Walk to Fly Event to Unite Wounded Warriors, Bethesda Community

Enjoy a walk and block party for a great cause next month in downtown Bethesda

August 28, 2014 7:00 a.m.

A group of local businesses and the charity Luke’s Wings is inviting local residents to join them for a walk through Bethesda with injured combat veterans and their families next month.

The Sept. 7 event is a 1.5 mile walk from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, past Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, through downtown Bethesda that ends at Euro Motorcars Bethesda where a community block party will be hosted. The walk begins at 10 a.m. and the full event runs until 3 p.m.

The event serves two purposes—provide a chance for the local community to meet the soldiers being treated at Walter Reed and raise funds to tranport the families of injured veterans to locations where they're being treated, according to Emily Neufeld, a spokeswoman for Luke’s Wings,.

- Advertisement -

Community registration for the walk costs $15 for children under 12 and $30 for adults. The proceeds will provide funds for soldiers’ families to visit Walter Reed.

Staff Sergeant Marcus Burleson, a retired Marine, will serve as the guest of honor at the event. Burleson was injured in 2011 in an explosion in Afghanistan while attempting to dismantle a bomb, which resulted in the amputation of his right arm, complete paralysis of his left arm, a broken neck, loss of vision in his left eye and burns to his face, neck and arms.

 “I am truly honored that an organization like Luke’s Wings would invite me to be involved in a great event like this,” Burleson said, in a statement. “I have seen the result of all the work [the] organization has done; to see a family that can’t necessarily afford to take time off work much less buy plane tickets being able to stand by their warrior as he is getting ready to undergo a major operation is truly inspirational.”

Digital Partners

Enter our essay contest