Gretchen Annan, a volunteer from the VA Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colo., helps Jarod Behee, an Army veteran blinded during operations in Iraq, through the food line at the 22nd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass Village, Colo. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 1, 2008 - As nearly 400 disabled veterans enjoy the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic here, officials credit a legion of volunteers and sponsors as the driving force behind the clinic’s success.

The six-day event, which opened here March 30 and continues through April 4, gives severely disabled veterans the opportunity to ski, rock climb, scuba dive, trapshoot, snowmobile, and try their hand at sled hockey and wheelchair fencing, among other activities -- all with the help of more than 600 volunteers.
In addition, 76 sponsors have joined forces with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans to fund the $1 million program, according to Edward Hartman, DAV’s national director for voluntary services.

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