By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
“The Maples” of Madison County and the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) will co-sponsor a summer kick-off picnic from 1 to 5 p.m. on June 9 at The Maples historic farmstead, 2412 Hwy 20, Cazenovia.
WWP is a nonprofit organization that offers programs, services and events to help honor and empower severely injured service men and women.
Retired Lieutenant General Michael Balsa, owner of the 90-acre farm, and Nancy Beetstra, WWP alumni specialist, organized the picnic to bring together Central New York wounded warriors, veterans and their families for an afternoon of food, games and entertainment.
Balsa, who grew up in Syracuse, served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 1978 to 2014. After serving multiple assignments, he retired as the chief, information dominance and chief information officer in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force at the Pentagon.
His community work includes speaking with wounded warriors and serving on the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International Executive Board of Directors and the Armed Services YMCA Board of Directors.
According to Balsa, the goals of the picnic are to help educate veterans and community representatives about the WWP; to provide community leaders with the opportunity to meet and show their appreciation for wounded warriors; to offer wounded warriors the chance to connect with other veterans and network with the community; and to introduce the farm as a safe space for wounded warriors, other veterans and their families to enjoy.
Balsa said about 22 veterans commit suicide everyday in the United States and that women veterans are now the fastest growing homeless population in the country.
“We send our best and brightest off to war, but local communities have little understanding about what they face and how they return,” Balsa said. “It’s important to make a personal connection, to learn one’s story, to find out [their] needs and to help [them] integrate back into their communities to the greatest extent possible.”
Beetstra is a U.S. Marine veteran of the Gulf War and a wounded warrior. Her involvement with WWP began in 2007. She is committed to educating other service members about WWP’s offerings and to helping to forge connections and support systems between wounded warriors, veterans and service members.
“Many of these men and women move around a lot with their families and it’s hard for them to make friends,” she said. “These events help them to build relationships within those new communities . . .”
Balsa was connected with Beetstra following his conversations with retired Lieutenant General Michael Linnington, the chief executive officer of WWP, who expressed his full support for the event
So far, the pair has extended invitations to the Central NY registered wounded warriors, the Fort Drum 10th Mountain Division Warrior Transition Unit; the 174th Attack Wing from Hancock Field; and the Syracuse VA hospital in-residence veterans.
The event will also feature 20 to 30 volunteers, including members of Balsa’s family and representatives of the American Legion Post 88 and the WWP.
For more information on WWP, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.