Main aim of the charity

Pull-up Bars for Patriots establishes permanent pull-up bar memorials in honor of the fallen while also encouraging physical fitness.

How the employee got involved and why

I have never been Mr. Fitness or the star athlete. Like most, when I was in grade school, I wasn’t a fan of jumping up to the pull-up bar and would make excuses why I couldn’t do pull-ups. Then in high school I joined the United States Marine Corps and was, let’s say, encouraged to do pull-ups. The more I did, the better I became and the more confidence I gained. After my four years in the Marines, I met my wife and we had a son. I would take him to many different parks and there would never be a pull-up bar for adults. I began to think, what if a pull-up bar was established for a fallen service member? When I found out my wife’s friend’s cousin, Marine Corps. LCpl. Nick Larson, died in Iraq in 2004, I had more than an idea, I had someone to personally do it for and Pull-up Bars for Patriots was born. Since I have started the organization, I have been humbled and honored by talking to the families of the fallen service members and want to make sure their loved ones are never forgotten.

What work does the employee do for charity

While I created and founded the organization itself and run daily operations, my largest role is sharing the mission of honoring fallen service members through my participation in community and veteran's events with our portable pull-up bar. During these events I encourage everyone and anyone to do a few pull-ups for the hometown hero even when they think they can't. This helps build confidence in the individual and promotes physical fitness. This past year we dedicated our Naperville, IL memorial honoring ten fallen service members. Currently I am in the planning stages with multiple other towns to establish additional memorials in 2022.