Local Wounded Warrior and his adoptive ‘Momma’ featured in TIME magazine
Rensselaer, NY – TSGT Timothy McDonough was living in Ghent NY when he met the CEO of STRIDE Adaptive Sports for the first time. He wore dark glasses, barely spoke and was attached at the hip to his German Shepherd Service dog, Bailey. Mary Ellen Whitney gently and consistently lured him into getting involved promising results if he would just try to step outside his belief that he was permanently disabled.
McDonough signed up for the STRIDE Warrior Snowfest at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in March of 2012, and learned to snowboard with some adaptive assistance from the STRIDE program operated there. The experience opened the door for him, and he began healing through getting involved in other programs. That summer, McDonough fell in love with STRIDE Center for Outdoor Recreation & Education (SCORE) camp in Chatham, as his solace and safe place for recreation, relaxation and building relationships.
Fast forward to 2015, McDonough now lives in Spokane Washington with his family, where his wife’s family hails. He is connected with numerous Wounded Warrior organization that offer adaptive sports that he loves, such as swimming, archery and shooting. Something clicked for McDonough, and his talents became apparent. A few short months ago, he attended the very first Wounded Warrior Air Force Trials, and took a bronze on freestanding rifle shooting. More recently, he earned the first ever Recurve Archery Gold for the AF trials. He also become a mentor for others and was given the Care Beyond Duty Mentorship Award. Not only has he pushed himself, but has been inspiring and pushing other wounded, ill and injured airmen.
His story was profiled in TIME magazine – just hitting the shelves, www.time.com/wounded-warriors , and he credits STRIDE Adaptive Sports and Mary Ellen Whitney as his adoptive “Momma’ .
Mary Ellen Whitney, CEO of STRIDE, couldn’t be happier “I am enormously proud of Tim and many others who struggle daily with demons of war memories; and yet they dare to step forward to learn a better way, through helping others. Integrating our veterans with youth who have disabilities is a powerful tool for healing, Tim is a fine example of this STRIDE philosophy”.
More info can be found by calling 518-598-1279.
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