It’s not the most obvious of pairing — a club for Corvette owners teaming up with a group that provides service dogs for suffering veterans — but the results are hard to argue with.
Ridge Runners Corvettes Club just raised $34,500 for Service Dogs for Veterans, a local nonprofit that provides service dogs for local veterans suffering from PTSD and other combat-related mental or physical injuries.
This marks the fifth year that Ridge Runners, a social club for Corvette owners, raised money for the veteran support group. Ridge Runners raises the funds each year through its annual car show and from matching donations and has now given Service Dogs for Veterans $87,878.
Ridge Runners member Joe Musuraca said the idea to team up with the local nonprofit was not as much of a mismatch as it might seem.
“Our initial desire was just to do something charitable that was veterans-oriented,” Musuraca said. “But what we also wanted was to find something really local. That’s what we think is the beauty of Service Dogs for Veterans. It’s purely local and the work they do is fantastic.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs does not provide service dogs for veterans suffering from mental health problems, instead focusing on talk therapy and medication for the bulk of their services.
“But that doesn’t work for everyone,” Musuraca said. “At some point, there’s the potential for some of them to just become zombies with the drugs and all that. But with these dogs, it’s mind-boggling what those dogs can do and how they can help people.”
Musuraca said working with Service Dogs for Veterans has also expanded his own understanding of the mental health challenges faced by so many veterans.
“I’m just talking about the people involved in this group — you’ll have a Vietnam vet who jumped out of airplanes, and a few years ago he said he wanted to commit suicide,” Musuraca said. “So he knew something was wrong. And to me it’s a very interesting topic or concept for a charity to focus on and the amazing things they’re doing to help people like that.”
For those looking to support Service Dogs for Veterans, visit sd4v.org.
And any Corvette owners looking to join Ridge Runners, check out their website https://www.ridgerunnercorvettes.com.
