November 2nd, 2011

Jane Norris Welcome to FedCentral, brought to you by Deloitte, a program where executives and federal government leaders talk about the issues and initiatives t...

Jane Norris
Welcome to FedCentral, brought to you by Deloitte, a program where executives and federal government leaders talk about the issues and initiatives that are making a real impact on the business of government today, to help government help America.

Today, we’re going to talk about Paralympics. The United States Olympic Committee is a leader in the Paralympics sports movement and dedicated to assisting physically disabled Americans. But the USOC is not just about competitive sports. Their diverse programming also facilitates training and employment opportunities that benefit the health and self esteem of participants. By providing grass roots programming in local communities, this thriving network encourages disabled veterans to live an active lifestyle to enjoy a better quality of life. Today we’re discussing how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense are partnering with the U.S. Olympic Committee, Paralympic division to use sports programs to change the outlook of disabled veteran’s lives. We welcome Charlie Huebner, Chief of USOC Paralympics. Charlie, welcome to the show.

Charlie Huebner
Thank you for having me.

Jane Norris
And also Mark Goulart, Principal with Deloitte Consulting. Mark.

Mark Goulart
Hello. Good morning.

Jane Norris
Let me just give you a little background on these gentleman. Charlie Huebner is currently the Chief of Paralympics for the U.S. Olympic Committee and he serves as the Senior Manager of the Paralympic programs across all USOC divisions. Charlie has always been very active in community volunteerism programs and sits on the board of numerous organizations. He one of the nation’s top sports advocates for people with disabilities. And in 1996, Charlie was one of 41 Americans to win the prestigious Jefferson Award for community service.

Mark Goulart is a principal and the lead client service partner for Deloitte’s Veterans Affairs. He leads a cross functional team, providing services across the VA and is also responsible for Deloitte’s day to day client relationships. Mark also serves as Deloitte’s Senior Representative to the United States Olympic Committee’s Paralympic military program and is coordinating Deloitte’s activities in support of veterans and wounded warriors. Mark also served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1987 and is passionate about veteran’s awareness.

Gentlemen, thank you both. And I’ll start with this question for you, Charlie. I’ll ask – because Paralympic awareness is growing in the United States, but maybe not top of mind for every American or even every sports enthusiast. Talk to us a little bit about the Paralympics and the difference between the Paralympics and maybe the Special Olympics, which people are very aware of.

Charlie Huebner
Yes, absolutely. The Paralympic program is focused on persons with physical disabilities and is providing sports and physical activity for individuals with physical disabilities. The Special Olympics, which is a partner organization of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is focused on sport programming for persons with intellectual disabilities. So, one of the objectives of the U.S. Olympic Committee, now that we’re responsible for Paralympic sport in the United States, is to really educate Americans about the differences between the two organizations and programs.

Jane Norris
And so, a little bit of history about the movement, the Paralympics movement. Has it been around a long time? Maybe since the World Wars? Or is it more recent?

Charlie Huebner
Yeah. The Paralympic movement has been around since post-World War II and it really began with injured military personnel. Using sports as part of rehabilitation for Veterans returning from World War II. And the United States and the United Kingdom were significant leaders in the development of Paralympic sports after World War II. The U.S. Olympics Committee’s role was somewhat new to taking the leadership role in Paralympic sports. And we’re one of only four national Paralympics committees in the world that actually manage both the Olympics and Paralympic programs. Most countries have two separate entities. So, we’re very proud of the fact that we lead an effort to integrate and manage both the Olympic program and the Paralympic program.

Jane Norris
So, the reason that Deloitte is involved in this is because we’re one of the sponsors for one of the Paralympic activities, a very big one that we’ll get to and talk about later. But these are partnerships and you have quite a few of them with public and private organizations. Why are these collaborations important? Mark, why don’t you talk about that?

Mark Goulart
Something we learned is the USOC has partnerships with many organizations. Some that are our clients, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. So, being a partner with the USOC and a collaborator makes good sense for us to work with them closely. And of course, building partnership also creates great collaborative efforts and brand awareness. And that’s why we’re involved here with the USOC.

Charlie Huebner
In these times collaboration is absolutely incredible. What’s going on in the country and what’s going on in communities all over the United States we see collaborative relationships being critical to success and also being cost efficient. We’re unique and a lot of organizations have come to us because the U.S. Olympic Committee has more 50 member organizations that are part of the Olympic movement. Groups like the National Recreation and Parks Association and U.S.A. Swimming, where we have a footprint in communities all over the United States. We have that footprint, that staff, and the facilities. What was lacking in the U.S. and what we’re really focused on, in collaboration with our partners, both corporate, private and government, is there’s a lack of expertise in the United States on how to provide programs for persons with physical disabilities.

And a specific emphasis, for us, in that space, is kids with physical disabilities, where every day in a community somewhere in the United States, a kid acquires a physical disability, whether it’s to an accident or illness. And we have more than 40,000 injured members of our armed forces returning home right now to communities that, in many cases, don’t have the expertise to provide physical activity for a person with physical disabilities. So, through collaboration, through partnership with organizations like Deloitte – and especially Deloitte, with their expertise – we’ve created a model that can cost efficiently provide the training, the technical assistance and the programming, utilizing our partners all over the U.S. to meet those needs.

Jane Norris
Describe what that looks like. Because I think, you know, we’re talking about what it may sound like as a business case, but talk about what that really looks like. Mark, I know you’ve experienced some of this.

Mark Goulart
Yeah. And it’s something Charlie and I talked about early on. We have offices in nearly every state here in the United States. And for us, there’s a deep, personal connection to the community side, as Charlie mentioned. So, what it looks like for us is really an outreach that we can get into the communities where we live and work. And see that we can provide value added support.

And so, there’s a great degree of interest, I guess, from our partners and from the local communities in which we serve. And so, it’s an easy sell, so to speak, for the folks here at Deloitte. How do we get involved? It’s just in our backyards. And so, that’s what Charlie talks about. It happens in your backyard. It makes it an easy opportunity for us to support them.

Jane Norris
And so, these are programs that put disabled athletes – people that have maybe been in sports activities in the past – back into those activities. And the outcome really is to facilitate better life, better engagement in the community. Maybe sometimes a reawakening after they returned from the battlefield?

Mark Goulart
Sure. I mean part of the times, it’s just getting them back in on the swing of things. Right? Especially when you look at a veteran or wounded warrior who returns and – Charlie will tell you – we’ve experienced many stories of veterans who just need a bit of a jumpstart. So the community programs are so important for them, just to get started. To get back into the swing of things. So, the partnership that we have, and, of course, the programming from the U.S. Olympic Committee is really key. They can reach into the communities to Paralympic sports clubs. And that is the start of something really special.

Charlie Huebner
Two components – our mission at the U.S. Olympic Committee is twofold. One, to prepare a team to go to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. And that’s the elite side of what we do. And only five percent of the population have the talent and are willing to make the commitment to go represent their country at the Paralympic Games. And that’s one component.

The second component on the Paralympic side is to make sure that these programs are available. And that’s a need that – government accountability reports show that there’s a lack of programming and expertise at the community level. So, you think about this. You’ve got veterans returning home with a physical disability and it’s not just the individual that’s impacted. It’s also their support network. Their family, their friends. And in a lot of cases, they don’t know what to do. It’s something we see every single day -something as simple as the norm. I used to ski with my buddy. To go skiing with your buddy again – but now your buddy’s on a mono ski because he has a spinal cord injury or he’s skiing on a prosthetic leg – makes all the difference in the world. It’s just returning to a sense of normalcy and jumping back into the game as Mark mentioned. And that’s what we see and what we’re trying to provide through training, technical assistance and to our expertise in our infrastructure.

So when young men and women return to their communities, they can participate in physical activity with their buddies. And just as importantly – we heard this specifically from a veteran – he was concerned about playing with his kids. Just playing in the backyard with his kids like any mom or dad would do. And that’s a big part of what we’re trying to do at the grass roots level with our programming.

Jane Norris
And I’m going to just say I’m feeling a little chilled just hearing you describe it. So this must be incredibly rewarding when you actually meet some of the veterans or some of the disabled folks that are involved in these programs. And they tell you or share with you what it’s meant to their lives.

Charlie Huebner
Overwhelming. I mean, I can’t think of another word. I mean, it’s overwhelming. But, let me tell one quick story about a young man – an NFL player. Played at Ohio State University. Played in the NFL. Always had a dream of serving. His grandfather served, his father served. He joined the Army, wanted to become a Ranger. Went to Iraq, fell down a forty foot stairwell while he was protecting a unit and had a traumatic brain injury. He understood, just from his own personal story, the importance of physical activity in his rehabilitation. And you think about the outcomes of physical activity -research proves it – higher self esteem; lower secondary medical conditions; lower stress levels; higher achievement levels in education and employment for people with disabilities. Those are all research proven items that impact our society every day.

Well, this Army Ranger chose to pursue a job in a Parks and Rec facility near a base because he wanted to ensure more programming was available for veterans. And today, Joe Brown is at Harker Heights Parks and Recreation in Texas, providing programming now – sustainable programming for veterans in that community, for persons with physical disabilities in that community and for active duty members of the Armed Forces at Fort Hood. That all started because he came to a national Paralympic leadership conference that was presented by Deloitte and was trained on how to go back and do that in his community.

And Harker Heights hired a veteran. They hired a hero. So, that kind of brings it all together. This man went from being injured in Iraq to being gainfully employed in a community and giving back to other veterans in that community.

Mark Goulart
Charlie, what a great story. We’ve heard many stories from our interactions with veterans and it’s not surprising we have a number of veterans here who are at Deloitte, and a heavy population here is very interested in the outcomes that Charlie mentions. So, the personal stories – the personal interactions for us, is what touches our employees. It actually motivates us to do more. And when you have the kind of linkage between Deloitte, the Veterans – be it DoD or the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Olympic Committee. Wow. That a great team and look at the outcomes that can be achieved.

Jane Norris
It’s pretty amazing and we’re going to talk about one of the big activities that takes place in the spring and that is the Warrior Games. So, all that, coming up here on Federal News Radio 1500 AM. So, stay tuned. You’re listening to FedCentral, brought to you by Deloitte on Federal News Radio 1500 AM. I’m Jane Norris.

Welcome back to FedCentral, brought to you by Deloitte. Today we’re talking about the Paralympics and the use of Paralympic sports to change the outlook of disabled veterans and their lives. Joining us on the show is Charlie Huebner, Chief of the USOC Paralympics and Mark Goulart, Principal with Deloitte Consulting. Let me ask about the big project that really many of these Paralympic activities are geared towards – at least for some of the elite athletes involved – and those are the Warrior Games which take place in Colorado Springs every spring. Tell us about what’s on the docket this year. Can you share that information with us, Charlie?

Charlie Huebner
Yeah, people always ask the question. We’re going into our third year of the Warrior Games presented by Deloitte. And last year, I was often asked what’s the difference between last year and this year. And the difference is this, we’ll have about 200 to 220 injured service members and veterans from all service branches, including the Coast Guard. And every one of their stories is different. Every one of their injuries is different. Every one of their rehabilitations and processes is different. Every one of their situations is different. And the key to rehabilitation and success and jumping back into life is having a rehab process that listens to and addresses those differences. So we’ll have 220 stories of incredible young men and women that have served our country at this year’s Warrior Games in 2012. And the incredible things about Warrior Games, when you talk about collaboration and partnership, working with Deloitte, working with the Department of Defense, the USO, the Fisher House Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs. We had so many different partners that allow us to host that event. It’s very humbling to host the event at the Olympic Training Center.

But the incredible thing that the Warrior Games has done, is it has really shared the impact nationally of the importance of physical activity in the rehab process. And we have seen, the Warrior Games happen here in Colorado Springs for about six days. Whether significant rehab happens, is what happens when those individuals go back home. The other 359 days out of the year, we’ve seen a 23 percent increase in programming and physical activity participation at the installation and community level as a result of the energy, excitement and Paralympic ambassadors that have been created at the Warrior Games.

Jane Norris
You mentioned in there – which is incredible information -, this is the third year for Deloitte. Which I think is the first time we’ve said anything about that. I’m very happy to hear that Deloitte is involved for the third consecutive year. And you mentioned partnerships, so, Mark, I know that’s something that’s meaningful to you. This isn’t just something that Deloitte is working with this group on. There are other partners as well.

Mark Goulart
No, there are. And it started off as a phone call three years ago of would we help this thing called Warrior Games. I think it’s blossomed into something that’s much bigger. And when Charlie says a little excitement, I’d say that’s an understatement. Going to the Warrior Games at the Olympic Training Center Charlie’s referred to. It is a magical place for athletes to go and train and compete where other Olympians have trained – it just makes it all the more special, so it’s a great venue to start with. Secondly, you see the families there. And you see the support for those athletes. You see the motivation for those athletes. As Charlie said, to take it beyond those six or seven days there and take it to the balance of the year. Right? And for some of them, it’s getting started. For others, it’s motivation to compete at a higher level.

And they all have individual stories. We’ve been – I’ll say blessed – to have been a small part of this, I think, to help out. But it’s certainly a great partnership and certainly a marquee event, in my mind.

Jane Norris
And are there others that partner with the USOC on this? So, do you look for that kind of support through other companies, other entities, other public or private organizations? Charlie?

Charlie Huebner
You know a key for our success – and we’re very fortunate. And Deloitte adds to this, because of their network of partners and offices throughout the country. And that’s something we’re seeing. Besides the investment that they’ve made – the people investment -be it Deloitte volunteers to come out and work Warrior Games. But what we’re also seeing happen – and this is in this time, it’s absolutely critical when resources are so limited – for us to try and create collaborative opportunities at the local level. And one of the things Deloitte has done, is provide us expertise on how to go about that. But what we’re seeing are these cadre of leaders going back to their installations with their injured service members. We’re connecting the dots collectively, with organizations in communities. You know, Harker Heights is a great example. You have Fort Hood there— one of the largest bases in the country. You have a significant veteran population. We, working with Deloitte and the local installation have pulled together. And thanks to the leadership of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, were able to connect the dots with local Parks and Rec agencies, YMCA agencies. And everybody is contributing to meet the need. And they’re doing it in a way that’s incredibly cost efficient. It’s a sharing of public and private resources. It’s an elimination of duplication.

And that’s something that we’re trying to develop turnkey all over the country. Right now, in more than 200 locations that are providing services for more than 14,000 veterans and members of our Armed Forces.

Mark Goulart
You know, what Charlie mentions there, it’s economies of scale, right? In our business of consulting, we look to work with clients to make things more efficient, better use, greater collaboration. I think this is a great model to take forward. And other organizations, as Charlie mentions, the USOC, the Fisher House – organizations like that, that have a common mission – the key is the connectedness of those organizations for a better outcome. So, it’s working really well.

Jane Norris
And I know, Charlie, you recently testified on Capitol Hill before the House Veterans Affairs Committee. You gave a few statistics that I think would be pretty amazing, if people heard them, so give us a basic rundown about how many people are served and the locations across the country.

Charlie Huebner
Yeah, I mean, I’ve got to credit the House Veterans Committee, the leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense because they came to us and talked about collaboration. And it was their leadership that really allowed an opportunity for us to ease our infrastructure. And something that’s very humbling, we have a pretty incredible brand that is inspiring and it gets people to work together. The Olympic and Paralympic brand is pretty powerful. But because of the leadership of the House VA Committee and the Senate VA Committee and leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs, there was some grant dollars that were provided to help impact and develop programming. And we’re able to, fortunately, provide more than 70 grants in 2011 that are touching more than 8,000 veterans. And in many cases – Harker Heights, Texas I’ve talked about and Colorado Springs, Colorado—two significant communities with huge veteran populations and big warrior transition units with injured service members. There was no programming in these communities. And we could have started from scratch and built programs that would have been extremely expensive. Instead, we used that infrastructure. And we used Deloitte’s expertise and technical assistance to bring Parks and Rec, YMCA, VA, DoD all together to develop one plan to meet the need. And now, as a result, in those two communities, we have ongoing consistent physical activity programming for injured veterans in those communities and members of our Armed Forces there at Warrior Transition units, right in the community, in a very cost effective manner.

Mark Goulart
Yeah. And I’ll say there are probably other examples of that too. And for us, it’s easy because we have outreach right into those communities. Down in San Antonio, as an example. So it’s easy for us to have the conversation with the U.S. Olympic Committee to say, in this particular region, are there opportunities for us to leverage our expertise. And through the grant program – as Charlie mentioned – it’s a really good outreach for us into the Paralympics sports clubs that are in those communities. So, it just makes sense for us.

Jane Norris
So, talk to me about the Warrior Games. These folks are the ones that dedicate themselves to really taking it up to the highest level. They are the elite athletes that choose to participate in these games. Talk a little bit about that.

Charlie Huebner
Yeah. We work with all the service branches and they each implement a selection process to pick their teams and it’s pretty amazing. I told Mark this at our first year of Warrior Games. The intensity, I’ve been to sports events all over the world – and some pretty incredible sports events fortunately. And the intensity of the very first volleyball game in the very first year, when the Army played the Marines – was incredible. I mean, it was dripping. The noise in the volleyball venue – and these are young men and women that are competitive. They’re active. And to be able to jump back into a competitive environment – when society probably says “You know what? You have a disability now”. You know? You always hear about “can’t”. These young men and women were competing for their teams, but also – as we told all the athletes that came in, you’re on the Marine team – but everybody that comes to the U.S. Olympic Training Center on Team U.S.A.”

So, it was great to be able to have the inter-rivalry of the service branches, but also everybody there knowing – all 200 athletes knowing – that they’re also representing Team U.S.A.

Mark Goulart
Sure. And I think, Charlie, you quickly realized in short order that they are not focused on their disabilities. They are focused on what they can accomplish, how they can compete, at whatever level they come in at. And the rivalry is very intense. And so, given a few days out there, it just becomes an electrifying atmosphere. At least in my mind. So, great opportunity to compete. Great opportunity for individual stories. Great opportunity and a great atmosphere for the collective effort.

Jane Norris
And from a layman’s perspective, can sports enthusiasts go and see the games? Is this something that anyone from any part of the country can purchase a ticket and go to the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs?

Mark Goulart
Well, sure. Even better than that, you don’t need to purchase a ticket.

Jane Norris
It’s free admission?

Mark Goulart
Yeah. The families really are where it’s focused and the spectators. And it’s like anything—you run a marathon, you run a half marathon, and getting that enthusiasm is so important, so that’s certainly something. Charlie, I know we’ve talked about trying to increase that awareness, as well, but it’s certainly a special part of it.

Jane Norris
Charlie, I know that you focus on the broader aspect and I know from your testimony, you told the House Veterans Affairs Committee that more than 14,000 veterans with disabilities participated in these programs and activities. So, 200 elite athletes versus 14,000 – you’re really serving quite a wide swath of people with disabilities.

Charlie Huebner
Yeah. It’s no different than – with the Olympic and Paralympic Teams. I mentioned that only five percent of Americans can ever even consider qualifying for that level of excellence just because of the talent and commitment it takes. But what we find, and we live it daily, is the ambassadors that are created, the role models that are created for all Americans. And you know, when I look at the participants at the Warrior Games, I don’t look at them being role models just for injured veterans or injured members of our Armed Forces. Or people with physical disabilities. They are role models for all Americans. And when we talk about a country, and we talk about health care and we talk about obesity – and then you see a double amputee Marine playing volleyball, running track, playing basketball, a big smile on his face, competing – it just creates an incredible energy that, we want to share with our country and share with all Americans, about the importance of physical activity in just everyday health and wellness.

Mark Goulart
Well, sure. Charlie – I know we tried to get the word out too through a documentary and through a book as well. I think there are such great stories here. And it’s truly inspiring, so I agree, they are heroes and certainly, a great event here. And we’re proud to be associated with that here at Deloitte.

Jane Norris
All right. Well, be looking out for the Warrior Games coming this spring. And we’ll tell you all about it, as it approaches.

I want to thank you very much for being here today. Charlie Huebner, Chief to the USOC Paralympics and Mark Goulart, Principal, Deloitte Consulting. Thanks very much for joining us today.

Mark Goulart
Thank you.

Jane Norris
You’ve been listening to FedCentral, brought to you by Deloitte and you can check us out on federalnewsradio.com. This is FedCentral on Federal News Radio 1500 AM. I’m Jane Norris.

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