Ford and veterans groups are partnering to host the Bronco Off-Roadeo for vets and their families

Ford Motor Co. in partnership with veterans groups to host veterans and their families at the Texas Bronco Off-Roadeo event.

Last month, nearly 200 veterans, survivors, service members and their families attended an event at the Ford plant in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. It included a four-hour off-road adventure, breakout sessions, motivational speakers, a special dinner, live music by Guitars 4 Vets, and access to employment and services for veterans.

Attendees included 70 Gold Star family members, as well as Purple Heart recipients and members groups of veterans such as Blue Star Families, TAPS, Travis Manion Foundation and Guitars 4 Vets. Ford’s off-road tour guides also included many veterans to help deepen the sense of camaraderie among those in attendance.

“We’re very excited about this Bronco Off-Road Roadeo that Ford is making for a number of military and veteran families,” Kathy Roth-Duke, CEO of Blue Star Families and spouse of a Marine Corps veteran, told FOX Business. interview. “They take families on an amazing adventure, climbing and descending cobblestones, creating camaraderie and an exciting spirit.”

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“But it’s not just about this wonderful day and time where we show appreciation to people who have served and their families, it’s all about sharing the resources that exist for families,” she explained. Roth-Buke added that the event also gives different groups of veterans an opportunity to come together and find ways to work together.

Nigel Fisher, director of development at Guitars for Vets and a 20-year veteran US Marine Corpstold FOX Business that the group’s performances at events like the Bronco Off-Roadeo help demonstrate that veterans who may have been injured while serving the country can continue to perform.

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” the music is greatbut we really showcase the adaptive qualities of our program and how we coach veterans who may have some physical challenges that may prevent them from adapting to a style of play that many others who don’t have those physical limitations may face,” he said.

“It’s really nice to be able to share it in person, and a lot of veterans will find us for the first time by participating in this event and then seeing it for themselves. There is no better example of what can be done than these testimonies, each of our people present here participates in the performance tonight, and then can go out into the crowd while the dinner is going on and answer questions about how they experienced the program “said Fisher.

Ford also brought in some of his HR team to help accommodate veterans and members reserve forces in place.

“They’re looking to hire veterans, they’re hiring reservists. We want to ask all employers to do this because we need a reserve force. Forty percent of our deployed forces are now Reserve or National Guard, so if employers don’t give people the opportunity to work and serve in the Reserves, we can’t take care of the country,” Roth-Duquet said.

Employees from Department of Veterans Affairs were also willing to help veterans access services or resolve issues that previously prevented them from doing so.

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Fisher said that when he retired from the Marine Corps in 2013, he had “a bit of a rocky start at the VA,” and said that “I think some veterans have heard some of these stories from peers, and we rely on these colleagues.” lots of feedback to help guide us through the transition.”

“Over the past year, I’ve noticed huge changes in the quality of service, the quality of service, the quality of processing disability claimsand I found that to be absolutely true because I took this opportunity to rebuild my relationship with the VA through events like this,” Fisher said.

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“I went to the VA and said, ‘I’d really like to get in touch with you again, because from what I’ve heard, I’m going to get better care than I could get in the civilian sector,'” he explained. “I’m very pleased to share with you that this adventure and my own quest for care at the VA has been nothing short of top notch, so it’s an important aspect of what we do here.”