NAPA AUTO PARTS Joins Forces with the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to Raise Awareness for Children of Military Veterans Affected by PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury

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NAPA AUTO PARTS today launched its annual campaign supporting the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) with a video calling attention to the price military families pay when a veteran returns from service afflicted by post-traumatic stress (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The video features children reading the words of military veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI, and directs viewers to a link where they can make contributions to support the IFHF’s Intrepid Spirit Centers, which serve veterans and families near military bases across the country.

 “TBI and post-traumatic stress not only affect veterans, but also their spouses and children,” said Dave Winters, President, IFHF. “In the past 14 years, more than 2 million children have had a military parent deployed at least once, and for children of veterans returning with TBI or post-traumatic stress, the parent who returns is often very different from the one who left, creating even greater stress on the family.”

To boost awareness for the Intrepid Spirit Centers, NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Chase Elliott’s NAPA Chevy will feature a paint scheme honoring the IFHF at the Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 4. Ron Capps, NAPA AUTO PARTS NHRA driver will also feature a patriotic paint scheme supporting the IFHF at this weekend’s event in Norwalk, Ohio, as well the following event in Chicago.

NAPA AUTO PARTS is one of the largest single donors to the IFHF, raising more than $3 million to date.

NAPA AUTO PARTS will donate $1 to the IFHF when customers send in rebates on qualifying battery, alternator or starter purchases. NAPA also is asking customers to show their support for the IFHF by visiting www.NAPAonline.com/INTREPID to purchase an Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund T-shirt and bracelet for $15. All proceeds will support construction of Intrepid Spirit Centers near major military bases around the country. Additionally, participating NAPA AUTO PARTS stores will offer a free commemorative NAPA/IFHF cap with a purchase of $25 or more while supplies last.

The public is also invited to make donations via the IFHF’s donations page, or make a $10 contribution by texting “TROOPS” to 27722. One-hundred percent of the proceeds will go toward building Intrepid Spirit Centers to serve veterans and their families.

“It is an honor to support the men and women of our armed forces who have so bravely served our country,” said Dan Askey, President, NAPA AUTO PARTS. “We hope that by raising awareness for how PTSD and TBI affect their children, we can enable the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to provide care for the thousands more families across the country.”

According to a study released in 2008 by the RAND Corporation and the California Community Foundation, 20 percent of service members who served in Iraq or Afghanistan reported symptoms of PTSD or depression. Hundreds of thousands of military personnel have been diagnosed with some level of TBI in the past decade, many as a result of combat injury. For many others, these injuries go undiagnosed or untreated.

TBI and psychological health conditions can have long-term and sometimes severe effects on service members’ lives, affecting their ability to work, interact with others, manage basic living tasks and even interact with their own families. Depression and more tragic consequences including suicide can result. Proper and immediate diagnosis and early treatment are crucial to addressing this critical need among America’s military personnel and veterans. 

The IFHF opened its flagship National Intrepid Center of Excellence, focused on the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and TBI, on the U.S. Navy campus in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2010, and set a goal of raising $100 million to build a network of 25,000-square-foot Intrepid Spirit Centers, which features:

  • Intake/Clinic areas offering psychiatric testing, chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, neuropsych testing and typical exam rooms. 
  • Physical therapy facilities in an open gym layout with standard physical therapy equipment.
  • Sleep labs equipped with a sleep system and ambient therapy music and a control room equipped with a computer monitoring system.
  • Central Park, a calm atmosphere for patient and family member relaxation and family education, offering a meditative feel and including ambient therapy music.
  • A centrally located family room adjacent to the outdoor patio, providing a space for patients and family to spend time together — a critical part of the healing process.

There are currently three Intrepid Spirit Centers: Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Facilities at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Hood, Texas, are under construction and will be complete by the end of 2015. Four additional Intrepid Spirit Centers are planned.

NAPA Auto Parts PR

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