By Laura Varnon, Marketing Coordinator
The Spa and Sauna Co., spa manufacturer Sundance Spas, and the charity Wish for Our Heroes have teamed up to award a local veteran, Daniel Rogers, a free Sundance spa as a small thank you for his military service.
Daniel, a 30-year-old husband and father of two, is a 9-year member of the Nevada Army National Guard and has been on two year-long deployments overseas and a training mission in Haiti. During his mission in Haiti, his wife, Michelle Rogers, was pregnant with their daughter. During his first deployment, to Afghanistan, Michelle was pregnant with their son, who was born 5 days before Daniel returned home.
Wish for Our Heroes is “a national 501(c)(3), dedicated to providing resources to the “average” active-duty military member, in order to make their deployments a little easier, and to improve the quality of their family lives while home or during deployment,” according to their website.
“Sundance Spas also chose to partner up with Wish for Our Heroes because most of the donations goes to the cause. 100% of individual donations and 95% of corporate donations go directly toward granting wishes. They’re an amazing group and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner,” said James Choi, Channel Marketing Manager for Sundance Spas.
Daniel is the first veteran in Reno and Nevada to be awarded a spa through the Hot Tub for Heroes program, which is the partnership between Wish for Our Heroes and Sundance Spas. So far, together the two organizations have donated spas (or are in the middle of the donation process) with 17 veterans nationwide, according to Garrett Guinivan, Mid-Atlantic and Rocky Mountain Chapter Director for Wish for Our Heroes.
Daniel, who is a military police officer, wrote in his application essay about his second tour, which was in Kuwait, “This one was much more difficult on the wife and the children, as the kids were older and they definitely missed me terribly. I am home now spending some much-needed time with my family, but still am ever ready to answer the call when it comes.”
On the spa delivery day, Daniel and Michelle both mentioned that they had never won any contents or something of this scale before. They are truly thrilled to have a hot tub now and have been using it several times a day, either before work or for some family time.
“It’s surreal that we have a hot tub in our backyard that we won for free,” said Michelle.
Daniel, a manager at a Walmart Distribution Center, said he initially signed up for the Guard years ago because he wanted something more in life. He returned home from his most recent tour in the middle of last summer.
“I have been rather fortunate in my military career and have not suffered any major physical trauma.” Daniel wrote. “I suffer from muscle aches and pains, but nothing too terrible, as some of my brothers and sisters in arms have. For me, a spa would be beneficial for me mentally. It would be a way to relax, sooth sore muscles, and get the family together to spend more quality time, that is not distracted by other mind consuming technologies.”[node:summary]
The Spa and Sauna Co. was pleased to participate in the program.
“We, at the Spa and Sauna Co., are very proud to be able to fulfill this Hot Tub for Heroes donation, granted in conjunction with the Wish for Our Heroes foundation and Sundance Spas,” said Spa and Sauna Co. Owner Scott Clark. “We are also incredibly grateful to Daniel for his Service to our country and the sacrifices he and his family have made during his deployments. We hope that Daniel and his family are able to enjoy years of relaxation, stress relief, and family bonding time from their new Sundance Hamilton.”
Wish for our Heroes encourages giving back to the community, something which Daniel already participates in.
“I am already pretty big in trying to give back to my community. For example, I work with the local Food Bank of Northern Nevada and volunteer time there to help them process food and get it out to families in the area. What I am most excited about is to combine one of my favorite hobbies with community outreach. Snowboarding is one of my favorite things to do, and this year, I have signed myself and my kids up for the Sky Tavern Junior Ski Program. This is a non profit organization that teaches kids how to ski/snowboard. It is 100% volunteer run. This year I will be volunteering as much time as I possibly can to this program, primarily as a snowboarding instructor; however, I will also be fulfilling any role that is required of me in order to make it work up there. A spa would make for a wonderful way to rebound after long days on the mountain in the winter time!”
We wish you continued enjoyment in your new Sundance Spa, Daniel!
