Nice minnesotans needed for the games | va minneapolis health care | veterans affairs

Ope! Come show off your Minnesota nice and make a difference by volunteering at the 44th annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games. “We are halfway to securing the 3,000 volunteers we need

to pull off the games,” said Rachel Hammer, director of the Minneapolis VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement. “It takes a lot of volunteers because many of the events require a

one-to-one volunteer-to-athlete ratio.”  One of those is archery, dontcha know. Archery begins the first day of the Games, Thursday, July 17. Volunteers directly assist Veterans with this

sport by retrieving arrows and assisting with scorekeeping. More than 50 volunteers are needed during all six rounds of shooting over three days. Holly buckets! Unlike most events that will

be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, bowling will take place up north at Bowlero in Brooklyn Park. Volunteers will help Veterans by getting the ball out of the return and assisting

them in handling adaptive equipment. I s’pose nearly 50 volunteers are needed on Saturday and Sunday morning, July 19-20, from 6:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.   Swimming is an event where Veterans

compete in breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle, and butterfly strokes. Competitions are organized based on experience levels, types of injuries, and various distances. Volunteer tasks will

vary from timing lanes to helping Veterans out of their wheelchair and into the pool – uffda – this requires a dozen strong and agile volunteers to be lifters. The swimming events are taking

place in the evening at the University of Minnesota on Monday, July 21.  Comfortable around shooting sports? Ya? You are needed for the air rifle and air pistol events, held Sunday through

Tuesday, July 20-22 from 6:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Competitors sit at tables and shoot at targets ten meters away. Volunteers directly assist Veterans with

handling firearms and following gun range safety. “I volunteered when the National Veterans Wheelchair Games were in Minneapolis 20 years ago, and I’m really looking forward to being part of

the Games again in July,” said Sue Miller. Miller, a retired Minneapolis VA physical therapist assistant, will be supporting the boccia games.  What is boccia? Oh fer crying out loud,

boccia is a Paralympic sport similar to bocce. Some of the other individual sports taking place at the Minneapolis Convention Center that need volunteer support include disc golf, 9-ball,

corn hole, pickleball and field events. With 23 different sports, there are many opportunities to get involved in a sport you love. And if you’re not interested in sports, there are things

for you to do too event setup, guest services, and registration. Oh you betcha!  A boat load of volunteers are needed for the opening ceremony on Thursday, July 17 at 4:00 p.m. and to

support the motor rally on Monday, July 21 staring at 6 a.m.  The motorized wheelchair rally, held at the Mill City Museum, is designed for Veterans using motorized wheelchairs or scooters.

Veterans will experience the history of what made Minneapolis the “flour milling capital of the world.” They'll spice up their visit with fun trivia and observation questions along the

way (quizzed by yours truly, the volunteers), making the learning experience as satisfying as a Minnesota potluck! Make a difference by helping with the games in our own backyard, July

17–22, 2025. You can learn more about the different volunteer roles, etiquette, and expectations online in the Wheelchair Games Volunteer Handbook. Fer Pete’s sake, registration just takes a

few minutes online at www.wheelchairgames.org. Looking to sign up a group to volunteer together?  Email [email protected], and a nice Minnesotan will get you scheduled.