EOD Warrior Foundation Receives $10,000 American-Made Hero Donation

The six veterans selected as American-Made Heroes will be featured on nearly 1 million bourbon bottles this summer, which will be available across the country. The red, white, and blue special edition bottles will feature the hero’s name, rank, and their story.

NICEVILLE, Florida –  The EOD Warrior Foundation has received a $10,000 donation from Evan Williams^® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The donation is on behalf of Adam Popp, one of six military veterans selected to receive the Evan Williams American-Made Heroes award. Chosen from thousands of candidates, he and five other military heroes will be individually featured on nearly 1 million special edition Evan Williams Bourbon bottles across the country this summer.

“We are honored to be Adam’s charity of choice, and to be receiving this generous donation from Evan Williams,” explains Nicole Motsek, executive director of the EOD Warrior Foundation. “This donation will make a tremendous impact on deserving EOD warriors like Adam and their families.”

 

Evan Williams asked for people to nominate the military hero in their life. The company read over several thousand of the nominations, conducted interviews, and narrowed their selection down to six military veterans. Those six chosen, who included Adam Popp, were picked for all they have done to give back to their country and their continued selfless commitment to better their communities today.

 

Popp, who is a board member for the EOD Warrior Foundation, was nominated by his mother, Luanne Maguire. He is a retired Air Force EOD warrior who served 12 years as part of an EOD team, where he disarmed deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In 2007, he was severely injured in an IED blast that led to a leg amputation and was medically retired from the military.

Since that time, he has continued to demonstrate remarkable personal growth, not allowing the amputation to hold him back. Popp has been active in his community, always helping others providing support to fellow veterans. He has also personally excelled in physical fitness, after his leg amputation. He runs ultras and marathons, competes in triathlons, SCUBA dives, and many other activities. Serving on the board of the EOD Warrior Foundation, he has also made it his personal mission to serve EOD warriors and their families, by helping to ensure they receive healing treatments, financial assistance, or educational scholarships, which are all things the organization provides.

 

“Giving back and assisting other veterans is something I’m honored to do,” says Popp. “Being selected as an American-Made Hero is also a wonderful honor and I am grateful that this honor, will also help EOD warriors in need. What a great opportunity Evan Williams provides and gives back to our nation’s heroes.”

 

The six veterans selected as American-Made Heroes will be featured on nearly 1 million bourbon bottles this summer, which will be available across the country. The red, white, and blue special edition bottles will feature the hero’s name, rank, and their story. An extended version of each of their stories and pictures can be found online at: http://american-madeheroes.com/our-heroes.php.

“After the initial success in 2016 of sharing the stories of these American heroes with our customers, we knew it was important to carry the program forward to honor and celebrate our veterans,” said Chris Ratterman, Evan Williams Bourbon brand manager. “The American-Made Heroes program encompasses the spirit of Evan Williams’ American heritage and those who protect the American spirit day in and day out. We are honored to provide an avenue to tell their story.”

The EOD Warrior Foundation is an organization that helps the families of the 7,000 people in our military who are Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, and perform bomb disposal duties. The EOD Warrior Foundation helps this elite group by providing financial relief, therapeutic healing retreats, scholarships, care for the EOD Memorial Wall located at Eglin AFB, Fla. and more. Their work is supported by private donations and the generosity of businesses and individuals that host events to raise funds on their behalf.  To learn more about the EOD Warrior Foundation, or see their fundraising events calendar, visit their site at: www.eodwarriorfoundation.org.

 

About EOD Warrior Foundation
The EOD Warrior Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the EOD family by providing financial relief, scholarship opportunities, physical, social, and emotional support.  Specific programs include scholarships, therapeutic healing retreats and care for the EOD Memorial Wall located at Eglin AFB, Fla. To learn more about the EOD Warrior Foundation, or see their fundraising events calendar, visit their site at: www.eodwarriorfoundation.org.

About Heaven Hill Distillery

Founded in Kentucky by the Shapira family in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery continues its legacy as one of the foremost American Whiskey producers. Heaven Hill has cultivated the traditions and history of America’s Native Spirit with its fierce independence, passionate family ownership, dedication to quality, and thoughtful innovation. Today, Heaven Hill Distillery maintains over 1.2 million barrels aging in 52 warehouses throughout Nelson and Jefferson Counties. It is home to an award-winning collection of American Whiskeys including Elijah Craig Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, Pikesville Rye Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky and Parker’s Heritage Collection. Heaven Hill Distillery held the titles of 2016 Whisky Magazine’s Distillery of the Year, Whiskey Advocate’s American Whiskey of the Year and Rye Whiskey of the Year from “Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.” For more information, please visit www.heavenhilldistillery.com.