A Wish to Help Others

I am always surprised by the range of Wishes that Hope For The Warrirors® grants through our A Warrior's Wish® program.  In 2011 alone, we have sent a couple on a vacation, bought a bass boat, and supported someone on the U.S. Paralympic Team by giving him more archery equipment.  Some Wishes are more practical--we have renovated bathrooms to make them handicap accessible and purchased beds that can finally help some of our wounded sleep comfortably.

One of my favorite Wishes this year involves a man and his new service dog.  Carlos suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and chronic pain.  After two years, he felt useless as a father, husband and as a man.  This was definitely a man lacking hope in his life.

The organization Freedom Dogs approached Carlos with the offer to pair him with a service dog, specifically trained to help veterans with PTSD.  Carlos reluctantly agreed and was introduced to Logan.  Almost immediately, he began to feel more comfortable interacting with family and friends.  With Logan by his side, he could even go into crowded areas again.

Carlos and Logan, his service dog

Logan changed this man's life and his Wish to Hope For The Warriors® was to have that same impact on others by becoming a certified service dog trainer.  His Wish was for financial assistance in paying for the program.  We received a donation from MSA Security, a company that specializes in the use and training of dogs for security.  Staff within our Above & Beyond Program worked with Carlos on his application for this program as well.

I love that this man's Wish is ultimately to help others.  He knows firsthand how much a service dog can help someone suffering from PTSD.  He understands that by helping others, he will also be helping himself and his family even more.  When Carlos finishes his training, I hope to update all of you on his progress.

Feedback Needed
Can you recommend any other organizations that trains service dogs to work with our guys with PTSD?  I would love to get some feedback on the great work that some of these organizations are doing.  I also would like to know if this is something that you tried and it did not work.  I do not want to pretend that the use of service dogs is the answer for every person.  When it comes to PTSD, I do not believe that there is a quick fix for everyone.

Feel free to e-mail me directly:  awoods@hopeforthewarriors.org.

Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Veteran Derek Hughes with his daughter.

Photo provide courtesy of Paul Oberle.

Golf Tournament in Florida Connects New Veterans with Vietnam Veterans

Last Saturday, the Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida held a golf tournament to raise funds for Hope For The Warriors®.  It was an extremely successful event that raised more than $33,000 for our organization.

Our Florida Project Coordinator, Mirka, attended with two combat wounded veterans, Keith Bisig and Bobby Joseph.  They had a great time, met so many wonderful people and had a great day of golf.

When Mirka recapped her day for me, she shared the greatest highlight of the event.  In the morning, she was given the opportunity to speak to the group and talk about Hope For The Warriors®.  At one point in her speech, she addressed the other veterans in the group, specifically veterans from the Vietnam War.  She thanked them for their service and promised that today's veterans will never be treated in the same manner.

Throughout the day, Mirka was approached by so many veterans, many who had fought in Vietnam.  They were honored by her words and the recognition she gave them.  And Mirka was overwhelmed by their gratitude towards her and Hope For The Warriors®.  She admitted that it had been a very emotional day for her--completely due to the generosity of the club members.

Hope For The Warriors® thanks the members of the Bear Lakes Country Club.  Thank you for joining us in our mission!

What Your Donations can do for Military Families

As promised, below is a list of how your $10, $25, $50 and $100 donation will help wounded service members and military families.  Like I said before, I don’t like to look at donations this way.  I believe that everyone’s donation together makes a significant impact.  However, I recognize that for some people, this is what they like to see.

Hope For The Warriors® offers a full cycle of care from bedside to reintegration and beyond.  We offer ten distinct programs for combat wounded service members, their families, and families of the fallen.

Our military families incur many expenses while they stay at or near military medical centers, never leaving their wounded service member’s side.  Many of these expenses are low in dollar amount but add up very quickly as the days extend to weeks.  At the same time, parents and spouses have left their jobs to become full-time caregivers.

Beyond the medical centers, our programs address the needs of our military families as they take their steps towards recovery. 

Hope For The Warriors® uses your $10 donation to:

• Pay for meals at the hospital cafeteria
• Cover the expense of laundry service
• Provide basic necessities, toiletries and more
• Supply our athletes with gels/drinks while competing in marathons and other races
• Covers the expense of shipping key supplies to military families throughout the country
• Contribute towards a larger expense that will support our military families

Hope For The Warriors® uses your $25 donation to:

• Race registration fee for a wounded service member returning to sports for rehabilitation
• School supplies for a spouse returning to college, preparing to take on the role of “breadwinner”
• Groceries to stock a small kitchen, near a military medical hospital
• An association membership to support networking opportunities in a new career field
• A Team jersey for a service member on Team Hope For The Warriors®
• Hope For The Warriors® golf shirt for a warrior learning this rehabilitative sport
• Contribute towards a larger expense that will support our military families

Hope For The Warriors® uses your $50 donation to:

• A cell phone to use while in an inpatient program
• A cycling helmet for a handcyclist
• Gas cards to travel to hospital visits, events and races
• A text book for a spouse returning to school
• Household items for the Warrior House™
  
• Holiday gifts for children
• Contribute towards a larger expense that will support our military families

Hope For The Warriors® uses your $100 donation to:

• Keep the electricity turned on for a military family
• Purchase professional clothing for a service member transitioning to a civilian career
• Provide an athlete with a pair of running or cycling shoes
• Household supplies for a temporary home near a medical center
• Groceries for a wounded service member and his/her family
• Contribute towards a larger expense that will support our military families

Run For The Warriors® Wins Event of the Year in Onslow County

Today was the annual "Artie" Awards, given by Onslow County Tourism.  We are excited to announce that the Run For The Warriors®, held each year in May, won the Event of the Year for the fourth time.

Thank you to Justein Henry--our amazing public relations coordinator who did an excellent job writing about this event.  Thank you to Peggy Rochon and to the staff in the North Carolina office for pulling together the board and all of the other materials so quickly.  Side note--did everyone know that Peggy is a talented scrapeboooker too.  Who knew?!

Finally, thank you to the people of Onslow County and to the military families at Camp Lejeune.  Thank you for embracing your service members, the military families, the families of the fallen and Hope For The Warriors®.  Our organization could not assist so many families without your dedication.

See you in May 2012 for the next Run For The Warriors®!

Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Runner in the Long Island Run For The Warriors® leaves no man behind.

Give Back This Thanksgiving--Article Includes Hope For The Warriors®

Last week Wednesday, I received an email from Salon.com.  For Thanksgiving, they wrote an article about charities worth donating to and asked for information on Hope For The Warriors®.  I was given a very short turnaround time to submit how someone’s $10 or $25 donation could help the military families we serve. Read the full article here.

This is a common request which I don’t actually like.  We are proud of the people who donate to us, even if they can only donate a small amount.  After all, if every American gave just $1, imagine what a difference that could make.  However, to tell someone specifically what THEIR $10 will do is completely different.  When you follow the link to the article, you will see part of what I submitted to this reporter.  In the next few days, I will post a more extensive list on this blog.

There are two other important parts of this story however.  First, the reason this reporter contacted us was because of Hope For The Warriors® Four-star rating on Charity Navigator and because we are number one on the list of “Highly Rated Military and Veteran Charities with the Most Reviews.”  This Four-Star Rating has been key in getting us increased attention.  I love that so many people are educated on the nonprofit organizations that they donate to rather than just giving to the organization with the flashy, high-priced commercial.

The second lesson in this article is that Salon.com is a website that has political leanings to the left.  So often, there is a belief that our military families are supported solely by those on the right side of the political spectrum.  However, this reporter included veterans’ causes in his article with complete sincerity and insight into the sacrifices of our military members.  This is a great reminder that the military families we serve, our supporters, and the Hope For The Warriors® staff, hold a wide spectrum of political views and yet each join us in our mission to ensure “no sacrifice forgotten, nor need unmet.”