Groundbreaking Organization Debuts New Brand to Fight National PTSD Mental Health Crisis and Support Events, Community Programs and Research for Healing Heroes
LOS ANGELES, CA – Groundbreaking national non-profit organization Ride 2 Recovery has rebranded as Project Hero, which will be the new name and brand identity of the organization, it was announced today by John Wordin, president and founder of Ride 2 Recovery.
Dedicated to directly helping Veterans and First Responders affected by PTSD, TBI and injury achieve rehabilitation, recovery and resilience in their daily lives, Project Hero’s mission is to change the way America deals with what has become a mental health epidemic among those who have served our communities and our nation.
“After nearly a decade of success, we have grown in our mission from a cycling-events organization that helps Veterans and First Responders into a Veterans and First Responders organization that incorporates cycling programs and special events with community-based and research programs to achieve our mission,” said Wordin.
Founded in 2008 as Ride 2 Recovery, 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.
“The profound and saddening statistics clearly show our nation needs to better serve those who serve us,” said Wordin. “But those numbers are only the tip of the iceberg because PTSD also has a tremendous negative impact on families, friends, co-workers, communities and millions of others.”
Currently there are an average of 20 suicides among PTSD sufferers in the US every day, more than 20 percent of active and retired military have some form of PTSD and more than 300,000 current members of the military have experienced concussion trauma.
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Adding to the need for national attention to the problem are numerous recent controversies covered by national media involving the Veteran’s Administration including recent requests from members of Congress over unreasonable wait times at multiple facilities, widespread over- prescription of highly addictive opioids, misconduct by VA management and retaliation against whistleblowers.
Ride 2 Recovery programs have achieved overwhelmingly positive results, having helped more than 10,000 Veterans and First Responders through cycling-based programs and other events since its founding in 2008. Project Hero participants record elimination of and deceases in use of therapeutic prescription drugs of as much as 65 percent, greater injury recovery rates, improved sleep habits and overall improvement in daily life functions.
Working in partnership on participant research with Georgetown University Hospital, the organization’s programs have proven to produce positive outcomes at lower costs and reducing drug-based therapies for Veterans and First Responders in communities throughout the US.
Project Hero will continue to utilize the well-known Ride 2 Recovery logo and brand as the identity of its flagship programs throughout the US that include popular cycling events Challenge Series, Honor Rides and Special Events including its Women’s Initiative and Mountain Bike events.
Project Hero Community Centers and grassroots programs will also continue to operate in more than 50 cities throughout the US.
In addition to continuing to use the Ride 2 Recovery identity for the organizations event-based programs, the re-branding will include the launch of new community-based programs in partnership with cities in markets throughout the US, new logos and taglines, new social media identity, the launch of a new website at www.projecthero.org and the debut of Heroes The Magazine of Project Hero, a monthly digital magazine.
The organization has received support from leading national sponsors including UnitedHealthcare, Pepsi, Boeing, United Airlines, Chevrolet, U-Haul, General Electric, Subaru, the USO, Geico and numerous others.
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 to combat the national mental health emergency posed by PTSD and TBI. Project Hero programs produce positive outcomes at lower costs and reduce drug- based therapies and the organization builds adaptive bikes for physically-challenged and injured Veterans and First Responders. Project Hero has helped tens of thousands of our Healing Heroes at no cost to participants through Ride 2 Recovery cycling
events, community-based programs in more than 50 cities throughout the US and by supporting research. For information, visit www.projecthero.org.
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