LCEC looking to send disabled vets on trip
With the help from its primary lender, LCEC is looking to send a worthy disabled veteran on an expedition he or she will never forget
LCEC is partnering with CoBank, a $120 billion cooperative bank serving industries across rural America, and the No Barriers Program for veterans with disabilities, to send an area veteran on a trip that will make that person overcome challenges and transform themselves forever.
LCEC is looking for eligible veterans. CoBank is funding all costs to the first 50 selected nominees who meet the program requirements, one of whom will come from the LCEC service territory.
“They offered to all their members the ability to submit one disabled veteran nominee, and CoBank would send them to this program,” said Karen Ryan, LCEC spokesperson. “They go on these different expeditions for rock climbing, white-water rafting, but they also do motivational programs to let them know they can do anything.”
No Barriers was co-founded by Erik Weihenmayer, a renowned mountain climber and the only blind person in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
“Through the Warriors program, No Barriers has been working with veterans with disabilities for years,” said Weihenmayer in a statement. “We’ve seen the transformation that takes place when veterans are able to overcome the mental and physical challenges involved in one of our expeditions, and then apply the skills they’ve learned to the challenges faced in their day-to-day lives.”
LCEC can submit candidates until May 1, but Ryan said she wants to try get as many qualified people to apply as possible and submit all their applicants. She would like to start submitting nominees next month.
“We hope we can get several nominees we can review with our panel and select one from that list. We also decided to send that one candidate and forward all out applications to them. Once they get to 50 nominees, it will be closed,” Ryan said. “We don’t know what kind of response they’ll get.”
Ryan said she has reached out to the VA Hospital, the VFW and military museum to ask them to spread the word.
Sherry Johnson, senior manager of corporate social responsibility for CoBank, said her company wanted to do something for the rural communities they serve.
“Our customers are in rural communities, and we wanted our customers to nominate someone from their community because they have closer connections,” Johnson said. “It could be an employee, a member of the cooperative, or someone they feel would benefit from this program.”
From there, No Barriers will go through the vetting process with the candidates to make sure they can handle whatever expedition they go on.
“This is a demanding program. They go on five-day expeditions, are out in the wilderness, and there’s a mental aspect to it,” Johnson said. “What they do out there is a metaphor for what they face in their day-to-day lives.”
An informational flier and a nomination form can be found at www.lcec.net/about-lcec/community-and-education or call 656-2202.