Christmas will be here before we know it (no, I’m not skipping over Thanksgiving), and a lot of times near Christmas, people look for different charities to donate to. I’ve learned over the past 17 months that non-profits are not created equally. I’m not going to name names, but many “non-profits” have high paid CEOs and have a lot of the money donated go toward overhead costs and advertising. I can’t speak for other causes, but I can tell you which non-profits do the most to actually help wounded veterans. Right now some of them have special projects going on for the Christmas season to help families of wounded vets. This is by no means a full list of all the wonderful non-profits who do so much good, but here are a handful of once that have personally helped us or friends of ours. These are in no particular order, and I'm telling you about them, not to help our family personally, but to help the many other families of wounded warriors.
Semper Fi Fund/America’s Fund https://semperfifund.org/match/
Every weekday, rain or shine, people from this organization go from room to room on the inpatient ward making sure that needs are met, not only for the wounded service member, but also his/her family and friends who are there to visit. They do special outings to boost morale of caregivers. They help with the purchase of vehicles to be adapted and purchase all-terrain wheelchairs to assist with mobility for outdoor type sports. They help with expenses for moving, house needs, travel expenses, and so much more. Right now through the end of the year, every dollar donated will be matched by the Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation.
Operation Ward 57 http://www.operationward57.org/holiday2014/
Ward 57 was the inpatient wounded warrior floor at the old Walter Reed before it was combined with the Navy hospital in Bethesda. They do a lot to make sure needs are met for both the inpatient and outpatient residents at Walter Reed (and other places). They’ve collect everything from back massagers to waffle makes and whole lot more. They also do a lot to bring attention and educated on some of the emotional and mental issues that many service members face. They have someone who will answer their phone 24/7 if they need to talk or get advice, not for recognition, but because they truly care and want to help. Right now they have a program where they match sponsors with wounded warrior families to help the WW families have a better Christmas.
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/
This organization has been a huge help to Justin. He loves to be outdoors, and they have provided him with a way to be outdoors and get back into one of his favorite hobbies. But it’s not just about the fishing. A group of their volunteers comes out to Walter Reed (and other military hospitals and VA hospitals and clinics all over the country) weekly to teach fly tying and casting, but while doing that, they build relationships with the wounded vets and their families. They teach fly fishing and boost morale and are an overall encouragement while doing it.
Heroes Haven http://heroeshaven.org/
This is a smaller non-profit run through a local American Legion post on the eastern shore of Maryland. Even though their reach isn’t as big as other groups, the impact they make on those who they reach is huge. They got Justin out hunting for the first time post-injury and made us part of their community. They gave us a home away from home when we needed to get away from the hospital and have become part of our family’s support system.
Luke’s Wings http://www.lukeswings.org/
We personally have not flown using the Luke’s Wings program because when we travel, we typically have driven for various reasons, but many of my friends have benefitted greatly from this awesome program. They recognize the need to reunite wounded warriors with their family and friends. If you are a frequent flier and have extra miles, you can donate them. Now through the end of November, for every Delta mile donated, Delta will match the donation. All these miles will be used to help wounded warriors be with their families for Christmas.
Gary Sinise Foundation http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/
Many of you have probably seen the movie Forrest Gump. One of the characters in the movie was Lt. Dan, played by Gary Sinise (also known for playing the part of Mac Taylor on CSI: NY). The Lt. Dan character was injured in Vietnam and lost both legs, and while researching the part, Gary Sinise felt moved to start helping wounded veterans by starting the Gary Sinise Foundation and to start up a cover band called the Lt. Dan Band that would tour military bases and hospitals around the world to boost morale. Now that CSI: NY has run its course, he is working full time in his work helping service members and veterans. Recently, his foundation gave a “smart house” that is fully adapted to help one of our Walter Reed friends (one of only a handful of quadruple amputees who survived). He may not have served in the military (in real life), but he has done so much to serve those who have served/are serving.
Yellow Ribbon Fund http://www.yellowribbonfund.org/
When a service member is injured, the military will pay for 3 family members to be by their side while they are inpatient initially. The Yellow Ribbon Fund helps with lodging for additional family members to come visit for a few days, whether the person is inpatient or outpatient. They help with caregiver resources and retreats. They provided a much needed playground next to the wounded warrior living residence on the hospital complex. They help with rental cars and taxi vouchers to help with transportation (since many of us flew up to the area and were without personal transportation for a while). Many of their volunteers are caregivers themselves, so they have a firsthand knowledge of the needs of caregivers.
The Independence Fund http://www.independencefund.org/
One of the most popular things this organization does is give all-terrain wheelchairs to wounded veterans. These are a huge help to people with limited mobility to enjoy hobbies that they wouldn’t be able to access in a normal wheelchair. The Indy Fund also teams up with other organizations to help with transportation and housing needs for wounded veterans. They’ve provided hand bikes for wounded vets without legs or with leg problems who are unable to use a traditional bicycles (for some these hand bikes are the main form of exercise that these men and women are able to physically do to stay healthy).
The Space Coast Paratroopers Association https://www.facebook.com/SpaceCoastParatroopersAssociation
For those in central Florida, this organization is teaming up with the city of Palm Bay to provide (adapted if needed) homes to wounded veterans. These houses are foreclosures and need a bit of work to spruce them up and adapt if needed. A lot of the work is done by volunteers or businesses volunteering their skills, and a lot of the materials are donated. Even if you can’t afford to purchase materials or give money, the gift of time in helping fix up these house is greatly appreciated. They post on their Facebook page where/when the volunteer opportunities are. If nothing else, check out and “like” their page so you can see the awesome job their doing and watch the transformations of these houses.
Treats 4 Our Troops https://www.facebook.com/notes/treats-4-our-troops/t4ot-official-holiday-collection-and-packing-guidelines-revised-september-2014/10150099961180620?fref=nf
Do you have any extra candy from Halloween that you don’t want to rot your children’s’ teeth? This organization will help you send it to troops who are deployed or to wounded warriors who are inpatient at Walter Reed. Check out their page for more information.
If you’re like my family and like the ease of online shopping, you probably have ordered from Amazon. They started a program Amazon Smile where you can sign up (for free) and for every dollar you spend, they donate (at no extra cost to you) .5% to the charity of your choice. Yeah, .5% isn’t a lot – 50 cents for every $100 spent, but it adds up and it requires no effort or cost to you, so why not sign up? Many of the non-profits I’ve already talked about are registered in this program and they can benefit from shopping that you were already planning on doing. Once you pick an organization, you can change it whenever, and however many times you want, so if you want to support one organization for 6 months, and then switch it up, you can. There are so many wonderful organizations to choose from that it’s difficult to choose just one.
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