The Catch a Lift Fund (CAL) inspires veterans to get up and get moving again. CAL was founded in 2010, with the sole purpose of helping post-9/11 combat wounded veterans all over the U.S. recover both physically and mentally.

Uniquely, CAL's service to veterans centers on physical fitness: the program pays for gym memberships, in-home gym equipment, and personalized fitness, as well as nutrition plans and a peer-support network.

Do you ever wonder how veterans cope with life once they come home from combat? After being trained to be on high-alert 24/7, what's it like for them to integrate back into everyday society? It raises the question: our military members protect us, but who protects them?

Over the years HooplaHa has done many stories on organizations that help veterans when they return home, but the personal origin story and mission of the Catch A Lift Fund is among the most moving we've ever covered.

Catch A Lift vets are seeing and feeling results, including:

* dramatic weight loss,
* reduction in medications,
* improved sleep patterns, and
* strengthened relationships with family and friends.

To some people, working out the body might not seem equivalent to a therapy session focused on the mind, but CAL participants make clear how powerful its impact can be.

"For us, it's healing," says Sarah Rudder, Marine Corps Veteran, mother, and amputee. "They were able to provide me with the best therapy I've had in my life." To read more about Sarah Rudder, click here.