expressing gratitude

to our military, their families,

and veterans.

4 Our Freedom 5k

Please join us in supporting or running in the 8th Annual 4 Our Freedom 5k on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the UVA Research Park in Charlottesville. The 4 Our Freedom 5K provides critical financial support to local organizations that directly serve our military, their families, and our veterans that live in the central Virginia region. Below is a list of this year’s race beneficiaries, along with a link to learn more about the organizations.

2018 Race Beneficiaries

Blue Star Families of Central Virginia | bsfcv.avenue.org

Living Free | livingfree2gether.org

Wintergreen Adaptive Sports | wintergreenadaptivesports.org

Wildrock | wildrock.org

ParadeRest Virginia | paraderestva.org

Over the past seven years, more than 5,000 runners have participated in this event and we have raised over $650,000 for our military, veterans, and their families. Your support as a race participant will help greatly as we raise funds to support these important programs.

In 2018 the race will once again benefit local non-profits that support members of the military, veterans, and/or their families in our local community. ParadeRest is currently accepting applications from organizations that meet the eligibility requirements, and desire this funding. Applications are due by November 1, 2017. Please see the attached document for more information, or contact Tom Freshwater at tfreshwater@paraderestva.org.

Feature on Charlottesville Inside-Out

ParadeRest was recently featured on the local PBS program, “Charlottesville Inside-Out”. To watch the complete episode about our organization's activities and efforts, please click here or check out the video below.

ParadeRest’s segment begins at 13:31.

A Nickel for your Story is an effort to record the stories of our nation's veterans, starting with those from World War II, to preserve these invaluable and increasingly rare accounts for future generations. This year, we have started a campaign to help raise funds to continue our mission in collecting the stories of veterans from the Vietnam War era. By allowing these soldiers to tell their stories, we can give them the welcome home many never received. For more information on this special project and to donate, please click on the link below.

Click here to donate

To Our Sponsors

We would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors who generously support our ticketing program. Through ticket donations from the UVA Athletic Office, The Paramount Theater, Sprint Pavilion, John Paul Jones Arena, and others, ParadeRest is able to fulfill its mission of serving the Charlottesville community and its military personnel. Thank you. We could not do it without your help.

About Us

Composed of veterans, non-veterans, and representatives of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville area community, the ParadeRest Board has donated its time since 2009 towards providing ways to engage military personnel and their families with the local community. Expressions of gratitude for our veterans have taken the form of donated tickets to entertainment and sporting events.

ParadeRest was launched with the assistance of the National Headquarters of the American Red Cross, the Blue Star Families of Central Virginia and the Research Strategies Network with the purpose of encouraging such expressions of our community’s gratitude, and to provide returning and soon-to-be-deployed service members, and their families during their deployments, with convenient online information and access to these invitations and opportunities. Because of its role in community resilience as well as oral history, and its relevance to Critical Incident Analysis, UVA’s Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) also supports ParadeRest in its educational mission.

Parade Rest Hero of the Week

Finding The Fallen
–

Finding the Fallen: A Photographic Memorial Tribute to Local and University of Virginia Military Personnel Who Died While Serving in Times of War”

Learn More

Nickel For Your Story
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Documenting the stories of United States military veterans, to preserve these invaluable and increasingly rare accounts for future generations.

Learn More

"We must thank those who have served and the select group who have given all."

Scott S. | Paraderest Memorial Event At The Paramount Theater

ParadeRest Virginia Charlottesville Military U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Holly L. Herline.jpg

Our Team

Composed of veterans, non-veterans, and representatives of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville area community, the ParadeRest Board has donated its time since 2009 towards providing ways to engage military personnel and their families with the local community. The team expresses gratitude and recognition through donated tickets to UVA and community venues, collecting histories from living veterans while honoring the fallen, and arranging and sponsoring events both cultural and athletic. UVA students staff ParadeRest year-round providing constant support for ParadeRest members. ParadeRest salutes its volunteers, whose work is essential to our success. For example, Jeff Boecker has donated thousands of hours in providing essential outreach and collection of military narratives from soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guard members who have served during wartime.

Staff

Kristin Fioretti kristin@paraderestva.org
Maihan Far Alam maihan@paraderestva.org
Stephen Thomson stephen@paraderestva.org

Staff may be reached collectively by emailing tickets@paraderestva.org

To schedule a Nickel For Your Story interview, please email history@paraderestva.org

ParadeRest Board

ParadeRest Coordinator

Tom Freshwater

Mission

ParadeRest serves the military population of Central Virginia including active duty and retired military personnel and their families. Our mission is to demonstrate the community’s tremendous gratitude for their service and sacrifice by recognizing and supporting the area’s ‘hidden military’ personnel and their loved ones who are not stationed near large bases. Our objective is to develop and implement integrated outreach and support programs prior to their deployment, while they are away, and when they return home.

ParadeRest seeks to partner with other military support organizations, other community organizations, academic institutions, and local businesses to enhance the community’s gratitude for those presently serving, their families and veterans.

"We couldn't have had a better experience with ParadeRest. My family had a wonderful time at the game, and we are very appreciative of the organization and what it does for servicemembers, veterans, and their families."

- ParadeRest Member

ParadeRest Charlottesville Military Gratitude U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Murray:Released.jpg

Goals

The ParadeRest Virginia program gives the Central Virginia community a special way to show its gratitude for the commitment and sacrifice of military personnel and their families.

Like many communities around the country, Central Virginia is home to National Guard, Reservists and their families. Without a nearby veterans hospital or military base, the sacrifices of those serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are often unrecognized. They are part of the “hidden military” who quietly serve our country. Many organizations and civic groups in our region have wished to express their gratitude by inviting service members to be guests at their performances, special events and programs, but how to make contact with these soldiers and their families has been a recurring question.

The ParadeRest Virginia program gives the Central Virginia community a special way to show its gratitude for the commitment and sacrifice of military personnel and their families.