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TAPS Families of Fallen Military Heroes to Attend 2019 NFL Pro Bowl

 A Grant from the NFL to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Will Create Opportunities for 20 Families to Remember and Honor Their Loved Ones

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 23, 2018

ARLINGTON, Va. – Twenty families of fallen military service members will attend the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl weekend beginning Jan. 24 in Orlando, honoring the lives of their fallen heroes and building new family memories together.

The weekend will be filled with opportunities for families to connect with one another, celebrate their heroes and enjoy a very special experience with the NFL in Walt Disney World and Orlando. The opportunity is being made possible through a grant provided by the National Football League (NFL) to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), a national military service organization providing compassionate care and survivor support services to the family members and loved ones of our nation’s fallen heroes.

“TAPS is grateful to the NFL for its longstanding commitment to the men and women of our armed forces, their families and the families of the fallen,” said Bonnie Carroll, TAPS President and Founder and 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. “The NFL has offered our family members who have lost loved ones in military service extraordinary experiences where they can honor their fallen hero and cheer for their favorite teams."

“The NFL is proud to work with TAPS to honor our nation’s fallen heroes and provide memorable experiences for their families,” said NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility, Anna Isaacson. “We hope that TAPS families invited to this year’s Pro Bowl Week festivities will create long-lasting memories together and enjoy everything Orlando has to offer. Celebrating the families of service members who sacrificed for this country is just one way to honor their legacy.”

The TAPS sports program, teams4taps, creates meaningful opportunities for the surviving families of America's fallen military to engage with​ ​the ​athletes and teams they cheered for with their hero. The program works with more than 175 sports teams across the country, and since its inception in 2013, has touched the lives of thousands of surviving military families. TAPS families have participated in Pro Bowl activities with the NFL for the last three years. In addition, TAPS has been one of the NFL’s Salute to Service charitable partners since 2017.

“One of the best ways to honor those who have given their lives for freedom is to recognize and support their families, the living legacy to their service and sacrifice,” said TAPS Vice President of Sports and Entertainment, Diana Hosford. “While we cannot take away the pain of the loss, we can all help families make new, happy memories together. Being invited to share in the joy of the Pro Bowl, which showcases the very best of the NFL, means so much to the more than 85,000 TAPS survivors across America.”

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ABOUT TAPS

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the leading national organization providing compassionate care and survivor support services for the families of America’s fallen military heroes. Since 1994, TAPS has offered support to more than 85,000 survivors of fallen military in the form of peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, grief seminars and retreats for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 resource and information helpline 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 the toll-free TAPS resource and information helpline at 1.800.959.TAPS (8277).