TAPS Joins Forces with West Point Runners to Honor Families of America's Fallen Heroes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 20, 2016
Arlington, Va. - The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is excited to announce their partnership with West Point's U.S. Army Garrison Installation Family & MWR to honor those who have lost loved ones to military service, regardless of circumstance, through physical and social activities.
On Sunday, Oct. 9, three West Point teams (two active duty and one cadet) will run for Team TAPS in the 32nd Annual Army Ten-Miler race in Washington, D.C. The Team Long Gray Line athletes will sport their West Point gear with a TAPS logo patch; and each will run for a fallen West Point cadet or graduate in honor of their legacy and in tribute to the families they leave behind.
"This is such an incredible partnership to not only raise awareness of the TAPS mission of providing compassionate care and assistance to our heroes' families and loved ones but to have our current and future Army leaders serving as TAPS Ambassadors in educating our military families that TAPS is and will be there for them, always." said Tyler Gierber, USAG West Point's Family & MWR Marketing Director.
The West Point teams at the Army Ten-Miler hope to inspire service academy graduates from across the country to join forces and donate to the Team Long Gray Line's Team TAPS fundraising page at www.taps.org/TeamLongGrayLine. Contributions will support TAPS programs and ongoing support of surviving families of military loss. Through TAPS, survivors can participate in peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, healing seminars and retreats, camps for children, casework assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and the 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline.
"The commitment and excitement of Team Long Gray Line support to TAPS and our Army Ten-Miler efforts is inspiring," said West Point Class of '93 graduate Craig Wilhelm of Team TAPS. "The funds and awareness raised by our Team TAPS athletes will help those families who have lost a loved one to military service. We are deeply grateful for the three West Point teams running for Team TAPS and our partnership with the United States Military Academy."
If you have questions regarding Team TAPS, or TAPS, please contact Kelly Griffith at kelly.griffith@taps.org or 202.588.TAPS (8277).
ABOUT TAPS
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America's fallen military heroes and has offered support to more than 60,000 surviving family members of our fallen military and their caregivers since 1994. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, healing seminars and retreats for adults, camps for children, casework assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and the 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline at 800.959.TAPS (8277) available for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org or call TAPS at 202.588.TAPS (8277).
ABOUT Team TAPS
Team TAPS began with two runners, who ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., in 2000. One of them was Marie Campbell, who lost her husband, U.S. Air Force Sergeant Dee "Soup" Campbell, in 1996 when a terrorist bomb took the lives of 19 airmen at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. Campbell now helps Team TAPS organize thousands of participants annually nationwide. Team TAPS engages in endurance athletic events to honor and remember our fallen heroes and support TAPS programs and services through challenge, commitment and compassion. Get more information about upcoming team activities at www.taps.org/teamtaps.
ABOUT West Point
The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal, liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. It was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering and continues today as the world's premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country. Its mission remains constant-to educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the U. S. Army. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.