PROJECT L.O.D.
LOD: (Pronounced L.O.D.) Also known as the “Line Of Departure”, is a military term for the starting line a military force is ordered to cross at a certain time to coordinate an attack on enemy positions.
While veterans may no longer face the actual rigors of wartime, the physical and mental adjustments and transitions into “civilian life” may prove to be just as daunting.
One of the more significant lapses in a veteran’s transition from service to civilian lies within maintaining a standard of physical fitness. While there are some who remain motivated enough to take care of themselves, the vast majority find themselves falling into bad habits, lacking motivation to remain consistent, or sadly, not being able to afford a gym membership.
These new “enemies” have the potential to degrade not only the physical health, but also the mental health of our veterans and service men and women.
Through Project LOD, Wild Horizons CrossFit is proud to be at the forefront of fitness and empowerment for America’s bravest!
Project LOD is a sponsorship program established by Ryan Garcia, the owner of Wild Horizons CrossFit in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Ryan is a Marine Corps Veteran with 5 years of active duty service, and 7 years of inactive-reserve service.
As a CrossFit gym owner, Ryan has particular interest in providing his services for active military members, reserve military members, and most significantly, honorably discharged retired veterans.
*Any traveling service member on active duty orders may workout for FREE while they are in the area, and Ryan offers a Military/First Responder rate for personnel stationed in the area on active or reserve duty.
The ultimate objective of this project is to establish relationships with high profile donors who are willing to donate funds to offset membership costs so Wild Horizons CrossFit can facilitate honorably discharged veterans to workout at his gym for FREE!
While the primary use of funds will be to cover the cost of veteran memberships, the secondary application of sponsored funds will be used to cover special equipment needs to support the influx of new members, contribute to events that support the mission of Project LOD, and cover other operational expenses of Wild Horizons CrossFit.
In exchange for sponsorship, Ryan wishes to establish a good working relationship with sponsors, and has plans to support their individual business efforts through various means.
Below you can find ways to support and sponsor the initiative.
***Any contribution from a business will include banner placement at the gym, discounted memberships for staff and employees, word of mouth referrals, logo placement on all social media platforms, including the main website, and frequent mentions via social media.
Note: Ryan is willing to work with potential sponsors if they wish to make their own package, or have other ideas in which their sponsored funds can be reciprocated.
If you have another idea in mind on how to contribute to the cause, please contact Ryan at: ProjectLODVeteran@gmail.com
FOLLOW THE LINKS Below To SPONSOR A VETERAN MEMBERSHIP THROUGH STRIPE:
1 Month Sponsorship - $100
1 Year Veteran Sponsor - $750
*You may also make a sponsor contribution via PayPal @projectLODveteran@gmail.com
Ryan can be contacted via E-Mail: projectLODveteran@gmail.com and by Cell: 970-691-2309
Current Supporters of Wild Horizons CrossFit and the veteran athletes:
*In our first year, the owner of NOCO Mechanical, Chaz Lauer, made a contribution that covered the cost of all of my current honorably discharged veterans to cover their memberships for the entire year.
La Buena Vida and Los Tarascos are both Fort Collins businesses owned and operated by the same family. They have supported by gym events with monetary donations for equipment, gift cards for raffle, and have hosted numerous gym functions to promote welfare and recreation for my members.
Dr. Dave Witt of Sunstone Health Associates has contributed his time to attend several of my events and offer his PT and Chiropractic services for my members. He has donated cash and gift cards to support my events as well. He is one of my highest recommended chiropractors in the area for my athletes.
history of the initiative
In 2017 a story was published about a gym owner in Atlanta who banned police officers, and military members from his gym. His rationale was that police officers are already trained to kill, and there is no point in making them stronger. With military personnel his reasoning was, “If you are part of the system, we don’t want you here…” He felt a military and law enforcement presence at his gym would intimidate his clientele. Luckily, his story inspired other gyms in to the area to take action, and in turn, other Atlanta gyms offered free workouts and discounted memberships to members of law enforcement and military. This prompted me think how I could use my gym and my services as a platform for a cause as noteworthy. Being former military myself, it was an easy decision to make!
The first Battle Buddies event was Nov 2017, and as of Jan 1, 2018 I began offering free memberships for honorably discharged veterans with proof of form DD-214.
