord injured service members who returned home from World War II to a grateful nation—but also to a world with few solutions to the challenges they faced. These veterans from the "Greatest Generation" made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society. They created an organization dedicated to veterans service, medical research and civil rights for people with disabilities. And for more than six decades, Paralyzed Veterans of America and its 34 chapters have been working to create an America where all veterans and people with disabilities, and their families, have everything they need to thrive. (www.pva.org).

About Agility

From its roots in emerging markets, Agility brings efficiency to supply chains in some of the globe's most challenging environments, offering unmatched personal service, a global footprint and customized capabilities in developed countries and emerging economies alike. A publicly traded company, Agility is one of the world's leading providers of integrated logistics with close to $6 billion in annual revenue and more than 25,000 employees in 550 offices across 100 countries.

Agility's commercial business, Global Integrated Logistics (GIL), is headquartered in Switzerland. Agility GIL provides supply chain solutions to meet complex and traditional customer needs. GIL offers air, sea and road freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution and specialized services in project logistics, fairs and events, fuels and chemicals.

Agility's unique collection of portfolio businesses includes Agility Defense & Government Services, a logistics provider to governments, ministries of defense and international organizations. Agility's Infrastructure group of companies manages commercial and industrial real estate and offers solutions in customs optimization and clearance, waste management and recycling, aviation services, remote infrastructure and life support.

For more information about Agility, visit www.agilitylogistics.com.

SOURCE Paralyzed Veterans of America