Riva Outdoor Teams With Bob Woodruff Foundation to Help Veterans - Bob Woodruff Foundation

Riva Outdoor Teams With Bob Woodruff Foundation to Help Veterans

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New skiwear collection to honor 10th Mountain Division unveiled before Stand Up for Heroes

Riva Outdoor announced the creation of a new line of ski apparel that honors the iconic 10th Mountain Division past and present, while raising funds for programs supporting injured service members and veterans via the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

The ski gear was unveiled on the red carpet at the 9th Annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit concert at the Theater at Madison Square Garden which featured Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Ray Romano, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart and more. The sold-out show raised more than $6.1 million in support of post-9/11 injured service members, veterans, and their families through the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

“We are proud to help launch this unique line of ski apparel that honors the service and sacrifice of the brave soldiers of the iconic 10th Mountain Division.” said Anne Marie Dougherty, Executive Director of the Bob Woodruff Foundation “With every purchase of this authentic ski gear, the public will have the opportunity to create positive returns for those veterans returning to their communities.”

“I’m proud to work with the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the US Army to honor the 10th Mountain Division by helping us launch this ski collection,” said David Clark, Riva Outdoor co-founder “It’s very encouraging to see the ski industry, which was largely founded by returning soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division, respond to an authentic line of ski and snowboard gear that gives back to the very people it seeks to honor.”

20-year ski veteran and Riva Outdoor co-creator Troy Bush states: “I’m moved by the outpouring of support we’re already received for this tribute line, and am proud to announce that it’s the only major skiwear collection where every piece is made in the USA. It’s an honor to create gear inspired by actual ski clothing designed for winter combat over 80 years ago. When you think of the inhospitable terrain that the men of the 10th Mountain Division had to endure, it’s truly humbling.”

The Bob Woodruff Foundation creates long-lasting, positive outcomes for our nation’s injured veterans, service members and their families, by finding, funding and shaping initiatives that enrich the lives of these heroes.

About:

The Bob Woodruff Foundation: The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) is the nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring injured service members and their families are thriving long after they return home. A national organization with grassroots reach, the Bob Woodruff Foundation complements the work of the federal government – diligently navigating the maze of more than 46,000 nonprofits providing services to veterans – finds, funds and shapes innovative programs, and holds them accountable for results. To date, BWF has invested nearly $30 million in public education and solutions, reaching more than 2 million service members, support personnel, veterans and their families. The Bob Woodruff Foundation was co-founded in 2006 by award-winning anchor Bob Woodruff and his family, whose own experiences inspired them to help make sure the nation’s heroes have access to the high level of support and resources they deserve, for as long as they need it. For more information about the Bob Woodruff Foundation, please visit the BWF website, like the BWF Facebook page, and follow the BWF on Twitter, @Stand4Heroes.

Riva Outdoor: A collaboration of David Clark Cause (DCC) led by CEO David Clark, and Altitude Lab, LLC, led by principles Molly Kingston and Troy Bush, the Riva Outdoor Company was created to honor the service and sacrifice of the famed 10th Mountain Division, while raising funds and awareness to support Wounded Warriors from all branches of the military. A key initiative of Riva is to create and sell authentic ski gear solely made in the USA that pays tribute to the rich history of the 10th Mountain Division in WWII, and through a unique collaboration with the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the US Army, a portion of all sales proceeds will be donated to injured service men and women so they receive the care they so richly deserve. Riva Outdoor is proud to take its name from the victorious battle of “Riva Ridge” fought by the 10th Mountain Division in the winter of 1945. For more information visit www.TenthMountainDivision.com. David Clark also founded the Above & Beyond Citizen Honors for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which General Colin Powell launched on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by asking fellow Americans to nominate ordinary citizens in their local community who have gone “above and beyond” for others. That all the living Medal of Honor recipients select the civilian honorees is what gives this award its unique authority. The initiative is supported by every living U.S. President and every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is presented annually at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Medal of Honor Day.

10th Mountain Division: This unique organization within the United States Army came into being on July 13, 1943, at Camp Hale, Colorado. The 10th Mountain Division training at the 9,200-foot high camp honed the skills of its soldiers to fight and survive under the most brutal winter mountain conditions. Recruits learned to ski with packs and rifles, walking up every run then skiing down. Its 12,000 men included Olympians, ski teachers, Russo-Finnish war veterans, rock climbers and future entrepreneurs. The 10th Mountain Division landed in Naples, Italy at the end of 1944 and headed for the Apennine mountains to engage the enemy. When the 10th reached the Brenner Pass in May, it had chased the enemy faster and farther than any division in World War II. The price: 30 percent casualties, the war’s highest for a military division. The men of the 10th had earned more medals than any U.S. Division. The 10th Mountain Division was reactivated in 1985, and since then it has been the most deployed division in the United States Army, with soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan. Following WWII, soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division had a substantial effect in developing the modern day ski industry as over 2,000 of them returned to lay out ski hills, designed ski lifts, became ski coaches, racers, instructors, patrollers, shop owners, and filmmakers. They wrote and published ski magazines, opened ski schools, improved ski equipment, and at least 60 ski resorts were actually founded by soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division.