News & Media

Rahal Automotive Group Donates $35,000 to National Nonprofit That Aids Military Veterans in Taking Their Next Steps Forward

Rahal SoldierStrong Donation

The Bobby Rahal Automotive Group today announced a $35,000 donation to SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit organization that connects military veterans with revolutionary medical technology to help them take their next steps forward.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the 17-dealership group in central and western Pennsylvania has donated a share of every new and used vehicle sold at its central Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh region dealerships during November. Contributions to date total $145,000.

“Our team members and clients are committed to SoldierStrong’s ongoing efforts because they are helping to improve the lives of the men and women of America’s armed forces who have made so many personal sacrifices in defense of our country and our freedom,” said Ron Ferris, Chief Executive Officer, Bobby Rahal Automotive Group. “Once again, we extend our sincere gratitude to the people of western and central Pennsylvania who joined in this very worthy cause.”

Chris Meek, chairman and co-founder of the Stamford, Conn., organization, noted the Rahal family’s commitment to America’s veterans extends beyond its most recent generous gift. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing shows its support for SoldierStrong through its NTT IndyCar Series race team’s program, Turns For Troops. For every lap that Bobby’s son, Graham Rahal, completed in the 2021 season, sponsor United Rentals donated $50 to SoldierStrong.

“Since 2016, Turns for Troops has raised more than $1.1 million to help support veteran recovery through such devices as robotic exoskeletons that help paralyzed veterans walk again and virtual reality technology that provides effective treatment for post-traumatic stress,” Meek said. “The Rahal family, Rahal Automotive Group, Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing and Graham and Courtney Rahal Foundation have been there when America’s veterans needed them most and this donation is a testament to their selfless generosity.”

About Bobby Rahal Automotive Group

Bobby Rahal Automotive Group was founded in 1989 and proudly represents the Acura, BMW, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volvo brands throughout Western and Central Pennsylvania. The Bobby Rahal Automotive Group team is passionately committed to customer excellence and aims to provide a culture of caring that redefines the automotive experience. For more information, visit the Bobby Rahal Automotive Group website.

SoldierStrong and Penumbra to Support Veterans With Novel Immersive Healthcare Technology

SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit committed to delivering revolutionary medical technology to veterans to help them take their next steps forward, announced a donation from Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE: PEN), a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies, to support U.S. military veterans and active military service members with the use of immersive healthcare technology to help aid their physical rehabilitation. Penumbra will donate the REAL ® Immersive System, which leverages virtual reality (VR) to deliver engaging, immersive therapeutics designed to engage patients during their rehabilitation journey, supporting areas such as functional skills and cognition.

“There is significant research that supports the substantial benefits of virtual reality, which the military has long recognized. They are early adopters of VR technology to address a range of conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Adam Elsesser, chairman and CEO of Penumbra, Inc. “In honor of Veteran’s Day and Penumbra’s commitment to help as many people as we can with our technology, we are proud to support SoldierStrong in their mission to aid the health and well-being of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans.”

With this donation, SoldierStrong will be able to deliver REAL Systems to more than 20 military and veteran rehabilitation centers across the U.S. This is the latest effort by SoldierStrong to provide revolutionary medical technologies to help injured veterans and active service members lead full lives. Prior to Penumbra’s contribution, SoldierStrong had donated $4.2 million in state-of-the-art medical devices to individual veterans and Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country. These devices include hyper-advanced prosthetics, exoskeleton suits used in the rehabilitation of spinal and stroke injuries, virtual reality to treat post-traumatic stress and highpowered mobility devices.

“VR often keeps patients engaged in ways not always found within the treatment process, particularly in physical rehabilitation, and that benefit is immeasurable,” SoldierStrong co-founder and chairman Chris Meek said. “We could not carry out our mission without the innovation and leadership of companies like Penumbra that enthusiastically support our efforts to provide veterans with life-changing medical technologies.”

REAL Immersive System is designed for clinicians to address the individual needs of high-acuity to highfunctioning patients in a rehabilitation setting. Its activities address motor skills, core and balance, cognition, functional tasks, activities of daily living training, vision and wellness.

About the REAL Immersive System Portfolio
Penumbra’s REAL Immersive System is part of a portfolio of immersive healthcare products that leverage virtual reality to deliver engaging, immersive therapeutics designed to promote better health, including furthering functional skills, cognition and stress management. Built on advanced technology with a growing library of VR- based activities and experiences, the REAL Immersive System portfolio is comprised of two product solutions: REAL Immersive System for clinical rehabilitation and REAL i-Series for wellness. For more information, please visit the REAL system website.

About SoldierStrong
 SoldierStrong helps American patriots take their next steps forward. Through educational scholarships and by harnessing the most innovative technology in advanced rehabilitation, we help returning service men and women move in the only direction they should know – forward. Nearly every dollar SoldierStrong receives goes towards support of American patriots so that they can re-acclimate to civilian life. Our organization works to remind veterans who have sacrificed so much that we are forever thankful. For more information, visit the SoldierStrong website.

About Penumbra
 Penumbra, Inc., headquartered in Alameda, California, is a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies. Penumbra designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and has a broad portfolio that addresses challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need. Penumbra supports healthcare providers, hospitals and clinics in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit the Penumbra website and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Ahead of Veterans Day, SoldierStrong Donates $10,000 to Share “Wounded Heroes” Documentary With Heroes Across the Country

SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit committed to providing revolutionary medical technology to help military veterans take their next steps forward, has donated $10,000 to share viewings of the documentary, Wounded Heroes with military veterans, first responders and other heroes across the nation.

“Michael Gier’s award-winning documentary, Wounded Heroes, resonates with so many people who have experienced post-traumatic stress or know someone who has,” said SoldierStrong co-founder Chris Meek. “There have been many films and programs about post-traumatic stress but the focus on alternative treatments in Wounded Heroes is truly unique. Part of our work at SoldierStrong includes deploying revolutionary virtual reality technology used to treat PTS to Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country. Because we know firsthand that alternative treatments can be the solution those living with PTS are looking for, we were motivated and felt the need to share Wounded Heroes’ powerful message with a wide audience.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs reports anywhere from 17 to 22 veteran suicides every day.

“Many battling post-traumatic stress are convinced that it’s a ‘life sentence’ but as the film clearly shows, that’s simply not true,” said Gier, whose second documentary of 2021, Healing the Heroes of 9/11, was released in September. “Wounded Heroes features veterans that had lost hope but now have their lives back because they sought out alternative methods of treatment and as a result, their PTS is gone. They went from contemplating suicide to living happy fulfilling lives. I want viewers of the film who may be struggling to know that they too can find solutions to help them live happy fulfilling lives.”

SoldierStrong’s donation will allow 2,500 people to view Wounded Heroes for free. Those people interested in learning how to view Wounded Heroes at no cost should send an email to info@soldierstrong.org.

Since SoldierStrong’s inception following the tragic events of 9/11, the organization has donated more than $4.2 million of medical devices to help injured veterans, including robotic exoskeletons and 19 BraveMind posttraumatic stress treatment systems to VA hospitals and other medical facilities. The BraveMind virtual reality technology safely enables the veteran to relive and deconstruct traumatic memories to better cope with the trauma that it created.

Paralyzed Olive Branch vet throws out first pitch at Cubs game

Tyler Densford

Tyler Densford was only a mild baseball fan.

But after having the chance to throw out the first pitch this week at a Chicago Cubs game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Wrigley Field, and listening to the roar of the crowd cheer for him, the paralyzed veteran is an even bigger fan now.

Densford, a 2012 graduate of Lewisburg High School who was paralyzed from the chest down in a freak 2016 helicopter training accident, was able to walk upright to the pitchers mound using an Indego robotic exoskeleton which was donated to him by a family member of the Cubs’s owners.

“It was super awesome,” Densford said. “I came out on a golf cart from right field. They brought me to the dugout. I stood up off the golf cart and walked from there. I told my parents it was the best night of my life.”

Before finishing high school, Densford had earned his private pilot’s license and went on to pursue a career in aviation as a military pilot. Following Basic Military Training, Densford served with the 155th Air Guard Unit in Memphis as an aircraft flight equipment technician.

He was on a training mission in the summer of 2016 when he was accidentally dropped from a Blackhawk helicopter. Densford fell 40 feet and was left paralyzed from the chest down with a T8 spinal cord injury.

“It was a hoist exercise,” Densford said. “The medic fell out and I was attached to him. Then a seat came detached from the carabiner. It was just a series of unfortunate events.”

Densford said the Indego is fairly new technology. The device is a powered exoskeleton that fits to the lower limbs. It enables those like him with spinal cord injuries to stand and walk, and allows them to experience greater mobility and a new level of functional independence.

Densford was part of a four-month program testing a bionic walking system through the St. Louis Veteran’s Administration in 2020, but the study was cut short and he wasn’t able to continue due to COVID.

One of the therapists who worked with him was at a fundraiser showcasing the device and met Sylvie Legere Ricketts and her husband, Todd. The Ricketts are co-owners of the Chicago Cubs, and told her that they wanted to purchase a device and donate it to a veteran. An Indego exoskeleton costs about $100,000.

Densford was one of a handful of veterans who qualified for the device, and after meeting with Sylvie Ricketts, was selected to receive a device through the national nonprofit SoldierStrong. The Ricketts invited him to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field.

“I am so appreciative of Sylvie and Todd Ricketts,” Densford said. “I can’t say enough about how generous they are and what a great host they were to my family and me in Chicago. They are some of the greatest people I have ever met.”

Densford said the Indego has totally changed his quality of life. The exoskeleton has allowed him to get out of his wheelchair and walk independently.

“It’s pretty neat to see,” Densford said. “It doesn’t completely take away my wheel chair. At this point the battery life isn’t extremely long, only a few hours. And you are limited on the terrain you can go. But going to the gym and going around the walking track at the YMCA, it is really beneficial. And just to know that when I get married some day, that I will be able to stand, it is pretty emotional.”

And for the record, Densford said he is proud of the fact that he did not bounce the pitch to home plate.

“I had been practicing,” Densford said. “I wouldn’t have lived it down if I bounced it.”

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Dean Kamen Announce Launch of Operation Mobility Tour

Today, SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping military veterans take their next steps forward in life after service through the donation of revolutionary medical technologies, and Dean Kamen, founder and president of DEKA Research and Development Corp., announced the launch of Operation Mobility, a 2.5-month, cross-country bus tour to donate 25 iBOT® PMDs (Personal Mobility Devices) to wounded veterans and Veterans Affairs medical facilities.

SoldierStrong first announced its commitment to fully fund and donate 10 iBOT® PMDs to wounded veterans at the VHA Innovation Experience (iEX) conference last October. Kamen also made a commitment to donate 50 units to veterans and VA medical facilities throughout the tour and after its conclusion. The donations stem from an agreement between SoldierStrong and DEKA Research and collaboration with the Manchester, N.H.-based company Mobius Mobility, which manufactures and distributes the iBOT® PMD, with the goal of creating positive and lasting impacts on the physical and mental health of those who have served our country.

“Americans are fortunate to have the world’s most efficient and effective military. In return for those expectations of excellence, it’s important that we are providing access to the most efficient and effective medical technologies for those who return home with life-changing, often debilitating, injuries,” said Chris Meek, co-founder and chairman of SoldierStrong. “At the forefront of those technologies is the powered iBOT® PMD, which many of our nation’s heroes have the potential to benefit from if they have access to the device. Through SoldierStrong’s partnership with Dean Kamen, our organization is humbled and honored to work with Mobius Mobility to deliver expanded access to this transformative technology.”

The iBOT® PMD, the brainchild of Kamen in partnership with his company, DEKA, and Johnson & Johnson’s Independent Technology division, is a one-of-a-kind powered mobility device that climbs stairs, allows users to rise from sitting level to six feet tall, maintains superior balance compared to other products on the market and can travel through sand and standing water.

Donations of the iBOT® PMDs are the latest effort by SoldierStrong to provide revolutionary medical technologies to help injured veterans lead full lives. SoldierStrong has donated $4.2 million in state-of-the-art medical devices to individual veterans and VA medical centers. These devices include hyper-advanced prosthetics, virtual reality hardware and software, known as BraveMind, to aid in the treatment of post-traumatic stress (PTS) and the organization’s signature device, the SoldierSuit exoskeleton, used in the rehabilitation of paralyzed individuals who experience mobility setbacks from strokes, spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to help them regain the ability to stand and walk again. To date, SoldierStrong has donated 24 SoldierSuits and 14 BraveMind systems.

The Operation Mobility bus tour will start in East Orange, N.J. on May 27 at the East Orange VA Medical Center and will conclude in Syracuse, N.Y. at the Syracuse VA Medical Center on Aug. 4, 2021. Operation Mobility will consist of multi-day trips with intermittent breaks to re-stock and re-position its tour bus between longer legs of the journey.

Donations of these $30,000-a-piece, high-tech mobility devices will take place at 25 VA medical centers from coast-to-coast during the tour. Those events will consist of demonstrations and guest speakers, including Kamen, Meek, existing iBOT users, VA physicians and leaders, and elected officials.

Donations of the iBOT® PMD mobility devices are scheduled to take place at the following VA facilities: East Orange VA Medical Center in East Orange, N.J.; Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, Mass.; James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y.; Hampton VA Medical Center in Hampton, Va.; Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Ga.; James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Fla.; V.A. Medical Center, Miami in Miami, Fla.; Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas.; Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas; VA North Texas Health Care System in Dallas, Texas.; Memphis VA Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn.; St. Louis VA Medical Center in St. Louis, Mo.; Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC in Denver, Colo.; Raymond G. Murphy VAMC in Albuquerque, N.M.; San Diego VA Medical Center in San Diego, Calif.; VA Long Beach Healthcare System in Long Beach, Calif.; VA Palo Alto Healthcare System in Palo Alto, Calif.; VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Seattle, Wash.; Minneapolis VA Healthcare System in Minneapolis, Minn.; Clement J. Zablocki VAMC in Milwaukee, Wis.; Edward Hines, Jr. VA Medical Center in Hines, Ill.; Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC in Cleveland, Ohio; Syracuse VA Medical Center in Syracuse, N.Y., and VA Caribbean Healthcare System in San Juan, P.R.

Retired Army Major General Joins SoldierStrong Advisory Board

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gregg F. Martin has joined the advisory board of SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the nation’s military veterans by providing them with revolutionary medical technologies to help them take their next steps forward in their lives after service.

“Gregg Martin has demonstrated exemplary leadership within the United States military and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new role on the SoldierStrong advisory board,” said Chris Meek, the organization’s co-founder, and chairman. “I believe his presence on the board will play a key role in helping our organization bring much-needed, life-changing technology into the lives of veterans. His leadership skills, extensive military background and powerful personal story will undoubtedly be an asset to our mission.”

Martin is a combat veteran, bipolar survivor, Airborne-Ranger-Engineer qualified soldier and Army strategist, who served on active duty for 36 years. He holds a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees from MIT, master’s degrees in national security strategy from both the Army and Naval war colleges and a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. During the first year of the Iraq War, he commanded the 130th Engineer Brigade, which was the largest engineering force in the theater.

In addition to serving multiple overseas tours, Martin has commanded the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwest Division as a general officer, served as Commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School, commanded Fort Leonard Wood, served as Deputy Commanding General of Third Army/US Army Central, Commandant of the Army War College, President of National Defense University and Special Assistant to the Chief of Engineers. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal twice, as well as the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge.

Married with three sons, Martin’s family is committed to the tradition of service. Two of his sons, and his daughter-in-law, are Army combat veterans. Martin and his wife, Maggie, live in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he writes, speaks and continually shares his story of battling bipolar disorder in an effort to help save lives and stop the stigma. He praises his wife as “a heroine for persevering through our Army career, and surviving and overcoming our bipolar ordeal, which was the toughest fight of our lives.”

“As a veteran who has experienced mental health challenges and who has received support from the Veterans Administration, I feel that I am in an advantageous position to offer my experiences and expertise as a board member in a way that will help positively shape SoldierStrong’s efforts to provide innovative medical technology – including virtual reality systems to aid in the treatment of post-traumatic stress – to VA hospitals and other medical facilities,” Martin said. “I am proud to be part of an organization of SoldierStrong’s caliber. The organization is truly changing the lives of veterans each and every day and I look forward to contributing in a meaningful way that will have a positive impact on the physical and mental health of our nation’s heroes for years to come.”