In July, Bruce Bethards and Steve Cass of Starbucks volunteered at the ASF’s Warriors in Motion paddling program as part of a company wide outreach effort to reach military veterans through their Armed Forces Network. The mission of the Armed Forces Network is to provide support for Starbucks employees who are active duty military or veterans, contribute to local communities through support for returning veterans, help veterans transition to civilian employment and create a culture that embraces military veterans in the workplace.

Steve and Bruce volunteered on the water with the Wounded Warriors, and learned kayak stroke techniques and self-rescue and group rescue methods from ASF staff and volunteer instructors. This kayaking program was the second of three sequential kayaking events held as part of the ASF Warriors in Motion program.

Steve Cass, Retailer Operations Manager for Starbucks states “Serving the communities in which we work is a big part of the Starbucksculture. What better way to serve the community than by serving those that have served our country in our Armed Forces. As a graduate of West Point, this was an especially meaningful day of service for me. Todd Munn and the team at ASF are providing a wonderfully meaningful service to veterans and other adults and children with disabilities each and every day. I hope that I have the privilege of volunteering at ASF again sometime soon!”

In addition to manpower, Starbucks also provided complimentary product for the ASF’s Warrior in Motion events.