PROJECT HERO HUB CENTER AT XAVIER UNIVERSITY OPENS MAY 18
GE & XU partner with National Non-Profit
Serving Veterans and First Responders with PTSD
CINCINNATI, OH (May 10, 2017) – Working in partnership with General Electric Aviation and the Xavier University Student Veterans Center, John Wordin, president and founder of Project Hero, announced today the grand opening of the Project Hero Cincinnati HUB Center.
The Center is opening in the Cohen Center on the Xavier University campus on Thursday May 18, beginning at 11am with a 1:30pm ribbon cutting. The Cohen building is located at 1658 Musketeer Dr. at the end of the Cintas Center parking lot.
Project Hero is a national, groundbreaking non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans and first responders achieve hope, recovery and resilience through cycling, community-based and research programs and by raising awareness of the national PTSD mental health crisis. It currently operates HUB Centers in more than 50 cities throughout the U.S.
The new Project Hero Center at Xavier will house a workout room with stationary bikes, meeting spaces, classrooms, bike storage and a maintenance facility. The May 18 grand opening celebration will include local veterans and first responders who have benefitted from Project Hero programs. Others speaking at the 1:30pm ribbon cutting include Joe Allen, general manager, GE Global Operations – U.S. and Canada.
“GE is thrilled to participate in the opening of this new Center on Xavier University’s campus,” said Allen. “We have a strong partnership with Xavier’s Student Veterans Center and the Project Hero Center is a natural extension of that partnership. We know the new facility will maximize the benefit of the equipment previously provided by GE and enable more interactions between GE volunteers, veterans and first responders and the Xavier community at large.”
The new facility at Xavier will house an indoor training and workout facility utilizing state-of-the-art stationary trainers and software provided via funding from GE, professional bicycle maintenance and storage and road, mountain, cyclocross and adaptive bicycles for use by HUB program participants.
“The new Center at Xavier will be an important resource for Project Hero that will help us continue to play a dynamic role serving the healing heroes in the community,” said Wordin.
“We’ve housed Project Hero in the past and we’re very excited to expand our campus facility,” said Chris Klug, director, Xavier Student Veterans Center. “A bigger, more user-friendly facility will expand our capability to welcome more veterans and first responders to all of the services our campus has to offer.”
Project Hero HUB Centers connect local veterans and first responders with PTSD, TBI and injury to rehab services, employment, education, family and community service support systems and programs.
Founded in 2008, Project Hero has built more than 200 adaptive bikes for injured Veterans, donated more than 2,500 bikes to Veterans and logged more than 30,000 bicycling miles in 30 states and 6 countries to restore hope, achieve recovery and provide support for America’s Healing Heroes. More information about Project Hero is at www.projecthero.org.
Project Hero programs have achieved overwhelmingly positive results, having helped more than 10,000 Veterans and First Responders through cycling-based programs and other events. Research has shown Project Hero participants have recorded elimination of and decreases in use of prescription drugs of as much as 65 percent, greater injury recovery rates, improved sleep habits and overall improvement in daily life functions.
Project Hero programs include popular cycling events throughout the US including UnitedHealthcare Challenge Series multiple-day rides, single-day Honor Rides and special events including the Project Hero Women’s Initiative and Project Hero Mountain Bike Experiences.
In addition to support from General Electric, the organization has also received support from leading national sponsors including UnitedHealthcare, Pepsi, Boeing, United Airlines, Chevrolet, U-Haul, Subaru, the USO, Geico and numerous others.
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About Project Hero
Founded in 2008, Project Hero is a groundbreaking national non-profit organization dedicated to helping Veterans and First Responders affected by PTSD, TBI and injury achieve rehabilitation, recovery and resilience in their daily lives and increasing awareness of the national mental health crisis posed by PTSD and TBI. Project Hero programs work by producing positive outcomes at lower costs and reducing drug-based therapies. Project Hero builds and provides adaptive bikes to physically-challenged and injured Veterans and First Responders and has helped tens of thousands of our Healing Heroes at no cost to participants through cycling events, community-based programs in more than 50 cities throughout the US and by supporting research. For information, visit www.projecthero.org or follow @#novetalone on Twitter.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is the world's Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
About Xavier University:
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition. Founded in 1831, the university is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. U.S. News & World Report ranks it No.4 among master’s-level universities in the Midwest and The Princeton Review names it as one of the “Best 377 Colleges in America.” www.xavier.edu.
