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Paralyzed Veterans of America Announces Grand Prize Winner of "A Hero in My Life" Writing Competition on Gather.com Eric Ingmundson Wins Trip to DC for Veterans Day Weekend
BOSTON, MA—July 19, 2007—Paralyzed Veterans of America, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization founded in 1946, announced Eric Ingmundson as the winner of the "A Hero in My Life" writing competition, in which group members were encouraged to submit essays about their heroes. As the Grand Prize Winner, Eric received an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, over Veterans Day Weekend, along with VIP passes to a special ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Eric's essay, "A True Hero," was chosen by members of the "Support Veterans" (http://veterans.gather.com) group on Gather.com, which was recently formed by Paralyzed Veterans of America as an online forum for veterans, active service members and family and friends to share their experiences and accomplishments.
"Eric's creative, inspiring, and heartfelt essay introduced us all to a brave man who has been a true hero to his family, his country, and to people throughout the world," said Mark Dowis, associate executive director of Development and Marketing, Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Eric's essay, which tells the story of his father's courageous experience on a spy mission in the Philippines during World War II, can be viewed in full at http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977041518.
"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity," said Ingmundson. "But I am more proud of my dad than I am about the small part I played in bringing his story to light—he did the tough part!"
"The Gather.com community's enthusiasm surrounding the "A Hero in My Life" competition has been compelling," said Tom Gerace, founder and CEO of Gather.com. "There were many superb entries about heroes from all walks of life."
In addition to the grand prize winner, there were three runners up: Amy George for "My Hero, My Dad;" Amy Kent for "A Hero In My Life - My Captain, My Hero;" and Sandra T. for "The Greatest Man." Each runner up will receive a copy of the book "Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty," by Nick Del Calzo.
To join the Support Veterans group on Gather.com, please visit http://veterans.gather.com.
About Paralyzed Veterans of America Paralyzed Veterans of America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated for the benefit and representation of veterans with spinal cord injury or disease, all veterans and people with disabilities. Paralyzed Veterans relies heavily on the generosity of patriotic Americans to make all programs possible, such as vocational employment services, disabled veterans' advocacy, health and benefits counseling, medical research and wheelchair sports. For more information about Paralyzed Veterans, please visit www.SupportVeterans.org; or call 800-555-9140.
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