February 12, 2021
The Wounded Warriors Family Support High Five Tour 2020 was postponed due to COVID-19. That did not stop the nonprofit from fulfilling its mission of more than a decade of giving.
Wounded Warriors Family Support presented Caleb and Christina Dunham of Hurricane, Utah, with a 2021 Chevy Traverse mobility-equipped vehicle. Caleb is retired from the U.S. Army, where he served active duty from 2006-11. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan prior to a medical retirement.
The Traverse will help the Dunham’s transport their 9-year-old son Calen, who suffers from three rare genetic abnormalities.
“Calen was born early at 24 weeks,” Christina said. “Doctors initially told us he will be blind. He will be deaf. He will be a vegetable. He is none of those.”
However, Calen has lost his ability to speak. Due to muscle weakness, Calen struggles with daily tasks. He utilizes a Spirit Car Seat to sit up during rides in the family’s Chevy Tahoe that has an inconvenient 6-inch lift. The Dunham’s also have a 4-year-old son Luke, who has been diagnosed with autism, anxiety and a speech delay.
“We drive this because it has room for the double stroller for the boys, as Calen tires quickly and gets weak walking longer distances due to his medical condition,” Christina said. “A different vehicle will help us care for the kids and help me tremendously with the tax lifting has on my body and the mental worry that I won’t be able to lift my boys and get myself into the vehicle.”
Wounded Warriors Family Support CEO and President Kate McCauley had the Traverse delivered to the Dunham’s. The High Five Tour vehicle features a ramp. Future modifications will be made to the Traverse as needed.
“The Dunham family has struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Therapies were cut, and school was shut down,” McCauley said. “Christina has been a doctor, caregiver, mother and spouse without a break. The Dunham’s have never had a new vehicle. This gift will provide freedom, relief, and amazing experiences for a very deserving family.”
Wounded Warriors Family Support will hit the road again in 2021 for its annual High Five Tour. During the tour, a mobility-equipped vehicle will travel throughout the country. Americans from all walks of life show their support for military families when they visit tour events and sign the vehicle with a message of support for our country’s veterans and their families.
Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. This organization is run by combat veterans for combat veterans. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, Wounded Warriors Family Support aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot.
