MetLife, in their continuing efforts to support the veteran community, sponsored the High Five Tour run by Wounded Warrior Family Support that made a stop at MetLife in Warwick last Thursday morning.

The 7th annual High Five tour features a donated 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, decorated with a patriotic designed wrapping, will visit 48 states and travel over 26,000 miles through more than 100 cities across the nation over five months. The tour, a completely volunteer effort, began at the end of May in Omaha, Nebraska and will end in San Diego, California on October 22.

Volunteers from Mustang Clubs across the nation take a week or two to drive the car cross-country. Sponsors such as MetLife and the Marriott helped with gas and food costs as well as the overnight stays.

Wounded Warriors Family Support (WWFS), which is not associated in any way with the Wounded Warrior Project, supports combat wounded and killed veterans and their families. With their High Five Tour, they hope to raise $1 million towards their efforts, which include family resorts, modifying homes and cars for disabled veterans, and providing financial and care giving assistance. One hundred percent of funds raised go directly to improving the quality of life of families involved with WWFS.

On Thursday, the tour made stops in Rhode Island at MetLife in Warwick and Tasca Ford in Cranston. Employees and the public at both venues were able to donate to the cause and sign the car as well.

Bill Bradford, a past president of the Oklahoma Mustang Club, was one of the volunteers that drove the patriotic car through the state. He joined the effort in the tour’s second year organizing the drive and events through Texas and Oklahoma. Every year he has become more and more involved.

He has personal ties to the organization, as his father-in-law was a prisoner of war during World War II; his father served in the Korean War and received a Purple Heart; and he himself served in the Air Force for 13 years with combat missions during the Vietnam War.

“The drive is nice, but it is even better representing an organization that is so close to my heart,” Bradford said. “When a soldier goes to war the whole family goes to war.”

He explained that it’s essential to help families become a unit again once a soldier returns from active duty, especially if they have been wounded in combat. Being in a stable family environment helps to improve the likelihood that a veteran will positively adapt to their new civilian lives.

The car is signed by many of those individuals who chose to donate along the tour, and where many would consider it graffiti, Bradford said every signature and every message represents someone who shares love for this country’s veterans.

Bradford will spend 10 days with the tour ending his run in Michigan at the world Ford headquarters.

Kristen De Souza, MetLife co-chair of the Veterans’ Diversity Group, fondly called MetVets, said they first heard about the High Five Tour from their Kansas City facility, which has been sponsoring the tour and visiting events for a few years.

“We do all we can to support our local veteran community. We reach out in any way we can, including for hiring purposes,” De Souza, whose husband is a National Guard veteran, said. “We have a big stake in this community and our veterans are a large part of that community. They have given up so much for our neighborhoods and our country. We at MetLife want to do our part in thanking them for what they do every day and all they have given up for this country.”

Alongside sponsoring the car, the local MetLife also held a canned good drive to donate to the local National Guard food back.

For more information on the High Five Tour 2016, you can visit www.highfivetour.com. You can learn more about Wounded Warriors Family Support programs at www.wwfs.org.