David Lionheart, a carpenter and artist, had never fully grasped the plight of veterans until a close friend confided in him. Before a casual football meetup, that friend, a veteran seemingly well-adjusted to civilian life, told Lionheart about the loss of half his hearing and the struggle he had getting to sleep after his time in combat. Stirred by his friend's silent suffering, Lionheart rallied his companions and hand-painted jerseys in preparation for a charity touch football game in New Windsor. Together, they raised nearly $2,000 dedicated to aiding veterans in 2013. As the final whistle blew and the game concluded, the group presented their veteran friend with a football, bearing the signatures of all who participated in the event, as a heartfelt token of honor.
This modest game marked the birth of Play For Your Freedom, a volunteer-run nonprofit that uses fitness and peer-to-peer support to help veterans and their families transition from military life to civilian life. Founded by Lionheart and based in Newburgh, the nonprofit is now gearing up to celebrate a decade of service at its 10th Annual Fall Classic & Veterans Appreciation Ceremony on October 7.
After that initial game, Play For Your Freedom continued its efforts and grew exponentially. The following year they went from 16 players to 72, and they raised $8,000. But as the organization continued to grow and gain local support, Lionheart itched to actually meet the veterans they were raising money for. He began calling VA hospitals within a three hour ride with the hopes that they would allow his group to host football games. Finally, one hospital agreed.
So on January 28, 2016, Play For Your Freedom greeted a bus full of Veterans from Montrose VA Medical Center’s PTSD unit. Many of these veterans started the day frustrated, swearing and smoking, but after playing football with volunteers—including some NFL alumni—Lionheart noticed an improvement in their mood. “They still left smoking a bunch of cigarettes and swearing, but they were happy when they were leaving, while they were angry when they arrived,” says Lionheart. “So we didn't know exactly what we had, but we knew that we had something.”
The Montrose VA game became the model for the nonprofit’s monthly wellness workshops, which provide veterans opportunities to get physically active. In its first year working with VA hospitals, Play For Your Freedom hosted approximately 400 veterans at wellness workshops. The workshops expanded to help not just veterans in PTSD units, but also those healing in areas such as visual impairment, substance abuse, and spinal cord injuries.
Lionheart stresses that Play For Your Freedom meets its veterans where they are, regardless of age or ability. One of the ways the organization approaches different situational cases of recovery is through adaptive sport modifications. “If a veteran can't open their hands, then we work on opening their fingers and putting a little ball in their hand,” says Lionheart. “If we can do that, and they can drop it onto their lap or into our hands, then that's the touchdown.”
Lionheart also met the inventor of QB54, a seated football game intended for tailgating. “As soon as he showed it to me, I thought, ‘That's not a tailgate game; that's our spinal cord unit game,’” says Lionheart. “I can play that at someone's bedside, or in a hallway, and all I need is to pop this little chair open and bring a couple of different balls.” Still, some veterans don't want the adaptations and prefer to be right in the action. “We have folks in motorized chairs coming out to play in the games, and we welcome that,” says Lionheart. “We give them five yards, and then we tackle them.”
The covid pandemic halted these workshops, which were defined by their physicality. To spread awareness during a time of social distancing, Play For Your Freedom produced PTSD: The Walking Wounded. The documentary highlights the stories of combat veterans as well the story of a woman whose veteran brother died from an overdose. “We’re really trying to educate people on how to just understand each other a little bit better,” says Lionheart. “Instead of just saying thank you for your service, we want people to say, ‘How are you doing today?’”
Play For Your Freedom’s 10th Annual Veterans Appreciation Ceremony will feature the nonprofit’s traditional football game, along with yard games, raffles, prizes, and a food truck donated by Clear Path for Veterans. At 3pm, there’ll be a ceremony where two veteran alumni will speak on their past experiences and membership with the group. One veteran speaker lost over 200lbs by playing sports with the nonprofit, and now continues to exercise while he runs a tech repair company in Miami. The other veteran speaker is a suicide survivor who overcame depression, anxiety, obesity, and addiction.
When looking back on a decade of history, Lionheart downplays his own role. “Anybody can be me,” says Lionheart. “Anybody can go to Walmart and buy a bunch of balls or cones and play some football. It's the people in our organization that really make a big impact. Bring your blessing, whatever it is.”
Play For Your Freedom’s 10th Annual Veterans Appreciation Ceremony will take place on October 7 at the Newburgh Armory from 1-5pm. Anyone interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event can visit their website, or email [email protected].
