ATLANTA, March 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Shepherd’s Men, a 17-runner team of active duty, medically retired and honorably discharged servicemen and civilian patriots dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the Atlanta-based Shepherd Center’s SHARE Military Initiative, proudly host the New York Tribute to Heroes ruck on April 8 in New York City.
Beginning at 8:47 a.m., the time that Central Dispatch received the first call on September 11, 2001, the Shepherd’s Men will ruck 22 kilometers through Manhattan and stop at 19 New York firehouses along the way to thank the first responders for their selfless work and pay tribute to each department’s fallen heroes of 9/11. The ruck will begin and end at FDNY Ten House, the only fire station located inside Ground Zero and one of the first to respond to the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Honoring and fighting for the heroes of 9/11 and its aftermath is central to the Shepherd’s Men’s mission for SHARE Military Initiative, comprehensive rehabilitation program focused on assessing and treating military veterans who have sustained mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of post-9/11 conflicts.
“The New York Tribute to Heroes is a meaningful way for us to extend our thanks to the heroes who were on the very first frontlines of the terror that unfolded on September 11,” said Shepherd’s Men co-founder and civilian patriot Travis Ellis. “We are humbled by this opportunity to recognize our fellow Americans who selflessly sacrifice so much for our safety every day, while always running toward the fire.”
The Shepherd’s Men will complete the 22k route wearing 93 pounds of gear and ruck, the distance symbolizing the 22 veterans who take their own lives daily and the extra weight honoring the lives lost on United Flight 93.
The route plan is as follows:
- START 8:47 a.m. >> FDNY Ten House
- FDNY Engine 7, Ladder 1, Battalion 1
- FDNY Ladder 20
- FDNY Engine 24, Ladder 5, Battalion 2
- FDNY Engine 33, Ladder 9
- SQ 18
- FDNY Engine 3, Ladder 12, Battalion 7
- FDNY Engine 1, Ladder 24
- FDNY Engine 26
- FDNY Engine 34, Ladder 21
- FDNY Engine 14
- FDNY Engine 5
- FDNY Ladder 3, Battalion 6
- FDNY Engine 28, Ladder 11
- FDNY Engine 15, Ladder 18, Battalion 4
- FDNY Engine 55
- FDNY Engine 9, Ladder 6
- FDNY Engine 6
- FDNY Engine 5, Ladder 15
- FINISH >> FDNY Ten House
The Tribute to Heroes ruck precedes the annual Shepherd’s Men Run, the team’s primary fundraising effort for SHARE. From May 22 through May 29, the team will run 22k a day wearing the 22-pound flak vests for nine consecutive days, beginning at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA, and ending at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.
For more information on the Shepherd’s Men, please visit www.shepherdsmen.com and watch this video. The full 2017 Shepherd’s Men Run route can be found here. For more information on the SHARE Military Initiative, please click here.
About Shepherd’s Men
For the fourth year, The Shepherd’s Men will run to raise awareness about the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center and to raise funds to help support it. Private funding is needed to make SHARE’s life-saving program available to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who suffer from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress. The 2017 goal is $2.2 million, to facilitate program expansion, and donations can be made through the Shepherdsmen.com website. The runners are active or medically retired servicemen and two civilian patriots who are committed to helping those who have sacrificed so much for this country and all who enjoy the freedoms they volunteered to protect. #SHARETheBurden22
About Shepherd Center
Shepherd Center, located in Atlanta, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury or brain injury. Founded in 1975, Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation and is a 152-bed facility. Last year, Shepherd Center had 965 admissions to its inpatient programs and 571 to its day patient programs. In addition, Shepherd Center sees more than 6,600 people annually on an outpatient basis. For more information, visit Shepherd Center online at www.shepherd.org