Kokatat has partnered with Team River Runner to become an official sponsor and provide paddling gear to the participants of this innovative program. Working in partnership with The Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA, TRR helps veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) find health, healing, and new challenges through whitewater boating on the Potomac River.
“Kokatat has supported soldiers in the Special Operations community for more than a decade. In this small way, we continue our support for those who have returned home and chosen paddling as a means of recuperation” says Michael Duffy, Kokatat Sales and Marketing Director.
Team River Runner (TRR), established in August 2004 by kayakers in the Washington, DC, area, is an all-volunteer organization run by a council of nine kayakers and overseen by a board of directors.
“During my convalescence and physical therapy, Team River Runner became an important, even vital component of my recovery. This sense of hope is absolutely essential to emotionally recovering from the devastating injuries that many of us have suffered” says Captain Dan Gade, wounded twice in Iraq and one of 40 active duty soldiers involved with TRR.
While the focus of TRRs work is on soldiers recuperating at WRAMC, TRR also provides whitewater boating opportunities for family members as well as for other wounded veterans.
