CityView Magazine

giving Blood, Sweat and Tears T Small fundraisers honor big sacrifices | BY REBEKAH SANDERLIN he combat controller stood in a gym in Spring Lake in front of about 100 men and women in shorts and tennis shoes and told them about his buddies, Senior Air- man Danny Sanchez, Senior Airman Mark Forrester, and Staff Sergeant Andy Har- vell, all of whom were killed in Afghani- stan. He showed a slideshow of pictures of the men and talked about the families and lives they left behind, his voice choking with emotion as he spoke. He ended his speech by telling the crowd, many of whom were stretching their hamstrings and sipping from water bottles as they listened, "It is important that we look at these guys for who they were and their legacy. If that only meant giving money, then I'd give it all. If it means telling their story, then I'll stand up here and cry and tell it." Moments later, at the chime of an electronic bell, they were off; wearing 20-pound weighted vests as they muscled through nearly an hour's worth of pull- ups, sit-ups, push-ups and three miles of running to pay tribute to the fallen and to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which helps the fam- ilies of Special Operations warriors. Steven McLeary is a retired combat controller himself and the executive direc- tor of the Tampa, Fla.-based Special Op- erations Warrior Foundation. He said that smaller fundraising efforts, like the one at CrossFit Fort Bragg last month, are the "backbone" of the Foundation's funding. "Over 200 small fundraisers will take place for us this year," McLeary said, add- ing that several of those are scheduled to take place in the Fayetteville area which, with Special Forces, Psychological Op- erations, Air Force Combat Controllers and Delta Force members all living here, is home to a very large concentration of Special Operations personnel and their families. "In these events people are get- ting together because something or some- one has touched their lives. It is personal for them." McLeary said that while the organi- zation also has large dinners and events which raise money for the Foundation, the smaller fundraisers tend to be more per- sonal. He said that they've had kindergart- ners raise money by operating lemonade stands, and that many people raise money by getting donations to compete in races, bike rides and CrossFit workouts. One group of individuals has pledged to climb the seven highest summits in the world to raise money for the Warrior Foundation. "The smaller fundraisers raise about $1.5 million for us altogether each year," McLeary said. "Think of Niagara Falls. It takes a whole lot of water droplets to make a waterfall. The fact that people are willing to give their time — it's usually personal for them. You can't put a price B U SIN E S S PROF IL E WOMEN'S WELLNESS ROBOTICS AND INCONTINENCE CENTER Arnold B. Barefoot, MD, FACOG 910.323.3301 | www.fayettevillerobotics.com 2950 Village Drive (across from K&W Cafeteria) | Fayetteville, NC 28304 DR. ARNOLD BAREFOOT specializes in non-surgical and mini- mally invasive treatments for common, embarrassing and painful blad- der and bowel control problems confronting women. Evaluations are painless and performed in the privacy of his office. In addition, Dr. Barefoot is an experienced and expert laparoscopic surgeon, certified in the use of the Davinci Robot. Call today to schedule your appointment! Caring and Compassionate • Robotic Pelvic Surgery • Incontinence Treatment • Pelvic Prolapse/ Reconstructive Surgery • Interstim & Uroplasty Neuromodulation • Advanced Hysteroscopy • Endometrial Ablation CityViewNC.com | 27

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