Community Corner

Reading Man Runs to Help Heal 'Invisible Wounds' of War

A family-friendly fundraiser will be held at Grumpy's Ale House on July 12 from 2-5 p.m.

On Saturday, July 19, Greg Jones participates in the fifth annual Run to Home Base to help returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families heal the “invisible wounds” of war.  The Run to Home Base, presented by New Balance, raises funds for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. Home Base operates one of the only private sector clinics in the nation dedicated to helping veterans and their families recover from post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury through clinical care, education and research. 

A family-friendly fundraiser will be held at Grumpy’s Ale House on July 12 from 2-5 p.m. Grumpy’s will be donating 10 percent of all food purchases during the event, so bring a big appetite as they have a fantastic new menu with plenty of options.  

Now in its fifth year, the Run to Home Base presented by New Balance starts and ends in historic Fenway Park with all runners crossing home plate at the finish line. Last year, approximately 2,500 runners and walkers, including 500 actively serving military raised $1.9 million for Home Base.

Find out what's happening in Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“For many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, coming home from a war zone hasn’t been easy – for them or their families," said Brigadier General (ret) Jack Hammond, executive director of Home Base. "The things we do every day, like getting a good night’s sleep, going to a baseball game, driving in traffic, feeling connected to the people in our lives, have become a struggle for one-in-three returning veterans because of post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.”  

Since the fall of 2009, the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program has: provided clinical care and support for 1,000 veterans and family members from all six New England states; provided additional support for thousands of veterans and family members through free recreational activities, work in public schools, and on college campuses. In addition, Home Base has trained more than 11,000 clinicians nationwide to recognize and treat the invisible wounds in their medical practices, and the program is engaged in national research to improve the treatment and understanding of PTS and TBI. To learn more visit www.homebaseprogram.org

Find out what's happening in Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here