Moving Forward: Thankful for Eagle Nation
Team RWB Staff at the University of Health and Performance, Oct 2024.
Happy Thanksgiving!
A few days ago, I tackled my Big Fitness Goal (BFG) for 2024—America’s oldest ultramarathon, the JFK 50 Miler! It gave me over 10 hours to think about Team RWB and the impact we’ve made on so many people’s lives since 2010. I spent many of those miles thinking about the thousands of great Americans who have made Team RWB into America’s leading health and wellness community for veterans. With today being Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some of those thoughts with you.
First and foremost, THANK YOU for being a member of this Team! From local events to Eagle Fit challenges, Eagle Expeditions to Monthly Missions—our Eagle Fire is blazing across America, igniting communities from coast to coast and within our Digital Garrison.
The numbers year-to-date tell an amazing story:
21,400+ Veterans supported through our programming
18,400+ events and opportunities to build a healthier lifestyle
380,000+ mutual connections built in our Digital Garrison
Those bullet points above are more than just numbers. They represent real Veterans and Service members—and all of our Eagles, just like you and me.
This year we conducted a study of 50 Veteran and Service Members new to Team RWB over a 6 months period. The results in blood, BMI and the Enriched Life Scale prove that we’re making a real impact on every person who gets active in our mission!
68% improved their BMI (self-reported)
41% reduced at-risk blood biomarkers (Inside Tracker data)
80% reported more enriched lives - from stronger relationships to better mental health (Enriched Life Scale)
I hope you’re as proud of these numbers as I am…because it’s your involvement in our mission that has made our impact a reality.
To our Veterans and Service Members: You inspire me every single day. Whether you're a longtime Eagle or just joined, you embody what it means to keep pushing forward,support others, and lead by example. Your commitment to personal growth and willingness to show up for fellow Veterans embodies the very best of our Eagle Ethos.
To our Eagle Leaders: You are the heartbeat of this organization. Your selfless service, often behind the scenes, creates over 19,000 annual opportunities for Veterans to prioritize a healthy lifestyle. Every early morning event setup, every encouraging word, every moment spent building our community matters…so thank you for leading from the front!
To our partners and supporters: Your belief in our mission helped us reach more Veterans than ever before. Your support shows our Veterans that America stands with them as they continue their journey of service in new ways.
Every time I open the Eagle app (Digital Garrison), I’m reminded that together we’re proving that Veterans are assets to our country and that their best days are ahead of them. We're proving that there's no limit to what we can achieve.
Looking ahead to 2025, our 15th anniversary year, I couldn’t be more fired up about the future. (yes, you’ll want to keep an eye out for what we have planned!) The foundation and programs we've built together is strong, but the best is yet to come. We'll continue to innovate, to grow, and most importantly, to serve our nation's Veterans on their health journey.
From my Eagle family to yours, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.
With deep gratitude,
Mike Erwin
Founder & Executive Director
