STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SoldierStrong, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing advanced medical technologies to veterans, today announced that $45,674 was raised from this year’s Chowdown for Charity, a wing-eating contest aimed at professionals in the insurance industry that took place on September 8th, 2016 in Radnor, PA. The fundraiser is held annually by The Willis Foundation (TWF), a nonprofit organization affiliated with global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings. SoldierStrong was selected as TWF’s lead charity and will receive the majority of proceeds. SoldierStrong will use this donation towards the purchase of medical devices to help injured veterans.
“We are thankful to The Willis Foundation for their generosity and commitment to helping support so many Americans through their charitable programs,” said Chris Meek, co-founder and Chairman of SoldierStrong. “These dollars will be put to excellent use providing advanced medical technologies to our veterans, who have sacrificed so much for us.”
At the check presentation ceremony, Chris Meek accepted the donation on behalf of SoldierStrong and Dan Rose, a retired Army lieutenant who was injured while on duty and left paralyzed, demonstrated the technology that the nonprofit provides. Lt. Rose stood and walked in the Ekso GT™, a wearable robotic exoskeleton that enables individuals with paralysis due to spinal cord injury and stroke to stand up and walk over ground with a full weight bearing, reciprocal gait in a clinical setting. In fact, the Ekso GT is the first and only robotic exoskeleton that is FDA cleared for use with stroke patients.
The Ekso GT, manufactured by Ekso Bionics®, is one of the advanced medical devices that SoldierStrong purchases using donation dollars to create the SoldierSuit, which it provides to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals around the country. The SoldierSuit is a composite of several state-of-the-art rehabilitation technologies that address a variety of combat-related disabilities and also includes: the BiOM® Ankle by Bionx, the MyoPro® myoelectric upper limb orthosis from Myomo, and the LUKE arm by Mobius Bionics.
About The Willis Foundation:
Based in Nashville, TN, The Willis Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation affiliated with Willis Group Holdings, that encourages Willis Associates and Willis North America’s key business partners to participate in charitable activities. Throughout the year, The Willis Foundation intends to organize and sponsor fundraising events such as races, dinners and creative competitions and will, in turn, make charitable contributions to charities recommended by Willis Associates. For more information on The Willis Foundation, please visit www.thewillisfoundation.org.
About SoldierStrong
SoldierStrong, previously known as SoldierSocks, helps American patriots literally take their new steps forward. Through educational scholarships and by harnessing the most innovative technology in advanced rehabilitation, we help our returning service men and women to continue moving in the only direction they should know – forward. Nearly every dollar SoldierStrong receives goes towards direct support of American patriots so that they can re-acclimate to civilian life. Our organization works to remind those men and women who sacrificed so much that we are forever thankful.