Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride Coming to Nashville Area

--Warriors to ride at Fort Campbell, Ky. and through Franklin, Tenn.--

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beginning September 23, close to 30 wounded warriors from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will take part in a rehabilitative bicycling ride in Fort Campbell, Ky. and Franklin, Tenn. on the latest stop of Wounded Warrior Project's national Soldier Ride.

This year's ride is being held in the memory of Master Sgt. James "Tre" Ponder from Franklin, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his brothers in arms on a rescue mission in Eastern Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. He was killed when his Mh-47D Chinook helicopter was shot down by enemy fire on the way to rescue a Navy SEAL team in distress. 40 Members of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Sergeant Ponder's Unit based at Fort Campbell, will be joining the ride Thursday in honor of their fallen brother.

Local cycling enthusiasts and Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) supporters are invited to register to join the warriors on Saturday, September 25. The ride's opening ceremony will feature country artist Jeffrey Steele and cyclists will be able to participate in rides ranging from 25 to 85 miles, beginning and ending at the Battle Ground Academy in Franklin. The ride will conclude with a community barbeque to honor the riders' achievements and service.

On September 22, warriors will be fitted for upright, recumbent or hand crank cycles to suit their injuries.  The fitting will be sponsored by D1, a Franklin sports training facility, and will be broadcast live on 104.5 from the D1 facility. The ride itself is sponsored this year by the Actus Community Fund, a non-profit organization whose main mission is to support the military community.

"The men and women represented by the Wounded Warrior Project are true American heroes," said Steve Nardizzi, Wounded Warrior Project Executive Director. "We are excited for to be back in the Southeast and to see our warriors benefit from the tremendous community support in the area and be honored in the way they deserve."

Soldier Ride is a program of the Wounded Warrior Project that provides adaptive cycling opportunities across the country for wounded warriors. Soldier Ride is designed to restore the physical and emotional well-being of our newest generation of wounded warriors. All participants with a disability or missing a limb or limbs are provided the adaptive equipment customized to their individual needs.

For more information or to register to ride, visit: www.soldierride.org/nashville

About Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Its purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured men and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. To get involved and learn more, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

About Actus Lend Lease

Excelling at large, complex developmental projects, Actus Lend Lease works with institutional owners to create value and deliver exceptional returns.  With more than 40,000 residential units in its portfolio, Actus Lend Lease has created fully master planned mixed-use communities throughout the United States.  Actus is part of the Lend Lease global family, which includes Bovis and Delfin Lend Lease.  Global projects of note include: Island Palm Communities in Oahu, HI, Greenwich Peninsula in London, AOL Time Warner Center in New York, The Sydney Olympic Village and New York's Grand Central Station Terminal.  Actus Lend lease is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., and employs more than 500 people nationwide.

About D1

D1 provides custom sports training and therapy programs and top notch facilities in a high-energy environment for young athletes, adults, collegiate and pro athletes. For more information go to D1SportsTraining.com.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project