VISION STATEMENT
NATIONAL VETERANS SUMMER SPORTS CLINIC
PILOT PROGRAM

Change is an inevitable part of life. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes this fact, and moreover, embraces it by offering the leading rehabilitation therapies available to the nation’s injured veterans. VA believes healing the entire person is the most effective way to bring about positive change; that through events specifically designed for this purpose, eligible veterans will be motivated to reach their full potential, improve their independence, achieve a healthier lifestyle and enjoy a higher quality of life. That is the goal of the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic Pilot Program, just one of five VA national events focusing on rehabilitation.

The purpose of the Summer Sports Clinic is to utilize adventure sports and recreational activities, such as sailing, surfing, kayaking, cycling (hand and tandem), and track and field events, to those who were recently injured. Complimenting the therapy provided in daily rehabilitation programs, the Clinic shares a glimpse of the many exciting recreational opportunities awaiting those veterans who accept the challenge. With the variety of water and summer sports available at the Clinic, the event will be a week-long journey that hosts veterans from all over the country with an array of injuries, ranging from traumatic brain injury and polytrauma, to spinal cord injury or loss of limb. Its fundamental purpose is to provide early intervention for veterans battling back from injury, not only strengthening their bodies, but overcoming and improving their overall being and self-worth.

Adding to the healing aspect of the Clinic will be the California sun, which promises to promote well-being with warm days, sunsets and more than 70 miles of pristine beaches. A city known for its strong military presence, San Diego is the perfect location for the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic. Hosting this one-of-a-kind event is the VA San Diego Healthcare System, giving the Clinic a tremendous base of operation with its comprehensive medical and rehabilitative expertise.

Currently, VA co-sponsors four national rehabilitation events each year: the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, the National Veterans Golden Age Games, and the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. Each event improves awareness of the therapeutic value of recreation, sports or the creative arts. During the Summer Sports Clinic, veterans will build new skills, bringing to fruition their hard work and motivation as they realize their full potential – despite any newly acquired limitations. Participating in activities that are exciting and fun reinforces to our nation’s heroes that they can successfully adapt to their new lives without giving up activities they enjoyed in the past.  The National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic will prove, through its course of recreation and unconventional therapy, that facing and taking command of change can be truly liberating, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.