ASF Readies for Warriors in Motion Golf Event

U.S. Army veteran Lou Ferrari has been attending WIM programs for five years and has been playing golf for about that long as well. He has attended this yearly golf event twice since he was introduced to the ASF, and he’s looking forward to hitting the links in Windham again. “It’s nice to meet and get involved with other veterans again,” he explained. “You get to see some old friends from the past and meet new faces and get to talk about what you’ve done with your life. I’m always willing to give people some activities to help them in their recovery and stay active.”

Ferrari and nine other wounded veterans will arrive at the ASF’s Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center on Tuesday afternoon to meet with the ASF staff and volunteers that will be joining them at the country club during the week. The group of veterans and volunteers will then share a lunch together before going to the golf course to meet the Windham Country Club’s Head PGA Pro Jesse Muller and his team of instructors. The warriors will then learn golf basics and receive instruction throughout the afternoon. Once their sessions are over, the warriors will check into their hotels before returning to the ASF for a catered dinner at 6 p.m.

Wednesday will be a full day of golf, as the ASF shuttle bus will retrieve the warriors from their hotels at 9 a.m. and head to the course. There will be more instruction throughout the entire day and even some course play in the afternoon after lunch at Mulligan’s Pub, the country club’s own restaurant. The plan is to have the warriors golf for six hours until 3:30 p.m., when they will head back to their hotel rooms to wind down before another dinner at the ASF lodge. 

The participants will meet at the country club at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning to play a round of golf on the course before they break for lunch at Mulligan’s Pub again at 11:30 a.m. Once lunch is finished, the WIM team will say goodbye to each other and depart. 

“The ASF’s WIM program keeps me busy and it’s nice meeting up with other veterans and sharing that camaraderie that we have with each other,” Ferrari said about why he enjoys visiting the ASF. “I think back about how I’ve been out of the service for 50 years, but that first 30 or 35 years I was working, having a family and being busy. I didn’t have much time for these programs or even know about them. I’m glad to be a part of them now and to spread the word about how they can help people like me stay active.”

The ASF’s Warriors in Motion program provides participating injured United States servicemen and women with a basic knowledge and practice of wellness and the importance of lifelong healthy living. All WIM programs are goal-oriented and empower the warrior to take charge of their own fitness and wellness.

Warriors in Motion is funded by donations that were generously given to the Adaptive Sports Foundation. Thanks to these donations, the Adaptive Sports Foundation will be able to provide equipment, water bottles, all meals, snacks, water, sports drinks, sunscreen, bug spray and ponchos (if necessary) for this upcoming event.

If you’d like to donate to the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion program, or any of the other programs the ASF has to offer, please visit www.adaptivesportsfoundation.org.