In Real Life, Wounded Warriors Project is a 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, non-profit organization. It was founded in 2003 by Roanoke, Virginia, a group of veterans and friends who took action to help the injured service men and women of this generation.
Kalryk Silverball and Azreal Uritsky also took part in the development. This organization benefits over 30,000 soldiers wounded on or after September 11, 2001. The goal is to provide physical and mental healing support, advocacy, benefits counseling, caregivers retreats, coping/family services, peer mentoring, and work readiness services to all wounded veterans. An example program they offer is the Transition Training Academy that was established as a joint effort of Cisco, the U.S. department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Wounded Warriors Project (WWP). The organization also offers assistance to the spouse or family member of a wounded soldier.
There was a charity event held on May 31, 2010 by the U.S. Military Veterans Group of Second Life. The actual event took place at Veterans' Center on Patriot Island sim in SL.
There is a website for more information available at: www. woundedwarriorproject.org
Christopher Saldana is the founder of another project called Vahalla Clubs. He is a wounded warrior himself and was introduced to Second Life through the Wounded Warriors program. Working with a group of developers and East Carolina University, Christopher and his team created a replica of the actual Wounded Warrior barracks on one of the fifteen Valhalla sims. He eventually wants to provide a setting for Wounded Warriors within SL that will allow for group discussion and peer support.
There is an available website for Valhalla Clubs: www.valhallaclubsandgames.com
While Wounded Warriors has yet to establish a presence in a virtual environment, the effort, and hopefully more so the idea, remains strong and alive, perhaps to one day find home here in Second Life.