Stone Industry Volunteers Make Reel Time with Vets
DENVER — For a military veteran who has injuries sustained in battle such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other disabling injury, daily life can be stressful and isolating. The opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and participate in a group activity can often have a therapeutic effect.
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For the last few years, Bob Adwar and fellow members of the Rocky Mountain Stone Association (RMSA), based here in Denver, have organized outings such as pheasant hunts, duck hunts, big game hunts and fly fishing for wounded veterans. The events provide a priceless opportunity for a day of peace, relaxation, camaraderie and fun for them and their families.
The outings are organized through the humanitarian efforts of Adwar and the Denver Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI). During his involvement on the group’s Board of Directors he became the main driver of the efforts to expand their outreach to wounded veterans.
Through a grant by SCI and by partnering with organizations such as Freedom Hunters, Operation TBI, Project Wounded Ego and Denver’s Craig Hospital, he works with case managers who help identify wounded veterans who qualify and have interest in attending the events. Colorado’s landscape provides convenient access to a number of premier outdoor locations, at which Adwar’s worked to organize more than 150 outings over the last 14 years.
Having been involved on all levels of the natural-stone industry for over 20 years, and as one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain Stone Association (RMSA), Adwar was able to approach his peers in the stone business who have the same love of the outdoors and appreciation for the sacrifices made by wounded veterans.
Those who donate their time to assist with the outings include Devron Coday of European Marble; Rob Krisnar, formerly of Colorado Custom Stone; Scott Polak of The Denver Marble Company; and Chris Dundas, Adwar’s partner in Marble Tec Systems which restores natural-stone surfaces in commercial and residential buildings.
Adwar and his volunteers see first-hand the benefit of these experiences on the Veterans and often hear feedback of how much their participation has helped improve their outlook. He recalls how a veteran’s wife shared with him that “(the outing) was the first time she had seen her husband smile in months.”
“These outings give me an opportunity to help these veterans get out of their day-to-day routine,” says Polak, “get back into the outdoors, and enjoy activities that they thought they could no longer participate in.”
Denver talk-show host Peter Boyles helps promote these humanitarian efforts and raises money to allow for more injured veterans to be involved. Adwar’s contribution as a guest on Boyles’ radio show during his popular KNUS-AM Halloween broadcasts in 2013 and 2014 offered a fun, effective way to spread the word and help the cause.
Established in 2011, the RMSA was created to promote integrity, quality and safety in the natural-stone industry in Colorado and surrounding states and give the consumer a viable avenue for selecting a reputable business for their projects.
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