Page 12 - mch0217_BuyersGuide

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Shades of Green and NFL Host TAPS Families at Pro Bowl
Sixteen families who have lost loved ones during their
service to the nation had the opportunity to attend the
2017 Pro Bowl weekend beginning Jan. 26 in Orlando, Fla.,
honoring the lives of their fallen heroes and building new
family memories together.
The weekend was filled with opportunities for families to Carroll, TAPS’ founder and president. “For the families of
connect with one another, to celebrate their heroes and enjoy those who have lost loved ones in military, the NFL has of-
a very special experience with the NFL in Walt Disney World
and in Orlando. The opportunity was made possible through
a grant provided by the National Football League (NFL) to
12 MILITARY CLUB & HOSPITALITY | FEBRUARY 2017
the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), a na-
tional service organization providing emotional support to
the surviving family members of the nation’s fallen heroes.
“TAPS is grateful to the NFL for its longstanding commit-
ment to the men and women of our armed forces,” said Bonnie
fered extraordinary experiences on the field where they have
honored their fallen heroes and cheered on their favorite teams.”
TAPS families stayed at Shades of Green, the Armed Forc-
es Recreation Center (AFRC) located
within the Walt Disney World Resort.
“We are so grateful to Shades of Green
for welcoming our TAPS families for a
beautiful weekend, while we were at-
tending the Pro Bowl with the NFL to
honor the Families of America’s Fallen
Heroes,” said Carroll. “The warmth,
appreciation and love that we received
from the staff and the other guests meant
so much to all of us. It is a very special
place and will always be our home in
Disney World, a place for us to create
magical memories.”
For decades, TAPS has been connect-
ing surviving military family members.
The organization was founded out of
tragedy and connection, when Carroll
found healing through being with other
families who lost loved ones in the same
Army plane crash in 1992.
“We are proud to work with TAPS
and give back to the men and women
in uniform that sacrifice so much for
this country,” said NFL Senior Vice
President of Social Responsibility Anna
Isaacson. “Celebrating the families of
fallen heroes is one of the many ways
to honor their legacy.”
The TAPS sports program, team-
s4taps, creates meaningful opportunities
for the surviving families of America’s
military fallen by engaging with the
athletes and teams they cheered for
with their hero. teams4taps works with
more than 100 sports teams across the
country, and since its inception in 2013,
has touched the lives of thousands of
surviving military families.
“The best way to honor the fallen is to
recognize their families, a living legacy to
their service and sacrifice for the freedom
and protection of our nation,” said TAPS’
Chief Officer, Sports and Entertainment,
Diana Hosford. “Being recognized by
the league and invited to share in the joy
of the Pro Bowl, which showcases the
very best of the NFL, means so much
to the 70,000 surviving military family
members across America.”