Embrace raises more than $35,000 at third annual Ex 4 Vets event
Hundreds of college students, active military and veterans came together to fundraise on the USS Midway.
- San Diego, CA (1888PressRelease) May 22, 2013 - For the third year, San Diego college students, military personnel and the general public exercised on the deck of the USS Midway to raise money for homeless and veterans at Ex 4 Vets III on April 20, 2013. Ex 4 Vets III was hosted by Embrace, a nationally recognized non-profit organization focused on bringing diverse groups of people together to serve civilians and veterans in need. The event included an hour-long kickboxing workout lead by San Diego fitness guru Cindy Whitmarsh and a post-workout expo and award ceremony aboard the flight deck of the USS Midway.
"I am very pleased with the turnout of this year's event," said Sean Sheppard, Founder of Embrace. "We saw an unprecedented number of veteran and active military groups participate including Team Semper Fi, The Motivators, SONGS Security and Cask Coopers."
This year, more than 400 people attended and helped raise more than $35,000. Four fraternity and four sorority houses from SDSU participated and competed to win the Ex 4 Vets Cup, a trophy that is awarded to the houses that raise the most pledge money. SDSU Pi Beta Phi won the sorority cup with $1,025 raised, and SDSU Sigma Phi Epsilon won the fraternity cup with $3,700 raised.
More than $9,600 was donated back to student organizations, active military groups and veteran groups as part of the event's format to allow such groups to keep 50 percent of what they raise. The other 50 percent will go toward Embrace's community projects including the Embrace The Streets program that mobilizes college students to provide food, clothing and blankets to San Diego's homeless civilians and veterans, and the Healing Our Heroes' Homes program that restores the homes of disabled veteran homeowners.
"I can't say enough about the students, veterans and active military that came out to support the work Embrace does to assist our homeless and disabled veterans," said Sheppard. "The weather was perfect, and the energy was fantastic. The awareness being raised about these special groups of veterans is significant, and as evidenced by the smiling faces and happy sponsors, we all had a great time doing it."
San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald was on hand to give pre-event comments. Exercise leader Cindy Whitmarsh received a trophy from Embrace for volunteering her time for the third year in a row, and KUSI reporter Dave Scott received an Embrace community service award on live television for covering the event.
The San Diego Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Horse Cavalry) marched in colors for the national anthem, which was performed by the Garcia 3, a talented group of brothers who made their third consecutive appearance at Ex 4 Vets.
Following the Ex 4 Vets workout, Embrace hosted a post-exercise party featuring food, fun, music and an award ceremony to recognize the top individual and group fundraisers. Prizes included two 40-inch TVs for the top individual fundraisers and gift cards to Flemings Steakhouse and University Club.
Ex 4 Vets III sponsors and partners included Alliance Healthcare Foundation, SDG&E, Military Home Loans, Mike Whitmarsh Foundation, Jack In The Box Foundation, 24 Hour Fitness, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Circle Foods, The USS Midway Museum, The US Navy Region Southwest, Flemings Steakhouse and University Club.
Ex 4 Vets IV is scheduled for Saturday, April 19, 2014. For more information, visit www.ex4vets.org.
About Embrace
Founded in 2000, Embrace uses community service to bring diverse groups of people together to bring about social wellness in our society. The organization focuses on the utilization of college students and recent graduates to develop their leadership qualities and remedy community problems such as health disparities and homelessness on a volunteer basis. Founder Sean Sheppard's ultimate goal is to bring about legislation that makes community service mandatory for all college students that attend state funded institutions of higher education.
For more information on Embrace, visit www.embrace1.org.
For more information about Sheppard and his life, visit www.thegoodsheppard.tv
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