Military veterans will soon have another outlet to channel and share their experiences, on a restored wooden yacht in California, thanks in part to GAC worldwide.
The GAC Group’s five regions have donated to support the Wooden Boats For Veterans foundation (WBFV) – an organization that helps veterans harness their power of past military experiences.
The foundation currently has two boats in operation and is in the process of restoring a 1938 wooden yacht, ‘Clover’, itself a veteran having seen service in the English Channel during World War II. Once restored, the boat will be able to host up to 24 disabled veterans on trips around the San Francisco Bay and along the coast of California.
“We are restoring ‘Clover’ to add to our fleet of boats that support the Veterans Administration and the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors,” says WBFV President Terry Moran. “It is our vision that we will have an all-veteran crew take wounded veterans on sailing expeditions as a pathway to healing.”
The boats are also used in workforce development in helping veterans work as a team to return to good mental health. The organization hopes that by partnering with companies like GAC, veterans are able to also find employment.
“We are determined to come together for such a worthy cause in support of our veterans and to help them in the recovery process,” says GAC Group Vice President for the Americas, Lars Heisselberg.
Restoration work on ‘Clover’ will begin in early 2016 at Bay Marine Boat Works in Richmond, California, and she will be back in the water by the end of May. She will be fitted out with equipment to allow veterans to actually sail her, rather than simply sitting and observing.