Speaker 1: First of all, Brandy, Happy snowy Wednesday to you.
Speaker 2: Thanks Nandy, thanks for having me on as well.
Speaker 3: So what is this is like the big weekend?
Speaker 1: This is like the prom for the Colorado Veterans Project.
Speaker 3: What is happening this weekend?
Speaker 2: That's so true. This is our signature event.
Speaker 4: So this Saturday at City Park we are hosting, along
Speaker 4: with our title sponsor this year, Horse Brewing Company, and
Speaker 4: the City of Denver, the Veterans Day Parade, festival and run.
Speaker 3: So when does everything kick off?
Speaker 1: Let's just go in order, like, what's happening when?
Speaker 4: Absolutely so, we're going to start off with the run.
Speaker 4: We're actually kicking off that. There's a ten k ripto
Speaker 4: rock March and we'll start that around ten thirty I'm sorry,
Speaker 4: around eight thirty, and then shortly after that we'll do
Speaker 4: the five k in the ten k and then around
Speaker 4: ten thirty that's when the parade will start. The festival
Speaker 4: opens up at nine thirty, and we've got some new
Speaker 4: things this year which we're really excited about. Horse Brewing
Speaker 4: Company is hosting a your Garden, so that'll be the
Speaker 4: first time I think we've done that, So it'll be
Speaker 4: a lot of fun. We're giving away a roof to
Speaker 4: a veteran, eligible veteran, active.
Speaker 2: Duty or gold Star member.
Speaker 3: Right, so.
Speaker 4: Folks can go online at Denver Veteranstay dot com and
Speaker 4: and search there to see how they can qualify for that.
Speaker 2: So that'll be fun.
Speaker 4: We are also u the second year Canvas Credit Union
Speaker 4: is providing free food for families and of veterans at
Speaker 4: the event.
Speaker 2: So yeah, we've got a lot of fun things going
Speaker 2: on this year.
Speaker 1: Our own Ben alright from Broncos Country tonight is going
Speaker 1: to be and seeing the parade.
Speaker 3: That's really cool.
Speaker 2: He's going to do a great job to have him.
Speaker 3: So, yes, he is, he is.
Speaker 1: And and it looks like you're going to have a
Speaker 1: little bit of weather on Saturday morning anyway, And as
Speaker 1: I said to Brandy off the air, you tell people
Speaker 1: you want to know what it's like to be a soldier,
Speaker 1: go run in the snow, That's what That's what it means.
Speaker 1: Because they don't get to take the day off when
Speaker 1: the weather's bad. So can people still Yeah, can people
Speaker 1: still sign up?
Speaker 3: That's the question.
Speaker 2: Absolutely? Absolutely, they can come on race day actually to
Speaker 2: sign up for the run.
Speaker 3: Oh great, Like I said, you can go to.
Speaker 4: Denver Veteransday dot com. Sign up for the run. We've
Speaker 4: got a lot of this available. We're gonna, you know,
Speaker 4: based on the weather. We're gonna come up with a
Speaker 4: couple of contingencies on how to set it up. But
Speaker 4: right now our plan is rain or shine, and we're
Speaker 4: just helping for some shine.
Speaker 1: I want to ask you about the ten k Ripto
Speaker 1: Rucksack Challenge.
Speaker 3: Who is that name for?
Speaker 2: Oh, actually, that's a good question.
Speaker 3: Well I know it, and it's right in front of me.
Speaker 1: Army Captain Russell b Ripto, twenty seven of our Vada
Speaker 1: Colorado assigned to Company A Company, third Battalion, seventy fifth
Speaker 1: Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Georgia. He was killed in
Speaker 1: action on April third, two thousand and three while serving
Speaker 1: in a rock And I only say that because let's
Speaker 1: remember what this is all about, right. It's not about
Speaker 1: going running in the snow. It is about honoring the
Speaker 1: people many a majority, I think, that signed up to
Speaker 1: serve voluntarily, and also those veterans who were drafted into
Speaker 1: service and served honorably in Vietnam. And so this day
Speaker 1: is all about our veterans and saying thank you and
Speaker 1: we have so many veterans in this area that I
Speaker 1: hope they all come out and enjoy a little love
Speaker 1: on Saturday. What is the fee to get into the race, Brandy?
Speaker 4: The run is endingwhere from forty five dollars to sixty
Speaker 4: five dollars between the five k and the rock March,
Speaker 4: So that's the fee.
Speaker 2: The event is free, Okay.
Speaker 4: So the parade and festival if you just want to
Speaker 4: come down and enjoy the festival and to regorate your point.
Speaker 4: This really is to honor our veteran community in the
Speaker 4: state of Colorado.
Speaker 2: Our nonprofit focuses on that.
Speaker 4: Our mission is Colorado Veterans Project is to help veterans
Speaker 4: transition from military, their military career into their next opportunity.
Speaker 2: So we provide a lot of scholarships and training around that.
Speaker 4: So you know, come out help celebrate veterans and on
Speaker 4: this Saturday.
Speaker 1: I do want to say transitioning out of the military
Speaker 1: seems like it should be a no big deal, but
Speaker 1: it is very, very challenging. The going from a highly structured,
Speaker 1: highly accountable system into the world which is not highly
Speaker 1: accountable and highly structured can be very challenging. And when
Speaker 1: we talk about Veterans' suicide. One of the things that
Speaker 1: could I think make a dent in that is making
Speaker 1: sure you have that smooth transition. That's one way to
Speaker 1: make it better and easier. So I love what you
Speaker 1: guys do, Brandy, and I hope you have a massive turnout,
Speaker 1: absolutely massive turnout on Saturday.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Mandy.
Speaker 3: All right, that's Brandy Morinian.
Speaker 1: With the Colorado Veterans Project. To put a link on
Speaker 1: the blog to the Colorado Veterans Project so you can
Speaker 1: go there or just go to Denver Veterans Day dot
Speaker 1: com for more. Brandy, thanks so much, Thank you so much, Bandy,
Speaker 1: thanks for having me.
Speaker 3: All right, that's Brandy Morianian