Helping Wounded Veterans Heal The Deepest Scars

Posted by Grovert Fuentes on 11/15/2018

When wounded veterans return home from war, they face a new battle — healing.

Wounds are both mental and physical. Some of the deepest wounds — and slowest to heal — are psychological. Some wounded veterans bear an extra burden of guilt coming home, knowing many of their fellow soldiers will never get that chance. It’s an uphill battle.

A Fallen Brother

Helping wounded veterans rejuvenate both mind and body through exercise is the goal of Lynn Coffland, founder of Catch A Lift, a non-profit organization that helps post-9/11 combat wounded veterans recover through physical fitness.

Lynn Coffland started Catch A Lift from her basement in memory of her brother, Christopher Coffland, who was killed-in-action on November 13, 2009. Lynn knew she had to do something in his honor, and she did.

Chris was a man of many adventures, from playing professional football in Finland, to hunting crocodiles by night with the Pygmies of Gabon, Africa. When he set out to join the U.S. Army at the age of 42, just a month shy of the age limit to enlist, his family wasn’t surprised. Purpose was his mission.

CAL Lifesaver

Today, Catch A Lift has helped thousands of combat-wounded veterans regain their mental and physical health through gym memberships, in home gym equipment, personalized fitness and nutrition programs, and a peer support network. According to veterans in the organization, CAL has literally “saved their lives”. You can’t make a bigger impact than that. To date, they have 2,900 veterans in the program with over 1,500 participating gyms across the U.S.

Toner Buzz supports CAL’s mission and Lynn’s passion to continue to save lives every day in Chris’s honor. The wounds combat veterans bring home from war needn’t be a lifelong burden. By pitching together — corporate sponsors, local businesses, and dedicated individuals — we can all help our heroes to heal.