Empowering Healthy Veterans Run

USCA and the VMSS welcome the community to participate in the third annual Empowering Healthy Veterans Run

Aiken, SC (11/08/2021) — The University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) and the Office of Veteran and Military Student Success (VMSS) welcome the community to participate in the third annual Empowering Healthy Veterans Run (EHV) on Saturday, November 13, 8:30 a.m., at the Roberto Hernandez Field on the university campus.

Proceeds from the run will help establish the new Veteran and Military Student Scholarship at USCA. Participants will receive swag and an event shirt. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, including fastest individual time, fastest family, and most spirited runner.

This 10k, 5k, and Family Fun Run event is part of the larger EHV Campaign, which stems from the Veterans Civic Health Index (VCHI) report showing the connection between veterans reentering society and community health. "The Empowering Healthy Veterans Campaign brings awareness; it's a movement," said Robert Murphy, director of the VMSS.

A topic that is often misunderstood, reintegration into civilian life is an ongoing process for many veterans and does not simply end once they return home. The VCHI report shows that healthy veterans engage with their community more than the average person when they return home. Whether that interaction is starting a neighborhood watch or coaching a little league baseball team, healthy veterans tend to be more engaged overall.

"The transition of military service members, when they become veterans, is difficult," said Murphy. "There's pain involved, but that pain allows veterans to become stronger. When the communities partner up with those veterans, the communities also benefit from a healthy veteran transition. So, it's imperative that communities partner with their veterans, and it's imperative for veterans to make it a point to work through the pain of the transition and to become healthy. When that happens, healthy veterans equal healthy communities."

Corporate sponsors of the EHV Campaign include the Savannah River Nuclear Solution and The Alley Downtown Taproom.

Register to participate in an event by visiting usca.edu/ehvcampaign, or find the EHV Campaign on Facebook.

There will be a 15% discount for registration Veteran's Day only, using the promo code: HV=HC2021

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